MILAN — Jack Hughes may have lost a few teeth along the way, but his hockey smile got even bigger with a gold medal around his neck.
On Sunday, Hughes scored the golden goal in a 3-on-3 overtime game to give the United States a 2-1 victory over rival Canada and win the United States’ first Olympic gold medal in men’s hockey since 1980’s “Miracle on Ice.”
Meanwhile, U.S. goaltender Connor Hellebuyck was sensational, stopping 41 shots and going into OT with the score tied.
Hughes’ goal less than two minutes into overtime was assisted by Zach Werenski, who stole the puck from Canada’s Nathan MacKinnon and sent a cross-ice feed to an open Hughes.
“He’s an extraordinary gamer. He’s always been a gamer,” said Jack’s older brother, National Defense player Quinn Hughes. “He’s just mentally tough, he’s been through a lot, he loves the game. He’s an American hero.”
Jack Hughes lost at least one of his front teeth when he took a high stick penalty from Sam Bennett in the third period, resulting in a four-minute power play for the Americans.
“My first thought was to draw a penalty,” Hughes said. “Actually, the first thing I thought was I looked on the ice and saw my teeth.”
Matt Boldy added: “More people are going to focus on the medal rather than his teeth.”
American players talked about the big game in the months leading up to the tournament, often repeating the mantra “gold or bust,” and backed it up with a win over their biggest rival. It was a clean sweep for U.S. hockey, as the women also defeated Canada 2-1 in overtime to win the gold medal on Thursday.
“Throughout your life, you’re always dealing with things,” Hughes said. “There’s always new adversity, new challenges. All the players that played in that game went through so much. … It’s a journey, it’s a lifetime’s work, and I’m just a part of it. I think everyone who was in that game can be proud. Obviously it was a great game and we had a better result, but it was just a great game between America and Canada.”
After Hughes’ winning goal, gloves flew off as Team USA celebrated on the ice.
“It was a complete blackout, so I can’t wait to see the footage of what happened after the goal,” defenseman Charlie McAvoy said. “Who I was hugging, where I was going…I don’t know what happened. I was just euphoric. I can’t even explain what I was feeling. It was just pure joy.”
Hellebuyck had a few signature moments, but the biggest came in the third period when he paddled to stop Devon Toews from pushing a rebound into a gaping net. He also stuffed Connor McDavid on a breakaway midway through the second period.
Matthew Tkachuk said of Hellebike: “This will be remembered as one of the best performances of all time, it has to be.” “Jimmy Craig is right there.” [in 1980]all great American goaltenders. In the NHL, you can talk about any type of hockey, any goaltender performance, anything you want to talk about. ”
Dylan Larkin added: “That guy should never buy a drink.” [his home] Michigan State will never go back. ”
It was a chapter of personal redemption for Hellebuyck, a Vezina Trophy and Hart Trophy winner who proved he could show up in the biggest moments. Hellebuyck struggled mightily in the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs with the Winnipeg Jets, getting tied three times in the first round against the St. Louis Blues.
“Critics can keep writing,” Hellebuyck said. “But they don’t understand goaltending. They don’t understand my play. I know what I’m proposing, I know what I’m building. These are moments to prove it, and it’s not like I have to do it.”
The Americans also stopped a 93-second 5-on-3 power play midway through the second period, a pivotal moment in the game. Team USA went 18-for-18 on the penalty kill this tournament.
It was a point of personal pride for players like Vincent Trocheck and JT Miller, and some fans questioned his selection on the team in favor of a more dynamic goal scorer.
“Yeah, I heard all the talk about how we shouldn’t be here. Listen, I’m not naive,” Trocheck said. “We know there are more skilled players in the NHL. We were able to get here and we had a job to do. That was to be a good penalty kill player, a faceoff player, a character player. We took that role and did it.”
Not since the 1996 Hockey World Cup, before there were many players on this U.S. roster, the U.S. men have beaten Canada in a competitive showdown. But the players said they drew inspiration from their past.
Quinn Hughes said the team FaceTimed former American greats Brian Leitch and Chris Chelios before almost every game.
“It really felt like family,” Quinn Hughes said. “It wasn’t that we had an advantage, but we knew we were in a tight, tight room.”
Added Larkin: “Boston crew, same Michigan guys. I think we all come together and the Tkachuk brothers lead the way. Everybody is included in everything. Everybody has so much respect for everybody. It’s been a lot of fun playing with these guys. I don’t want it to end.”
The Canadian team chose to stay in a hotel, while the American team stayed in the Olympic Village. I believe this is also a credit to Larkin for uniting the group.
“We just had the Olympic spirit,” Larkin said.
“I can’t tell you how many emails I’ve gotten in the last day or so about 8 a.m. watch parties,” Team USA coach Mike Sullivan said. “From a ratings standpoint, I think a lot of people were paying attention in the United States, including the president.”
The Canadians were also hampered by the absence of team captain Sidney Crosby, who suffered a lower-body injury in the quarterfinal match against the Czech Republic.
“Given the circumstances, it’s obvious that I can play or I can’t play,” Crosby said after the loss. “And I didn’t think I could do it.”
The win was revenge for Team USA, which lost 3-2 to Canada in last year’s Four Nations title game.
As part of Sunday’s celebrations, Werensky, Matthew Tkachuk and U.S. captain Auston Matthews skated on the ice wearing the No. 13 jerseys of former U.S. star Johnny Gaudreau, who died along with his brother in 2024 when they were hit by an SUV while cycling. Team USA also brought Gaudreau’s two children onto the ice for photos with the team after the medal ceremony.
Sunday marked the third time the United States and Canada will meet in the men’s hockey gold medal game. Canada won both previous meetings in 2002 and 2010.
Boldy scored the first goal in the 6th minute. The U.S. held the lead, but Cale Makar tied it late in the second period, capping Canada’s onslaught. The Canadians outscored Team USA 19-8 in the second period.
Canada came from behind to win both the quarterfinals and semifinals. In fact, the Canadians held the lead just 6:05 into the qualifying round.
It was a fast-paced game, with many chances and, surprisingly, several moments when the world’s best players missed a wide-open net.
But Hellebuyck answered the U.S. call again and again in a thrilling third period.
“He was our best player by a mile,” Boldy said. “He’s an absolute stud. He wants to be in the moment. He wants to make the save. And he did just that. So he was definitely our MVP.”