Men's Olympic Ice Hockey
2026 Olympic
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Team USA has beaten Canada in overtime in the final of the men’s Olympic hockey tournament, winning the gold medal for the third time and first since 1980.
Jack Hughes scored the winner 1:41 into 3-on-3 play.
Matt Boldy opened the scoring for Team USA six minutes into the game with a great solo effort. The Americans led until late in the second period, when Cale Makar beat Connor Hellebuyck with a perfectly placed shot.
Sidney Crosby did not play today due to the injury he suffered in Wednesday's quarterfinal.
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USA wins Olympic gold in thrilling men’s hockey final against Canada
A lovely email here from reader Mary O.:
✉️ Let’s face it, at 74 I’m old. Ah, but old enough to remember I was driving down the snow-choked alley behind my Minneapolis home, hugely pregnant with my now 45-year-old son, when I heard about the Miracle on Ice. On the radio. Nearly drove into a snowbank with excitement.
This morning, as a retired Florida snowbird, I left the house to go to yoga just as the game went into OT. Before I left I ensured I could safely follow the game on my phone. So, again driving, I heard the second Miracle on Ice. (Is it being called that?)
Thank you to all the players who caused me to whoop and holler at their success from behind my steering wheel.
Please note this video includes explicit language. It also includes FBI director Kash Patel. Perhaps most importantly, it has Questions 67 and 68 by Chicago playing in the background, for anyone curious.
Nathan MacKinnon has a point regarding the quote in the previous post below, yes, but missed Grade A chances — his, perhaps most of all — make for a silver medal.
Canada outplayed the USA in many important ways but not the most important way.
Nathan MacKinnon on Canada's loss: "You be the judge of who was the better team today."
Brady Tkachuk speaking about grabbing the jersey of late teammate Johnny Gaudreau for photos after the game: “It's just what he means to our whole entire team, what he means to USA Hockey. We miss him and Matty (Gaudreau) so dearly. He would have been in this team. He's touched everybody on that ice. We just wanted to show the Gaudreau family our support. He was so near and dear to a lot of us. We miss him greatly, and we did it for him.”
Brady Tkachuk speaking after the game: “We're just blessed, grateful for this opportunity. 1980 set up a next generation. The 1996 World Cup set up our generation. We just won and we're going to hopefully create some more superstars that want to play. Not just hockey, but we want to represent the United States of America. This is one of the greatest feelings that I've ever had. To do it alongside my brother is so special.”
On the game: “This is the biggest game I've ever played in. It was nice that it was just an afternoon, just getting ready. It wasn't the best of sleep last night, but if you want to be the best, you've got to beat the best, and we did that tonight.”
Matthew Tkachuk speaking about Connor Hellebuyck's performance: “Oh my gosh, we're going to be talking about this performance for generations. It was an all-time performance from a superstar at his position. It's going to go down as one of the best performances of all time. It has to. All the great United States goaltending performances you want to talk about, that's right up there. If we don't have him, we don't win.”
On playing for Team USA: “I’m just so proud to represent the greatest country in the world with these guys. It's an honour to wear this. The only sad part is it ends after this, which is a little bit sad.
“We're definitely going to be partying for the next few days to try and make up for that.”
On Jack Hughes' performance: “He just kept working his way and scored some huge goals for us. Just played really solid. I loved his confidence the whole tournament. He's a superstar in this league. We have so many of the best players in the league on that team. He's definitely one of them.”
Quinn Hughes on his experience staying at the Olympic Village: "I don't know if it played a part in us winning, but we were so close. It felt like a family.
"I was able to room with Jack for the two weeks or whatever it was and it was very special for me. Right across the hall were the Tkachuks, and they left their door open the entire two weeks. They never closed it.
"Just to have all the guys there on the same floor was special. We'd always hang out in the cafeteria together and meet different athletes and what not, and to me, spending time in the Village with these guys was one of my favourite experiences."
Quinn Hughes speaking about Connor Hellebuyck: “Hellebuyck was insane. He was an absolute maniac, made some insane saves. He fell asleep on the bus on the way to the Sweden (semifinal). I was like, 'We're good with this guy. He's very relaxed'. Since that moment, I knew he was going to be good.”
On his brother Jack scoring the overtime winner: “He's an animal. He starts on the fourth line. He just kept going, mentally tough. He's gone through a lot with his shoulders. He takes a lot of s—. No one loves the game more than him. He's got so much passion. He's a gamer. He made it happen.
“For Jack it's very special, and extra special for me to watch him do that. I just can't believe it.”
Team USA head coach Mike Sullivan speaking about receiving a congratulatory call from President Trump: "The players just had the president on, I don't know what it was, what do you call it? FaceTime? Whatever. In the locker room.
"So he just spoke to the group, expressing how proud he was of the group and congratulating everybody on the win. Obviously this game, in a lot of ways, was an inspiration to our country.
"I can't tell you how many texts I've received over the last day or so about watch parties at eight o'clock in the morning.
"I think from a viewership standpoint in the United States, there were a lot of people paying attention, the president included."
More from Jack Hughes on scoring the game-winning goal: "They have very skilled players, we have very skilled players. It's just up and down the rink, you know? Kind of like a little grudge match. Who's going to make the first mistake? Who's going to give up the first odd-man rush?
"Just a good play by Larks (Dylan Larkin) and Z (Zach Werenski) getting up the ice, and then obviously Z found me."
Jesse Granger, Max Bultman Sean Gentille and Mark Lazerus from Milan are live on The Athletic Hockey Show reacting to today's thrilling game. Check out the show below.
Auston Matthews speaking about bringing a jersey of the late Johnny Gaudreau onto the ice for photos after the medal ceremony: "I think he's had a big impact on a lot of guys in our room. A lot of guys grew up with him, played with him, spent a lot of time with him.
"We had his jersey in our room last year at the 4 Nations, we had his jersey in the room here at the Olympics, and just a little reminder that he and his brother are with us in spirit.
"Obviously, it's been pretty emotional for some guys, but we've had his jersey kind of following us everywhere we've been as a team and as a group over the last year or so."
Auston Matthews speaking about receiving a congratulatory video call from President Trump: "We're all proud Americans, obviously, and I mean this is a huge moment for us. It's a huge moment for the United States. He called and just congratulated us. I think there's a lot of moving parts as far as our travels back home, but we'll kind of see what happens.
"It's an honor to wear this jersey and to represent the USA and go home with the gold medal. You know how much that means to the guys in this room and how much it means to all the people watching and rooting us on, too."
✉️ Emails from readers all over the world are pouring in as people react to today's game.
Arlene K.: Hard fought. 1980 USA team were amateurs, who beat Soviet professionals. A whole different game and importance.
Mike D.: Class move to bring Johnny Gaudreau’s kids down.
Robert S.: Finally! Over the hump with Canada in a best-on-best tournament medal game.
Joseph T.: Luck is how U.S. won gold in men's hockey. Soundly outplayed by Canada.
Bruce K.: A tense, exciting game and a well-deserved win for the USA.
Steve G.: Tremendous achievement against the best hockey players in the world!! Congrats USA!
Dan W.: For slipping the winning goal into the net, Hughes should get his front teeth back!
Jean C.: The last few rounds of Olympics playoff games have been so exciting! This was a great win by the U.S. men’s team. Hellebuyck, who did not look so solid in earlier round games, was a star today.
Nicole R.: Canada deserved to win!
And a surprising counterpoint…
Doug S.: This was supposed to be amateur hockey. Now its NHL All-Stars on ice. Very boring and overhyped game.
Finally, Jon Cooper speaking about losing to Team USA: "Losing hurts, it doesn't matter who it's to. For me, I look at this game and I'm so proud of what went on. I'm proud of our country. I'm proud of our players. I'm proud of our team.
"At the end, you're going to read in a book that in 2026 USA won the gold in Olympic hockey and Canada won the silver. In the big grand scheme, the big winner of this tournament was ice hockey. That's what we should all take out of this."
Canada head coach Jon Cooper speaking about Connor Hellebuyck: "I don't think we can look at this game and say one goalie outdueled the other. I thought they were both exceptional. I think one got more work than the other goalie did.
"There were a couple of chances we created that probably 95% of the time they go in and they didn't go in tonight.
"I think overtime could have ended about 30 seconds earlier if it wasn't for that stick save by Binnington on the one-timer.
"So you could sit here and credit all the players on the ice. They were doing their thing, but the goalies put on a pretty good show, and probably the reason there was such a low-scoring game."
Canada head coach Jon Cooper criticized the 3-on-3 format being used in this game, but also said that it would be wrong to call it unfair.
"Overtime is overtime. You take four players off the ice, hockey is not hockey anymore. There's a reason overtime and shootouts are in play, it's all TV-driven, and, you know, to end games.
"There's a reason it's not in the Stanley Cup Finals or playoffs… but it's still skilled players out there making skilled plays. And the U.S. team has some skilled players, as do we, and they made one more play than we did in overtime, and you have to tip your cap to them.
"It's different hockey, there's no question, players are put in little different situations.
"Listen, the game is 60 minutes long, and it should end. All the teams know the rules going into these beforehand. So, you can't come up here and say, 'Oh, we're the losing team because we lost in a three-on-three, that's not fair.' We knew the rules coming in. We won a game in this tournament three-on-three.
"(Do) the traditionalists want it a certain way? I'm sure they do. But you know, I've been a part of a five (on five) overtime game in Stanley Cup playoffs, and I don't think people want to watch hockey for six-and-a-half hours."
Cooper's Lightning beat the Blue Jackets 3-2 in a five-overtime game in the 2020 playoffs.
Jon Cooper speaking about his team's performance following the loss: "It's hard to reflect so soon after the game. We asked this group to come here and grow as a team, and we came here to play six games and get better each game.
"I didn't think we could play better after the Finland game (semifinal) and they proved me wrong. I thought it was a flawless performance by a group of players that gave nothing (away), but bled red and white for three periods of hockey, three periods plus of hockey.
"I couldn't be more proud of the group. They did everything we asked of them, and more. Executed our plan.
"Some days it's not meant to be, and unfortunately, it wasn't meant to be today. But it wasn't because this team stubbed their toe. They were exceptional."
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