Jack Hughes and Connor Hellebuyck lift U.S. to Olympic hockey gold
jack hughes scored the overtime winner as the United States beat Canada 2-1 to claim the men's ice hockey gold medal at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, Italy on Sunday, Feb. 22, 2026. The goal ended a 46-year wait since the Miracle on Ice in 1980 and capped a tournament in which Hughes finished with 4 goals, 7 points and a +8 rating.
Jack Hughes finishes tournament with golden goal and noticeable damage
Jack Hughes, wearing number 86, ripped the game-winner early in overtime and got a shot past Canadian goaltender Jordan Binnington to seal the 2-1 victory. Hughes entered the final game and the tournament with an eye-catching stat line — 4 goals, 7 points and a +8 — and after the goal he offered what was described as an all-time quote following an all-time moment. Observers also noted Hughes was sporting cracked teeth when celebrating the win; many called him an American legend for the finish.
Connor Hellebuyck’s 40-save night helped preserve the 2-1 lead
American goaltender Connor Hellebuyck stopped 40 shots in the gold-medal game and made crucial saves on some of Canada’s best chances late in regulation. Hellebuyck had been impressive for Team USA throughout the Olympics, and the performance in Milan — including a memorable late stop — will be remembered for a while.
Early scoring: Matt Boldy opener, Cale Makar reply, scoreless third
Matt Boldy opened the scoring for the United States in the first period when the Minnesota Wild star split two Canadian defenders and got his shot past Jordan Binnington. Canada responded in the second when Cale Makar tied the game, and neither side managed to score in the third period, forcing overtime where Hughes ended the game.
Tributes on the ice and a presidential reaction
After the win, Team USA carried the late Johnny Gaudreau’s jersey onto the ice to honour the former Team USA mainstay. Captain Auston Matthews, alternate Matthew Tkachuk and defenceman Zach Werenski — who played alongside Gaudreau on the Columbus Blue Jackets — held up Gaudreau’s sweater while taking a lap, and the team also brought Johnny Gaudreau’s kids onto the ice for the team photo.
President Donald Trump reacted on social media, writing: "Congratulations to our great U. S. A. Ice Hockey team. THEY WON THE GOLD. WOW!" He added, "WHAT A GAME!!!" and "LOTS OF WINNING!!!" The broader rivalry with Canada was noted as having been reignited by political prodding that traces back to last year’s 4 Nations Face-Off.
Voices from the losing side and other hockey notes
Team Canada coach Jon Cooper said he was not using the 3-on-3 overtime as an excuse for losing the gold-medal game, but he added that taking four players off the ice made the hockey "not hockey anymore. " Observers also pointed to the larger significance of the result: finally, forty-six years after the United States won its last men’s hockey gold medal at the Olympics, the U. S. reached the top of the mountain again, ending Canada’s dominance in best-on-best hockey on Sunday afternoon in Milan.
Elsewhere in hockey chatter, critics have called the Devils one of the league’s biggest disappointments — while also noting there are still several positives beneath the surface. Another critique stated that the New Jersey Devils need to get younger and more skilled and posed the question: who could they target to do so?
Images, moments and memory from Milano Cortina
The gold medal and celebratory scenes were captured in Milan at the 2026 Winter Games. The win for Team USA will be remembered for Hughes’s golden goal, Hellebuyck’s 40-save effort, the on-ice tributes to Johnny Gaudreau and the end of a decades-long drought in men’s Olympic hockey.
