Connor Hellebuyck’s stick save and 41-stop night send U.S. to Olympic gold
connor hellebuyck made 41 saves, including a miraculous stick stop on Devon Toews in the second period, to help the United States beat Canada 2-1 in overtime and capture the nation’s first Olympic men’s hockey gold since 1980 at the Milano Cortina 2026 games.
Connor Hellebuyck’s stick save kept the U. S. alive
The pivotal moment came in the opening minutes of the second period when Canada defenseman Devon Toews crept into the slot, a few feet from Hellebuyck, with an apparently open net. Facing the corner, Hellebuyck reached behind himself and struck the puck with the blade of his stick, turning quickly with his right hand to stop it and keep the score 1-1. For that play, Toews — identified as the Colorado Avalanche star and wearing No. 7 in photo material — lifted the puck just a bit and Hellebuyck’s paddle got right in the way.
How the game finished: Hughes, Binnington and the overtime winner
Jack Hughes ultimately scored the overtime winner past Canada’s netminder Jordan Binnington to seal the 2-1 victory. The Americans forced overtime after Hellebuyck’s 41 saves preserved the 1-1 score through the end of the second and the third periods. The match took place at Santaguilia Arena and is also referenced in other material as the Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena on Feb. 22, 2026 in Milan, Italy, noted as day 16 or day sixteen of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic games.
Veteran praise: Richter and teammates react
Mike Richter said he was flabbergasted watching the stick stop and replayed it repeatedly. "I watched it like 10 times on replay, and the key is he doesn’t give up on the puck, " Richter said, invoking names of Olympic greats Patrick Roy, Dominik Hasek and Jim Craig, the latter described as the iconic U. S. goalie for the "Miracle on Ice" team in 1980. Richter, who backstopped the U. S. to a best-on-best win against Canada in the 1996 World Cup of Hockey, added that Hellebuyck "did exactly what he had to do — he was in perfect position all night long. He wasn’t in great position for that, but then it is how much do you want it, and he wanted it. "
Teammates and opponents point to a turning point
Defenseman Charlie McAvoy called the Toews stop the turning point in real time. "I was yelling down the bench, ‘That’s the one, ’" McAvoy said, adding he joked it was the "TSN Turning Point. " Canada forward Sam Bennett praised the U. S. goaltender: "You have to tip your hat to their goalie — he played great. We had a lot of looks. We generated what we wanted, but sometimes the goalie steals it, and he did a great job. "
Public reaction and unusual endorsements
A social media account dubbed connor hellebuyck the "Secretary of Defense, " and United States Secretary of War Pete Hegseth — who once held that title before the agency he heads became known as the Department of War last September — endorsed the designation, posting, "Now we have a Secretary of War…and a Secretary of Defense!" Contributor and sportscaster Jim Gray discussed the victory, and correspondent Madison Scarpino provided reporting on the team’s overtime win and the end of a multi-decade gold drought.
The 32-year-old Hellebuyck did surrender a goal to Avalanche star defenseman Cale Makar in the second period, but he made save after save after that game-tying score to give his team a chance at gold. After the game Hellebuyck skated around the ice alone with an American flag on his back as the crowd roared. Hellebuyck said to after the game, "It’s a dream come true. We grinded, we battled, and this was some of the best and most fun hockey that I’ve ever played. "
When the Americans previously won Olympic gold, in 1980, Jim Craig was the hero; in the iconic upset of the Soviet Union, on this very day 46 years ago, he made 36 saves in an improbable 4-3 vict
Details about the team’s next scheduled event are unclear in the provided context.
