The United States’ gold medal drought in men’s hockey is over, thanks to 24-year-old Jack Hughes, who beat Canadian goalie Jordan Binnington in overtime to lift the American squad to a 2-1 win in the 2026 Milan Cortina Olympics. The U.S. claimed its first gold medal in men’s ice hockey exactly 46 years to the day after the “Miracle on Ice” victory over the Soviet Union at the 1980 Lake Placid Olympics.
After Team USA and Canada played to a 1-1 tie through regulation, the bitter rivals went to overtime. That’s where Hughes, who had multiple teeth knocked out in the third period, became a national hero.
After making a nice defensive play to slow down Connor McDavid as the Canadian was screaming toward the American net, Hughes threw it in high gear and skated toward the offensive zone. Zach Werenski and Dylan Larkin teamed up to work the puck into the Canadian zone with the numbers advantage. Werenski won a puck battle with Nathan MacKinnon, finding Hughes coming down the weak side. Moments after brother Quinn Hughes had just missed an opportunity to win the game, Jack was pure, firing a gold medal-winning shot past the glove of Binnington.
While Jack Hughes has now earned his place in American hockey lore, goaltender Connor Hellebuyck was an even bigger star for the Americans. Hellebuyck played the best game of his career, stopping 41 of 42 Canadian shots and making some miraculous stops when the United States needed them most.
Hellebuyck lived up to his billing as the best goalie in the world as the Americans finished these Olympics 18 for 18 killing opposing penalties with no goals allowed.
For the Canadians, the gold medal game was all about missed opportunities. Canada failed to score on an extended 5-on-3 power play in the second period, Devon Toews was stopped by the stick of Hellebuyck despite having a wide-open net in front of him, and Nathan MacKinnon missed on a glorious opportunity to the Canadian side a 2-1 lead.
It wasn’t the prettiest game the Americans played in these Olympics, but the United States nevertheless emerged as gold medalists after getting it done against one of the most talented teams ever to take the ice.
