Front and Center: Jack Hughes’ Golden Goal and Connor Hellebuyck’s 41-Save Night Lift U.S. to Olympic Hockey Gold

Jack Hughes scored the overtime winner with a damaged mouth, and goalie Connor Hellebuyck delivered a 41-save masterpiece to lift the United States to a 2-1 Olympic gold over Canada — a victory that put the U. S. front in the hockey spotlight at the Milan Cortina Games.

Front: Hughes’ dramatic finish came after a high-stick and chipped teeth

The 24-year-old New Jersey Devils forward finished the title game in a bloody mouth after taking a stick to the mouth from Sam Bennett in the third period. Hughes had at least one front tooth chipped in that incident and later said his first thought was to draw the penalty; he also looked down on the ice and saw his teeth. The high-sticking call gave the United States a four-minute power play earlier in the third period.

Hughes scored the golden goal in 3-on-3 overtime, finishing a play that began when Zach Werenski wrestled the puck away from Canada’s Nathan MacKinnon and sent a cross-ice feed to an open Hughes. The goal came a little more than 1 1/2 minutes into extra time — less than two minutes into the extra period — giving the Americans a 2-1 win over rival Canada in the men’s hockey final on Sunday, Feb. 22, 2026.

Hellebuyck’s 41 saves: a performance that altered narratives

U. S. goalie Connor Hellebuyck stopped 41 shots to keep the game tied heading into overtime. He had several signature moments, including a third-period paddle stop that prevented Devon Toews from tucking a rebound into a gaping net and a mid-game stop that denied Connor McDavid on a breakaway halfway through the second period.

Hellebuyck entered the tournament as the reigning Vezina and Hart Trophy winner, and his showing in Milan has been cast as a personal redemption after a difficult 2025 Stanley Cup playoffs in which he was pulled three times in the first round against the St. Louis Blues. Hellebuyck said critics can keep writing and that they do not understand goaltending or his game; the provided quote in the context was incomplete.

Team reaction, celebration and the ‘gold or bust’ mindset

Teammates and opponents alike reacted to the climactic finish. Gloves flew on the ice as Team USA celebrated the sudden-death winner. Defenseman Charlie McAvoy described a blackout of emotion after the goal, saying he could not explain what he was feeling and could not remember who he was hugging. Quinn Hughes, Jack’s 26-year-old brother and a defenseman for the Americans, praised Jack’s mental toughness, calling him a gamer who loves the game.

Players had embraced a mantra of “gold or bust” in the months leading up to the tournament, and the men’s win completed a clean sweep for USA hockey after the women also defeated Canada 2-1 in overtime for gold on Thursday. Jack Hughes reflected on the journey and the adversities each player had faced, saying every player in the game could be proud of the outcome and the effort.

Voices from the ice: praise, perspective and playful barbs

Several players offered perspective on Hellebuyck’s contribution. Matthew Tkachuk placed Hellebuyck’s outing among the best goaltending performances of all time and linked it to the legacy of past United States goaltenders, including a reference to the 1980 team’s Jimmy Craig. Dylan Larkin joked that Hellebuyck should never buy a drink in his home state of Michigan again. Matt Boldy quipped that more people will be looking at Hughes’ medal than his teeth.

Former player P. K. Subban was noted as full of praise for Team USA men’s hockey after the victory. Photographs from the medal ceremony captured Jack Hughes and Clayton Keller reacting after receiving their gold medals.

What this win means and what comes next

The United States captured its first Olympic men’s hockey gold since the 1980 “Miracle on Ice” team, ending a decades-long drought and delivering a landmark victory over Canada on the sport’s biggest stage. The moment cements both Hughes and Hellebuyck in the tournament’s defining narrative: Hughes for his gritty, game-winning finish despite dental damage, and Hellebuyck for a 41-save performance that shaped the result.

Details on post-tournament schedules and next steps for individual players were unclear in the provided context.