Team USA got a miracle in Milan.
The U.S. men’s hockey team defeated Canada 2-1 in the gold medal game at the 2026 Milan Cortina Olympics on Sunday, which marked the 46th anniversary of the “Miracle on Ice.” Jack Hughes scored the overtime winner for Team USA in 3-on-3 play to clinch the gold.
“This is all about our country,” Hughes said. “I love the USA, I love our teammates. … I’m so proud to be American today.”
Team USA now has three Olympic gold medals in men’s hockey and its first since pulling off a miracle at the 1980 Winter Games. This is the team’s first gold off home ice, as it won its first Olympic title at the 1960 Squaw Valley Olympics and its second 20 years later in Lake Placid.
On the other side, Canada was chasing its 10th Olympic gold but instead settled for its fifth silver. The country was going for its first gold since 2014, the last year NHL players were allowed to play in the Winter Olympics prior to the Milan Cortina Games.
The U.S. is now 2-4 all-time against Canada in Olympic matchups with NHL players. Team USA’s only win prior to Sunday came in group play at the 2010 Vancouver Games, though Canada got its revenge with an overtime win in the gold medal game at those Olympics.
After scoring the sudden-death overtime winner to end a 46-year Olympic gold drought, Jack Hughes reflects on breaking the streak, doing it for the country and why “tonight, we’re the best in the world.”
This year’s gold medal tilt was yet another USA-Canada game to go to overtime with a championship on the line. On top of the 2010 gold medal game, Connor McDavid played the hero last time for Canada with the overtime winner against the U.S. in the 4 Nations Face Off last year.
“That’s exactly how we wanted it to go,” Hughes said. “We wanted to go through Canada and beat them.”
Matt Boldy opened the scoring for Team USA just six minutes into this year’s gold medal game. He broke through the Canadian defense and beat goalie Jordan Binnington for the Americans’ first goal — and first shot — of the game.
Canada finally got on the board with less than two minutes remaining in the second period when Cale Makar drilled a shot past American goalie Connor Hellebuyck.
Both teams had power play chances in the third period, but Hellebuyck kept the puck out of the net to send the game to overtime tied 1-1.
Hellebuyck was the key reason Team USA even made it to overtime. The 2025 NHL Hart Trophy winner made 41 saves on 42 shots, including a miraculous stick save to stop Canada’s Devon Toews.
“Unbelievable game by Hellebuyck, he was our best player by a mile,” Hughes said. “Just a ballsy, gutsy win. That’s American hockey right there. Tonight was all for the country.”
In overtime, Hughes stepped in his brother’s footsteps with a game-winning goal. Quinn Hughes was the hero in Team USA’s quarterfinal win against Sweden, and it was the younger brother who scored the winner less than two minutes into overtime in the gold medal game.
Following the win, U.S. players honored Johnny Gaudreau on the ice. Gaudreau and his brother, Matthew, died in August 2024 when they were struck by a car while riding bicycles near their New Jersey hometown on the eve of their sister Katie’s wedding. Team USA features several of Gaudreau’s former NHL teammates, including Matthew Tkachuk and Zach Werenski.
The presence of the late USA hockey player Johnny Gaudreau was felt as the U.S. men’s hockey team won gold at the Milan Cortina Olympics.
The men’s hockey gold medal game was the final event of the Milan Cortina Games. All that remains is the Closing Ceremony at 2:30 p.m. ET/11:30 a.m. PT.
Charlie McAvoy, one of the NHL’s most charitable players, learned the value of hard work from his father Charles McAvoy Sr., who runs a four-generation plumbing business.