Feb. 22, 2026 — Milan, Italy The United States men’s ice hockey team defeated Canada 2-1 in overtime at the Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena to win the gold medal at the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, securing their first title in the event since the 1980 “Miracle on Ice.”
Jack Hughes scored the game-winning goal 1:41 into 3-on-3 overtime on a cross-ice pass from Zach Werenski, slipping the puck between the legs of Canadian goaltender Jordan Binnington, as detailed in the official Olympics recap and USA Hockey announcement. Matt Boldy had opened the scoring for the U.S. at 6:00 of the first period with assists from Quinn Hughes and Auston Matthews, while Cale Makar tied it for Canada at 38:16 of the second.
U.S. goaltender Connor Hellebuyck was pivotal, named tournament Best Goaltender for key saves including an acrobatic stop on Devon Toews, with Quinn Hughes earning Best Defender honors, according to USA Hockey.
The victory marked the third Olympic gold for U.S. men, 46 years after Lake Placid, featuring NHL rosters on both sides. The game honored late NHL player Johnny Gaudreau, whose jersey was carried onto the ice by Brady Tkachuk and Werenski, and his children joined the team photo.
“It doesn’t matter about the goal. Just an unbelievable team, unbelievable team win. We’re so proud to be American… Unbelievable game by Hellebuyck. He was our best player tonight by a mile. That’s just a gutsy win. That’s American hockey right there.”
— Jack Hughes, Olympics.com
U.S. coach Mike Sullivan called it “an inspiration to our country,” per USA Hockey, while Canadian coach Jon Cooper said ice hockey was the real winner.
The live blog from The Athletic captured reactions, including Brady Tkachuk’s “one of the greatest feelings I’ve ever had.”
Social media buzzed, with Forbes reporting the first gold since 1980 (44K+ views) and The Washington Post calling it a 2-1 nail-biter (38K+ views).
ESPN’s photo gallery showcased celebrations and key moments, while NBC Olympics highlights replayed Hughes’ winner. The U.S. women had also won gold earlier against Canada.
