Media Center Olivia Brown
For the first time in 46 years, Team USA won Olympic gold in men’s ice hockey, defeating Canada in the gold-medal game of the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics. The last U.S. team to win gold was the 1980 “Miracle on Ice” group.
In 1980, Olympic men’s hockey was still an amateur event, and coach Herb Brooks built his roster from college hockey players and recent graduates. The U.S. stunned the Soviet Union 4-3 and won gold two days later against Finland.
In 2026, NHL players returned to Olympic men’s hockey for the first time since 2014. But college hockey still showed up in a big way, with 20 of 25 players on Team USA’s roster having NCAA experience.
Across the 1980 and 2026 gold medal rosters combined, 88% of the players had college hockey ties, including 20 NCAA alums on the 2026 roster.
Here’s the college hockey foundation behind both U.S. gold medal teams.
Minnesota (11):
Boston U. (9):
Michigan (4):
North Dakota (3):
Boston College (2):
Bowling Green (2):
Wisconsin (2):
Minnesota Duluth (2):
Colorado College: Jaccob Slavin (2026).
Omaha: Jake Guentzel (2026).
UConn: Tage Thompson (2026).
UMass Lowell: Connor Hellebuyck (2026).
University of Maine: Jeremy Swayman (2026).
While Team USA’s 2026 roster leaned on NCAA-developed talent, the 1980 Miracle on Ice team also featured a deep core of NCAA champions. In all, 14 players on the 1980 roster won at least one NCAA men’s ice hockey national title in college.
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