Team USA Beats Canada 2-1 in Overtime for First Men's Hockey Olympic Gold Since 1980
On February 22, 2026, the United States defeated Canada 2-1 in overtime in the men's hockey gold medal game of the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics at Santagiulia Arena in Milan, Italy, winning its first Olympic men's hockey gold medal in 46 years, since the 1980 “Miracle on Ice.” The win came on the 46th anniversary of the United States' improbable 4-3 victory over the Soviet Union at Lake Placid.
The winning goal came 1:41 into overtime: Zach Werenski took the puck from Nathan MacKinnon and passed to Jack Hughes, who, in 3-on-3 play, slid the puck through the five-hole of Canada goalie Jordan Binnington. Hughes had lost a few teeth to a high stick earlier in the game. Matt Boldy gave the United States a 1-0 lead at 6:00 of the first period, and Canada's Cale Makar tied the game at 18:16 of the second.
U.S. goalie Connor Hellebuyck made 41 saves, stopping all 14 shots he faced in the third period, including a desperate stick save on Devon Toews in front of an open net early in the period. Canada outshot the United States 42-28 and recorded 19 shots in the second period alone. Canada captain Sidney Crosby missed his second straight game with a lower-body injury sustained in the quarterfinal against Czechia. Hughes joined Crosby, from 2010, as the only players to score in overtime of an Olympic gold medal game with NHL participation.
It is the United States' third Olympic gold medal in men's hockey, after 1960 and 1980. The U.S. women's team had beaten Canada 2-1 in overtime in its final on February 19, completing an American sweep of the hockey gold medals at these Games. The men's final was the last medal event of the Olympics, which closed that evening in Verona.
Related: Milano Cortina Winter Olympics Open With Four-Site Ceremony and Two Cauldrons Lit at Once
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Source: National Hockey League
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：位于意大利米兰的圣朱利亚冰球馆（PalaItalia）外观，本届冬奥会冰球决赛在此举行，馆外可见米兰—科尔蒂纳2026标识（摄于2026年冬奥会期间）。Quintin Soloviev 摄，CC BY 4.0，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / Photo: The exterior of the Santagiulia Arena (PalaItalia) in Milan, Italy, site of the Olympic hockey finals, with Milano Cortina 2026 signage (taken during the 2026 Winter Olympics). Photo by Quintin Soloviev, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
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- 2026-02-22Team USA Beats Canada 2-1 in Overtime for First Men's Hockey Olympic Gold Since 1980This story
