MILAN — For the first time since the Miracle on Ice in 1980, the United States wins Olympic gold in men’s hockey jack hughes Scored the golden goal in 3-on-3 overtime for a 2-1 win against rival Canada on Sunday.
American players talked about a big game in the months leading up to the tournament, often repeating the mantra of “gold or bust” – and backing it up with wins over their biggest rivals. It was a clean sweep for USA Hockey as the women defeated Canada 2-1 in overtime on Thursday to win the gold medal.
Hughes’ goal, less than two minutes into added time, received an assist. Zach Werenskiwho snatched the puck from canada nathan mackinnon and sent a cross-ice feed to an open Hughes.
“It’s all about our country right now,” Hughes said. “I love USA. I love my teammates. It’s incredible. The USA hockey brotherhood is so strong.”
American goalkeeper connor hellebuyck It was sensational, 41 shots were stopped. It was a personal redemption arc for the reigning Vezina and Hart Trophy winner Hellebuyck, who proved he can show up in the biggest moments. 2025 Stanley Cup playoffs were tough for Hellebuyck winnipeg jetsvs. being drawn three times in the first round st louis blues.
On Sunday, Hellebuyck had several memorable moments, the biggest coming in the third period, when he used his paddle to make a stop devon toews By putting a rebound into a huge net. he also filled connor mcdavid On a breakaway halfway through the second period.
Shortly after, the Americans hit a 93-second 5-on-3, a key moment in the game. Team USA went 18 out of 18 on the penalty kill in this tournament.
“Unbelievable game from Hellebuyck,” Hughes said. “He was our best player by a mile.”
Before many of the players on this US roster were born, the US men had not defeated Canada in a best-of-the-best competition since the 1996 Hockey World Cup.
The win was revenge for Team USA’s loss following Canada’s 3–2 overtime victory in last year’s Four Nations title game.
“I can’t even believe it,” Hughes said. “I mean, it’s an incredible game, USA-Canada. Such a good game. There’s a lot of great players in it. We’re a great team. That’s exactly how we wanted it to be. We’re rooting for Canada, [but we] Beat them. “It could have gone either way.”
As part of the celebration, Captain America auston matthewsWerensky and Matthew Tkachuk Skated around the ice with the jersey of the late Johnny Gaudreau, who was killed in 2024 when he was struck by an SUV while bicycling with his brother. Gaudreau would have been a candidate to be included on this Olympic team. team usa Gaudreau’s jersey hung in his locker room As a tribute to each game during the tournament.
After the medal ceremony, the American players brought Gaudreau’s two children onto the ice to take a photo with the team and their late father’s jersey.
The United States and Canada faced off in the men’s hockey gold medal game for the third time on Sunday. Canada had won both the previous matches in 2002 and 2010.
matt boldy Started the scoring after six minutes. Americans maintained lead until black capricorn The game was tied at the end of the second period and a strong push for Canada ended. The Canadian team defeated Team USA 19–8 in the second round.
It was a fast-paced game with plenty of chances, and surprisingly, there were many moments when the world’s best players missed the wide-open net.
Canada had come-from-behind wins in both the quarterfinals and semifinals. In fact, the Canadians held the lead for only 6:05 of the game since the start of the elimination round.
Canada was without a captain Sidney CrosbyWho was it not in the lineup He suffered a lower body injury in the quarter-finals against Czechia. One source said that Crosby “tried everything, but couldn’t play,” and another source insisted that it was an unselfish decision by Crosby, as he did not feel he could help the team at full potential and his roster spot would be better served by a healthy player.
According to international rules, each team must wear a captain’s uniform, so McDavid wore the “C” in Crosby’s absence.
At 38, Crosby was the oldest player and most decorated player on Canada’s roster – especially after scoring the golden goal in overtime to defeat the United States at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics.
He was only part of a star-studded lineup for the Canadiens, who started a top line of McDavid, MacKinnon and. McLean Celebrini – Three of the NHL’s top four point scorers this season.
Canada has won a record nine Olympic gold medals in men’s hockey, the most recent in 2014 – the last time NHL players competed in the Olympics.
