The U.S. men’s hockey team beat Canada 2-1 in overtime in a thrilling Olympic final game exactly 46 years after Team USA beat the Soviet Union on the road to its last gold medal.
Jack Hughes, who lost some teeth from a high-stick during the game, scored 1:41 into 3-on-3 OT off a pass from Zach Werenski, sending players into a wild celebration as Canada’s entire team watched from the bench.
“I can’t even believe this,” Hughes said. “I mean, it’s such an unbelievable game, USA-Canada. Such a good game. There’s so many great players. We’re a great team. That’s exactly how we wanted it to go. We’re underdogs to Canada (but we) beat them. It could have gone either way.”
Unlike that ragtag group of college kids that pulled off the “Miracle on Ice,” one of the biggest upsets in sports history at the Lake Placid Games in 1980, the Americans in Milan were a machine that rode goaltender Connor Hellebuyck and a stacked roster full of NHL players through the tournament unbeaten.
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“This is all about our country right now,” Hughes said. “I love the U.S.A. I love my teammates. It’s unbelievable. The USA Hockey brotherhood is so strong.”
Werenski and Matthew Tkachuk carried a Johnny Gaudreau No. 13 jersey around the ice as a tribute to the player who was killed along with his brother when they were struck by a driver in 2024. Gaudreau’s parents, Guy and Jay, his widow, Meredith, and their oldest children were in attendance. It was John Jr.’s second birthday.
“Congratulations to our great U.S.A. Ice Hockey team. THEY WON THE GOLD. WOW!” President Trump said in a post on Truth Social, adding: “WHAT A GAME!”
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Mr. Trump congratulated the the team in a video call as they gathered in the locker room after the game.
“He just spoke to the group, you know, expressing his how proud he was of of the group, and congratulating everybody on the win,” coach Mike Sullivan said.
The U.S got ahead early in the game with a goal from Matt Boldy exactly 6 minutes into the game. He got the puck from Auston Matthews, batted it to himself off his stick blade to maneuver between Canadian defensemen Devon Toews and Cale Makar. He then slid a backhand past goalie Jordan Binnington.
It took Canada until nearly the end of the second period to tie up the game with a goal from Makar, with an assist from Toews.
There were plenty of chances for each team to win the final. The U.S. had more than three minutes of power play time past the midway point of the third after Sam Bennett high-sticked Hughes, who then high-sticked Nick Suzuki to give Canada the same advantage.
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Hellebuyck was by far the best player on the ice, stopping 41 of the 42 shots. He made the save of the tournament by getting his stick on the puck on a shot from Toews in the third period, then minutes later denied Macklin Celebrini on a breakaway.
“Unbelievable game by Hellebuyck,” Hughes said. “He was our best player by a mile.”
This was the third time the U.S. and Canada had faced off in a gold medal game.
Speaking to CBS News on Friday night ahead of the match, forward Brady Tkachuk said winning “would mean the whole world, to be honest. So many players have come before us. So many people in our lives. You just feel the whole country’s support to do that. We’re not just playing for ourselves, truly playing for every American.”
“This is everything we’ve dreamed about since we were kids,” forward Vincent Trocheck said Friday. “Watching the ‘Miracle’ growing up … we all dreamt of being here, of winning a gold medal.”
In attendance to see the win was former U.S. captain Mike Eruzione, who scored the go-ahead goal for the “Miracle on Ice” team to stun the Soviet Union on its way to the gold medal at the Lake Placid Winter Games in 1980.
