Feb. 22, 2026 — Milan, Italy The United States men’s ice hockey team defeated Canada 2-1 in overtime to claim gold in the final event of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics at Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena, securing their first Olympic title in the sport since the Miracle on Ice in 1980.
Jack Hughes scored the game-winner at 1:41 of 3-on-3 overtime, assisted by Zach Werenski after a pass originating from goaltender Connor Hellebuyck, while Hellebuyck recorded 41 saves, an Olympic record for a U.S. goalie in such a matchup, according to the NHL recap. Matt Boldy opened the scoring for the U.S. at 6:00 of the first period, with assists from Quinn Hughes and Auston Matthews, before Cale Makar tied it at 18:16 of the second for Canada, assisted by Devon Toews, as detailed in the Olympics.com coverage.
Both teams featured full NHL rosters in the intensely physical contest, marked by fights, high-sticking incidents and Hellebuyck’s highlight-reel stops, including a critical stick save on Devon Toews late in regulation.
“It doesn’t matter about the goal. Just an unbelievable team, unbelievable team win. We’re so proud to be American and to win for our country, to win for the USA Hockey brotherhood.”
— Jack Hughes, via Olympics.com
Hughes praised Hellebuyck as the standout performer, while teammate Charlie McAvoy described the post-goal euphoria as a “complete blackout” of joy. Matthew Tkachuk called Hellebuyck’s effort one of the all-time great goaltending performances, comparable to Jim Craig in 1980. Canada coach Jon Cooper highlighted ice hockey as the true winner despite the silver medal.
The victory, exactly 46 years after the 1980 upset of the Soviet Union, honored the late Johnny Gaudreau, whose jersey was carried on ice by Brady Tkachuk and Zach Werenski, with his children joining the medal photo, per NHL.com.
Finland claimed bronze with a 6-1 win over Slovakia. The U.S. women had earlier defeated Canada 2-1 in overtime. Reactions poured in, including from former President Donald Trump on Truth Social: “Congratulations to our great U.S.A. Ice Hockey team. THEY WON THE GOLD. WOW!” per USA Today.
Social media buzz included shares of a Wall Street Journal headline proclaiming “Team USA Downs Canada to Win Men’s Hockey Olympic Gold.”
