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Forty-six years later, there was another miracle on ice.
Team USA won its first gold medal for men’s hockey in 46 years on Sunday, beating Canada for a triumphant win and their first gold since 1980, the year they defeated the Soviet Union in the famed “Miracle on Ice” game.
New Jersey Devils star Jack Hughes scored the winning goal in overtime, pushing Team USA ahead of Canada for a final score of 2-1. That was after getting his front tooth knocked out when he took a stick to the mouth. Jack’s brother Quinn Hughes, also of the Devils, played beside him on Team USA and days before scored an overtime goal in the quarter-finals against Sweden.
“I love the USA, I love my teammates, it’s unbelievable,” Jack Hughes told NBC Sports’ Kathryn Tappen after the game, giving the interview with blood still visible around his mouth. “The USA hockey brotherhood is so strong… I’m so proud to be American today.”
“Unbelievable game, unreal game by our team, that’s just a ballsy, gutsy win. That’s American hockey right there.”
In a touching moment after their win, Team USA skated with a Gaudreau jersey around the ice, honoring the late NHL star Johnny Gaudreau, who was killed alongside his brother, Matthew Gaudreau, in 2024 while riding bikes in their South Jersey hometown the day before their sister’s wedding. The beloved Columbus Blue Jackets player known as “Johnny Hockey” likely would have been part of Team USA this year.
A jersey honoring late NHL star Johnny Gaudreau makes its ways around the ice after Team USA’s win. Photo: NBC screenshot
Johnny and Matthew’s parents, Jane and Guy Gaudreau, were in the stands at the Olympic final and looked to have tears in their eyes at the honor. The team also brought Johnny and wife Meredith’s young children onto the ice for the team photo.
Jane recently spoke to New Jersey Monthly about coping with the loss of her sons. “The harder you love, the harder you grieve,” she said. “But at the same time, I do feel we were lucky, because even though we didn’t have that quantity of time to be with them forever, the quality of time we had with them was so high.”
The USA women’s team also won the gold earlier in the week, making this Olympics a double dose of powerhouse American hockey.
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