Jack Hughes Hockey Heroics Seal U.S. Overtime Gold in Milan
Jack Hughes scored the overtime winner that gave the United States a 2-1 victory over Canada in the men’s ice hockey final at the Milan Cortina Games, doing so despite suffering a mouth injury late in regulation. The moment matters because it ended a decades-long Olympic gold drought for U. S. men’s hockey and came just after a frightening high-stick incident.
Jack Hughes Hockey: Overtime Winner After Losing Teeth
The 24-year-old forward for the New Jersey Devils finished the game a little more than 1 1/2 minutes into overtime, slipping a goal past Canadian goalie Jordan Binnington to decide the gold-medal match. Hughes had lost some teeth earlier in the game after taking a stick to the mouth from Sam Bennett in the third period and finished with a bloody mouth.
Sam Bennett High-Stick in Third Period
Bennett’s high-stick to Hughes’ face in the third period produced an immediate, visible effect: Hughes said he looked on the ice and saw his teeth. The injury combined with the older incident Hughes recalled — having one tooth knocked out in an NHL game a few years earlier — to leave him working through pain and blood as the game went into extra time.
Jordan Binnington and the 1 1/2-Minute Overtime Finish
Hughes beat Canada’s Jordan Binnington after a little more than 1 1/2 minutes of extra time to convert the decisive goal. The final score was 2-1, with the overtime strike immediately ending the championship game and awarding the Americans the top podium spot at the Winter Games.
Quinn Hughes, Clayton Keller and Team Reaction
Jack’s older brother, Quinn Hughes, 26, a defenseman on the U. S. roster, praised him after the win, saying, “No one loves the game more than him. He’s got so much passion. He’s a gamer. He made it happen. ” Teammates shared visible relief and celebration during the medal ceremony; teammate Clayton Keller, wearing No. 91, reacted after receiving his gold medal alongside Hughes, who wears No. 86.
U. S. Men’s Hockey Caps off Winter Games With Epic Gold Finish
The victory marked the United States’ first gold in men’s Olympic hockey since the 1980 “Miracle on Ice” team that upset the heavily favored Soviet Union at Lake Placid. That historical link framed the win as the end of a long gap between Olympic titles for the U. S. men’s program.
Cause and effect in this game were stark: Bennett’s high-stick caused a dental injury and a bloody mouth, but Hughes’ resilience and return to the ice led directly to the overtime chance that produced the winning goal, handing the U. S. a 2-1 victory over Canada at the Milan Cortina Games on Feb. 22, 2026. What makes this notable is the contrast between the personal setback of losing teeth in the third period and the immediate, championship-defining outcome that followed shortly thereafter.
Other teammates figured that Jack Hughes will be just fine with unclear in the provided context.
The match finished with Hughes celebrated by teammates and the broader delegation after a dramatic finish in Milan, closing the Winter Games on an emphatic note for the U. S. men’s program.
