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WOODRIDGE, Ill. -- One by one, the young candidates of the U.S. Olympic orientation camp are paraded out of their locker room, ready to face the cameras and notebooks, with the same question awaiting almost all of them.
Who are you?
It's not easy to tell Jack Johnson from Erik Johnson, let alone Ryan Suter from Ryan Whitney from Ryan Malone from Ryan Kesler from Ryan Callaghan from Ryan Miller and Bobby Ryan.
This isn't a who's who of the National Hockey League. This is a who's they?
"I had to introduce myself to some of them," said Mike Modano, the ancient American here.
"I'm lucky I play in the Western Conference or I wouldn't know most of them."
These are the best and the brightest of the Americans in what they're calling the changing of the guard -- they actually could start a Ryan in goal, two Ryans on defence, and three Ryans up front --but almost every one of them, maybe with the exception of Patrick Kane and Dustin Byfuglien, could walk the Miracle Mile here in Chicago and not be recognized.
This is both hockey in America and the state of American hockey coming together at the very same time.
"We always use the Miracle On Ice as our focus looking back. Then I looked at our team and I realized that only seven of our players were alive in 1980," said David Poile, the associate general manager of Team USA. "We need to start building our own memories. This is the kind of group we can do it with."
With apologies to this team full of Ryans, this isn't likely to be the year, but then again, the U.S. has served up some Olympic magic before when least was expected. Teams that weren't supposed to win gold won in 1960 and 1980, each time on American soil.
"Having an Olympics in Vancouver is almost like being home," Poile said.
"I think the players are more motivated by it because it's in North America and because this could be the last time NHL players participate."
But really, what chance do the Americans have against a stacked Canadian team, against the Russians with Alexander Ovechkin and Evgeny Malkin, against the usually strong squads from Finland and Sweden?
"I like this team," said Zach Parise, who may be asked to carry this team up front.
"I like the talent we have. I like the possibility for lineups we have. I like our goaltending.
"Sure, we don't have any Ovechkins or Malkins, but there are possibilities to have offence from a lot of different players."
In goal, it begins with Vezina Trophy winner Tim Thomas and Ryan Miller, with Jonathan Quick, the emerging Los Angeles goalie, as the No. 3 man and Rick DiPietro, assuming he ever plays again, possibly in the mix for selection come December.
"I like our goaltending as much as anybody's," coach Ron Wilson said.
The defence likely will start with Brian Rafalski and Suter, Mike Komisarek, the new Leaf, and Paul Martin.
That's serviceable but nothing special. Competition for the final two spots on the blueline likely is to come from the Johnsons, from Tom Gilbert of Edmonton, and Whitney of Edmonton.
Up front, Parise has to be the leader, with Modano accepting a lesser role at the age of 39. There are some forwards who can score, Ryan from Anaheim, Phil Kessel from Boston, Dustin Brown from Los Angeles, but then there are young players with skill like Kane from Chicago and David Backes from St. Louis and David Booth from Florida, to go along with complementary forwards such as veterans Scott Gomez, Jamie Langenbrunner, and a puck-moving centre, Paul Stastny of Colorado.
Individually, it doesn't add up to a whole lot. But collectively, "I like what we can throw at somebody," Parise said. I think we're going to surprise people."
If only we could recognize them first.