Sunday’s Olympic men’s hockey gold-medal game is must-see TV for Adam Harvey and his family.

With the United States and Canada squaring off in a storied rivalry matchup that gets underway bright and early on this side of the pond, the Harveys are turning the showdown into a special event to cheer for the red, white, and blue from their native Minnesota.

"Me, my parents, and my siblings are going to my brother Alex's house just a mile down the road here in Lakeville. The game starts at seven in the morning, so we're probably going to get there at six, get some breakfast going, make some French toast and pancakes, have a couple of mimosas, and throw a little party," said Harvey. "We've been following Team USA's path the whole tournament, so we're excited to watch."

A former standout forward and captain at Lakeville South High School who went on to skate for the Helena Bighorns (NA3HL), Harvey is optimistic about Team USA’s chances ahead of the highly anticipated battle at Milano Santagiulia Arena in Italy.

He’d especially love to see the five Minnesotans on the roster—Brock Faber, Jake Guentzel, Jackson LaCombe, Brock Nelson and Jake Oettinger—celebrate a historic victory when the final buzzer sounds.

"Canada has kind of been kicking our butts at the international level, and I know we haven't won Olmypic gold since the 1980 "Miracle on Ice" team, so it's going to be a tough challenge," mentioned Harvey. "Canada has probably got us beat on paper, but with the Tkachuk brothers [Matthew and Brady] and all the intensity they bring, it's going to be a very good game. Everyone remembers their fights against Canada during the 4 Nations Face-Off last February."

Hockey roots run especially deep in the Harvey household.

The passion is real.

"My dad, Herb, played college hockey in Minnesota, and my two older sisters (Ashley and Allie) and my older brother also all played hockey growing up. My dad was also just inducted into the Minnesota Girls Hockey Coaches Association (MGHCA) Hall of Fame. He's been coaching high school hockey for 34 years, so you can see that we're a huge hockey family," explained Harvey. "My mom, Sherri, has always been there supporting us, too."

Harvey has fond memories of his early days on the ice.

Being raised in the "State of Hockey" certainly has its privileges.

"I started skating when I was two years old. My parents took me to an outdoor rink. I wasn't into those things you push around to help you learn how to skate, so I kind of just threw them to the side because I was always looking at my brother and I wanted to be like him. I grabbed a hockey stick right away and did it pretty easily," recalled Harvey. "I ended up going through the hockey system in Lakeville. It was always my number one sport. In the winter, my dad would make a rink in the backyard for all of us and our teams. We would have lots of parties at our house and skate until 11 o'clock at night. We would throw up these big lights and light up the rink, so we were out there all the time."

As good as Harvey was in hockey at Lakeville South, he was equally impressive on the tennis court, and after graduation he accepted a tennis scholarship to the University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire.

He spent a year with the Blugolds before deciding to return home to coach varsity girls hockey alongside his dad at Eastview High School.

However, a call from a friend on the Bighorns shifted Harvey’s plans once again, leading him to join the squad in Montana for the 2021–22 campaign, his final year of junior eligibility. 

It ended up being his final season on the ice as a player, but not his last in the game.

"Playing hockey for so many years, I just decided that was it. I didn't really want to put my body through all that work again. I had a couple of offers to go play DIII college hockey in Minnesota, but I just wanted to move on," said Harvey. "The year coaching with my dad, I kind of decided that was the route that I wanted to go, so I went to school online at Grand Canyon University and got my teaching degree."

Harvey still works as an assistant coach with Eastview to this day.

That’s in addition to competing on the PPA Tour and serving as head pro at Chip’s Pickleball Club in nearby Eagan.

"I'm bouncing from Chip's to the hockey rink, and then going back to Chip's to do my own pickleball training," mentioned Harvey. "Hockey is always going to be my sport, though, no matter what I'm doing."

Fun fact: Harvey actually wanted to be a goalie when he was a kid.

While his father was on board, his mother wasn’t, and that’s where the dream came to a halt.

"It was all about the thrill of stopping a puck. Sometimes, I'll actually put on the goalie pads for the Eastview girls and practice with them. One of my best friends plays goalie in the East Coast Hockey League (ECHL) and he gave me his old gear, so I just throw his stuff on," revealed Harvey. "I kind of chirp at the girls if they can't score on me because I'm not even a goalie and I don't really know what I'm doing in net. It's just super fun to stop the puck."

However, his favorite hockey players—past and present—aren’t goalies.

Minnesota Wild legend Marian Gaborik was his idol many years ago, and these days he watches San Jose Sharks phenom Macklin Celebrini every chance he gets.

Harvey won’t be cheering for Celebrini on Sunday since he’s a member of Team Canada, unfortunately, but he definitely admires the talent he brings to the ice.

"His skill set is so good. He's 19 years old, and he has 81 points in 55 games this season, which is unbelievable," he praised. "Then to make Canada's Olympic roster playing with Connor McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon, and Sidney Crosby, that's just amazing for him. It would be sweet for him to win Olympic gold as a 19-year-old."

It won’t be long before we find out who reigns supreme on the biggest of stages.

Will it be the United States or Canada? Stay tuned.