U.S. Men's Hockey Beat Fierce Rival Canada in Thrilling Finish, Win First Olympic Gold Since 1980

Jack Hughes scored the golden goal for the U.S. in overtime

NEED TO KNOW

• The U.S. beat Canada to win men’s hockey gold at the 2026 Winter Olympics
• It was the first win for Team USA since 1980, when the U.S. won the famous Miracle on Ice game to make the final
• Jack Hughes sealed the win with a golden goal in overtime

For the first time since the 1980 Miracle on Ice, the U.S. men's hockey team is golden again.

Playing against their heated rivals Canada in the 2026 Winter Olympics gold medal game, Team USA came up big, defeating their northern neighbors 2-1 on Sunday, Feb. 22 — exactly 46 years after the U.S. last became champions.

Team USA star Jack Hughes had the golden goal for the U.S. with the overtime winner, after a tightly-fought game between the two rivals.

The teams wasted no time getting into the game, with the U.S. immediately peppering Canada goalie Jordan Binnington with shots. Canada then took over, getting a few good looks, but it was U.S. forward Matt Boldy who kicked off the scoring, breezing through two defenders to get the puck past Binnington six minutes into the first period.

Canada came out firing to start the second period, and had a golden opportunity to tie the game when the U.S. committed two penalties, giving Canada a 5-on-3 man advantage. But the U.S.'s defense dominated, along with goalie Connor Hellebuyck, keeping the score at 1-0 — until the last two minutes of the period, when defenseman Cale Makar scored to tie the game.

Canada once again dominated through the third period, nearly scoring multiple times if not for Hellebuyck's magic in net. The U.S. looked to take the lead during a four-minute power play, but couldn't find the net, and a push from Canada wasn't enough to finish the game in regulation.

In overtime, it took the U.S. a few miracle saves before Hughes sealed the win, just 1:41 into the extra period.

With NHL players participating in the Winter Olympics for the first time in 12 years, it was the showdown everyone wanted, and Canadian and American fans packed Milan's Santagiulia Arena for a raucous atmosphere.

"It's best on best. It's what every American and Canadian grows up watching, grows up caring about," forward Matthew Tkachuk said Friday after winning their semifinal to make the gold medal game. "This is the pinnacle of the sport. This is as good as it gets, and a rivalry that's as good as it gets. So there will be not one TV without this game on in the United States."

To learn more about all the Olympic and Paralympic hopefuls, come to people.com to check out ongoing coverage before, during and after the games. Watch the Milan Cortina Olympics and Paralympics, beginning Feb. 6, on NBC and Peacock.

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