The United States ended a 46 year wait for Olympic men’s hockey gold on Sunday, beating Canada 2-1 in overtime in the Milano Cortina final after Jack Hughes scored the winner in sudden death. The title is the first for the U.S. men since the 1980 team won in Lake Placid.
The game in Milan was tied 1-1 after regulation and pushed into 3-on-3 overtime under the Olympic final format, which uses sudden death instead of a shootout. Jack Hughes finished the deciding play after the U.S. moved the puck forward in overtime, ending a final that had swung heavily in Canada’s favor for long stretches after the opening period.
The Americans struck first and held the lead for most of the day. Matt Boldy put the U.S. in front at the 6:00 mark of the first period, giving Team USA a 1-0 edge and setting the tone for a game that quickly turned into a goaltending test for Connor Hellebuyck. Canada finally pulled even late in the second period when Cale Makar scored at 38:16.
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From there, the final became a survival test for the United States. Canada generated sustained pressure in the second and third periods, and Hellebuyck was the central reason the game stayed tied. He stopped 40 of 41 shots in regulation, including several close range chances as Canada pushed for a go ahead goal before the horn.
The third period also featured a key special teams stretch that could have changed the outcome. The U.S. received more than three minutes of power play time after Sam Bennett high-sticked Jack Hughes. The sequence then flipped when Jack Hughes was called for high-sticking Nick Suzuki, giving Canada power play time of its own. The Americans survived that stretch too, and their penalty kill remained perfect in the tournament at 18 for 18.
Canada played the final without captain Sidney Crosby, who was ruled out with an injury before puck drop. His absence was a major story entering the game and remained one throughout the afternoon as Canada still controlled large portions of play but could not finish enough chances to win in regulation.
When regulation ended tied 1-1, the final moved into a sudden death overtime period, and the game that had felt like it might slip away from the U.S. changed in one sequence. The Americans moved the puck up ice, found Jack Hughes, and the gold medal game was over. The finish sealed one of the biggest wins for the U.S. men in international hockey in decades and delivered the program’s first Olympic gold since 1980.
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The win also capped a difficult knockout path for the United States. The Americans had already survived a scare against Sweden in the quarterfinals when the tying goal came with 91 seconds left in regulation, then advanced past Slovakia in the semifinal to set up the matchup everyone expected with Canada. On Sunday, they finally got the rivalry game and finished it with a gold medal.
For Canada, the loss came after a push that looked good enough to win. Makar’s equalizer, long offensive zone stretches, and repeated pressure on Hellebuyck kept the U.S. pinned back for much of the final two periods. But once overtime opened up, the Americans converted the chance that mattered.
For the U.S., the headline is simple: a 2-1 overtime win over Canada, a Jack Hughes golden goal, and the first Olympic men’s hockey gold in 46 years.
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