46 Years in the Making: Jack Hughes Gives USA Hockey Olympic Gold
Jack Hughes. Golden goal. 3-on-3 overtime. Less than two minutes in.
For the first time since the Miracle on Ice in 1980, the United States of America is the Olympic gold medalist in men’s hockey. A 2-1 overtime win over Canada in Milano Cortina and it is not a dream. It actually happened.
We said before the game that this wasn’t a miracle situation. That it wouldn’t shock anyone if Team USA went out there and won this thing. And they did exactly that. They backed up every word of the “gold or bust” mentality they carried into this tournament and closed it out against the best team in the world on the biggest stage in the sport.
Jack Hughes had the golden goal, but Connor Hellebuyck was the story of this game.
Forty-one saves. Stuffed McDavid on a breakaway in the second period. Held the line through a 93-second 5-on-3 kill that may have been the single most important sequence of the entire tournament.
The guy went 18-for-18 on the penalty kill this whole tournament. Eighteen for eighteen. After getting pulled three times in the first round of last year’s playoffs with Winnipeg, Hellebuyck came to the Olympics and answered every question anyone had about him in the biggest moments. That’s a redemption arc worth writing home about.
Matt Boldy opened the scoring six minutes in. The Americans held the lead until Cale Makar tied it late in the second with Canada outshooting the US 19-8 in the period. It got uncomfortable. Canada had been coming from behind all tournament, rallying through both their quarterfinal and semifinal wins. But Hellebuyck held, the penalty kill held, and when overtime came Jack Hughes ended it before anyone could overthink it.
MATT BOLDY – USA STRIKES FIRST
Canada was without Sidney Crosby, who tried everything to play and couldn’t. At 38, he was the most decorated player on that roster and the one with the golden goal against this exact opponent in 2010.
The Canadians still iced McDavid, MacKinnon, and Macklin Celebrini on their top line. Three of the top four point scorers in the NHL this season on the same line. It wasn’t enough.
JACK HUGHES WINS IT FOR AMERICA
The U.S. hadn’t beaten Canada in a best-on-best competition since the 1996 World Cup of Hockey. The women won gold on Thursday. The men won gold on Sunday. Clean sweep. Gold or bust turned into gold, full stop.
This one is going to be talked about for a long time. Remember where you were this morning.
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