Connor Hellebuyck’s stick save and steady brilliance power Team USA to first Olympic men’s hockey gold since 1980

Connor Hellebuyck anchored Team USA in a tense men’s hockey gold medal game against Canada, converting a string of high-end saves — including a jaw-dropping stick save from inside the crease in the third period — that kept the Americans alive until Jack Hughes delivered the overtime winner. Hellebuyck’s performance helped the U. S. capture its first Olympic men’s hockey gold since 1980, a victory that matters for national pride and for his on-ice narrative.

Connor Hellebuyck’s gold-game highlights

Hellebuyck, the NHL goaltender who made 40 saves during the first three periods of the 2026 Winter Olympics final, produced a sequence that stood out on social media: a third-period stick save that denied Canada a clear goal from inside the USA crease. He then recorded an additional critical save in overtime before Jack Hughes scored the decisive goal to secure gold for the United States.

Numbers and tournament form

Game summaries and tournament tallies show Hellebuyck’s dominance in slightly different figures. One set of numbers lists him as leading the tournament with a. 947 save percentage and a 1. 23 goals-against average; another set records him entering the knockout rounds with a. 952 save percentage and a 1. 00 goals-against average. Across five games into his first Olympic tournament, he stopped 90 of 95 shots faced. Individual game lines include a 22-save outing against Slovakia, 17 saves on 18 shots against Latvia, and 23 saves on 24 shots against Germany. The U. S. closed the preliminary round with a 5-1 win over Germany.

From NHL playoff woes to Olympic redemption

Hellebuyck’s Olympic run arrives against a backdrop of uneven playoff returns with his NHL club. He has played in seven of the past eight NHL postseasons for the Winnipeg Jets, a stretch that included failing to advance out of the first round or a qualifier in four of those runs. Stat lines from recent seasons show a. 917 save percentage across the 2022 through the current NHL regular season that led the league, while his postseason numbers over the same span dropped to. 872. He also carries a 1-9 record in his past 10 road playoff games dating back to 2021.

Memorable low points have included a playoff series against the Blues in which he was pulled from multiple games: he was pulled in Game 4 after giving up five goals on 23 shots across 40 minutes — including four goals in a 5: 23 span — and was on the bench at the start of the third in Game 6. In last year’s first-round exit to the Blues he was pulled from three of seven games. Over his 11-year NHL career, those playoff failures have been a recurring part of his story; the Olympic stage presented an opportunity to change that narrative.

Team faith: Sullivan, teammates and the goalie room

United States men’s hockey coach Mike Sullivan has said he likes all three goalies on his roster and would feel comfortable playing any of them, but described Hellebuyck as playing like he is the one and only. When naming Hellebuyck the starter for the Americans’ preliminary-round opener against Latvia, Sullivan explained that in short tournaments performance matters and that approach would guide lineup decisions.

Team leaders and peers voiced public confidence in Hellebuyck’s steadiness. Team USA captain Auston Matthews said the Michigander’s calm in net gives the team confidence. Opposing players also recognized the performance: Matthew Tkachuk called him "incredible, " praising the confidence and calm Hellebuyck provides his teammates.

Accolades, health and context

Hellebuyck arrived at the Olympics with an elite résumé: he is a three-time Vezina Trophy winner and the reigning Vezina winner and NHL MVP. His three Vezina trophies place him in company with Patrick Roy, Glenn Hall and Tony Esposito for that total; only Patrick Roy (three), Martin Brodeur (four) and Dominik Hasek (six) have more in the era since the award became a voted-on trophy 44 years ago. He has won the last two Vezinas, a stretch that helped his NHL club finish in the top two of the Western Conference in back-to-back seasons and secure a franchise-first Presidents’ Trophy last season. Only eight goaltenders have won the Hart Trophy; he is one of three winners of that award in this century.

Health context accompanied his Olympic form: Hellebuyck missed 12 games after undergoing arthroscopic surgery on Nov. 22, and when asked about his health during the Olympics he said he felt good and assessed himself at roughly 99 percent. He has repeatedly characterized his confidence as very high during the tournament; after a 22-save game versus Slovakia he cracked a smile and called his confidence an "all-time high. " He also acknowledged a lapse in focus in a blowout quarterfinal win over Slovakia, saying he "got a little bored in there, and it cost me a goal. "

Legacy stakes and historical resonance

The Olympic gold carries outsized weight: this is the United States’ first Olympic men’s hockey gold since the 1980 Miracle on Ice, a span of 46 years since Team USA beat the number-one ranked Soviet Union. The U. S. outcome in Milan Cortina also represents a different result than 2025, when Canada won the Four Nations final in dramatic overtime fashion. For Hellebuyck personally, the gold-medal performance and the stick save that dominated conversation are a defining chapter that could reshape how his career is remembered.

Image note: Connor Hellebuyck took the ice before the game against Slovakia in a men’s ice hockey final during the 2026 Winter Olympics.