Jack Hughes Hockey: Olympic overtime goal wins U.S. gold despite high-stick that knocked out teeth
Jack Hughes Hockey reached its summit on Feb. 22, 2026, when the 24-year-old New Jersey Devils forward scored the golden goal in 3-on-3 overtime to give the United States a 2-1 victory over Canada at the Milan Cortina Games. The goal capped a game defined by Connor Hellebuyck’s 41 saves, a violent high-stick that cost Hughes teeth, and a four-minute power play that shifted momentum late in regulation.
Milan final: 3-on-3 overtime and a 2-1 score
The gold-medal game in Milan finished 2-1 after Hughes buried the winner a little more than 1 1/2 minutes into the extra period. The finish came in the Olympic men’s final on Sunday as the U. S. secured its first men’s hockey gold since the 1980 "Miracle on Ice. " Teammates celebrated in a chaotic on-ice blackout: gloves flew and players embraced in a scene defenders called pure euphoria.
Connor Hellebuyck’s 41 saves kept the U. S. alive
Between the pipes, U. S. goalie Connor Hellebuyck produced a performance that teammates and opponents called historic. He stopped 41 shots to preserve a 1-1 tie heading into overtime and delivered several game-changing moments, including a third-period paddle save on Devon Toews that denied a rebound tuck into a gaping net. Hellebuyck also shut down Connor McDavid on a breakaway halfway through the second period. The showing stood as a personal redemption after a difficult 2025 Stanley Cup playoffs in which he was pulled three times in the first round for the Winnipeg Jets, and it followed his season as the reigning Vezina and Hart Trophy winner.
Zach Werenski wrestled puck from Nathan MacKinnon to set up Hughes
The overtime sequence began when defenseman Zach Werenski wrestled the puck away from Canada’s Nathan MacKinnon and delivered a cross-ice feed to an open Hughes. That pass put Hughes in position to beat Canadian goalie Jordan Binnington, and the U. S. finished the sudden-death period in just over 90 seconds. The cause-and-effect was clear: Werenski’s retrieval and feed directly created the scoring chance that decided the gold medal.
Sam Bennett high-stick led to four-minute U. S. power play in third period
Late in the third period, Sam Bennett’s high stick clipped Hughes in the mouth, knocking out at least one front tooth and leaving him with a bloody mouth. The play drew a high-sticking penalty that produced a four-minute power play for the Americans. Hughes said his immediate thought was to draw the penalty and then that he had to check the ice because he "saw my teeth. " He also recalled having had a tooth knocked out in an NHL game a few years earlier.
Team reaction: praise from teammates and rivals, and a clean sweep for USA Hockey women and men
Teammates and rivals were effusive. Quinn Hughes, 26, Jack’s older brother and a defenseman for the U. S., called him a gamer who loves the game and made it happen. Charlie McAvoy said the celebration after the goal was a complete blackout he could not fully remember. Matt Boldy quipped that more people would be looking at Hughes’s medal than his teeth. P. K. Subban offered full praise for the Team USA effort, while Matthew Tkachuk likened Hellebuyck’s showing to some of the great U. S. goaltending nights, invoking Jimmy Craig from 1980. Dylan Larkin joked that Hellebuyck should never buy a drink in his home state of Michigan again. The victory completed a sweep for USA Hockey at the Games, after the U. S. women also beat Canada 2-1 in overtime earlier in the week.
What makes this notable is how a single defensive play, an extended power play born of an injury-causing high stick, and an extraordinary goaltending performance combined to produce a long-sought outcome: the United States’ first men’s Olympic hockey title since the 1980 Lake Placid upset. The timing matters because the sequence — a late penalty in regulation, Hellebuyck’s stops, and Werenski’s overtime retrieval — all contributed directly to the winning goal.
Players left Milan wearing gold and carrying images of a chaotic celebration and a bittersweet souvenir: Jack Hughes with a medal and a missing tooth, and Connor Hellebuyck with a game that many called one of the best performances of Olympic hockey.
