The United States won its first men’s Olympic ice hockey gold medal in 46 years with a 2-1 overtime win over Canada in the final of the 2026 Winter Games on Saturday, following up on the American women’s gold medal win over the same rival.
Jack Hughes scored the winning goal 101 seconds into the three-on-three overtime period at the Santagiulia Ice Arena, securing a win in which the U.S. fought off constant pressure from the superior Canadian team.
Goaltender Connor Hellebuyck turned in a heroic performance, thwarting scoring chances time and again to preserve the lead.
It is the first men’s Olympic hockey gold medal for the United States outside its own borders since the “Miracle on Ice” at Lake Placid in 1980. It is also the 12th gold medal for the U.S. at the Milan-Cortina Winter Games, in which the country finished second in the overall medal table.
Canada, whose team had previously reached the podium in the Winter Games, finished the tournament in 11th place.
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The game started with both teams probing each other’s defense, but the United States opened the scoring with Matt Boldy.
Starting in his own zone, Boldy beat two Canadian defenders, recovered the puck, and shot it past Canadian goalkeeper Jordan Binnington to give the United States a 1-0 advantage. Although they were down, Canada struggled to build momentum until the end of the second period.
The Canadians finally tied the game in the 38th minute. A transition play initiated by U.S. defenseman Devon Toews found Cale Makar alone on the right side, and Makar’s shot beat Hellebuyck to tie the game.
The third period saw Canada control possession and shots, with 41 to the United States’ 26, but the United States held their defensive shape. Hellebuyck made a key save on Mitch Marner from close range, and Nathan MacKinnon missed an open goal at the far post.
The United States had a late chance to regain the lead when Brock Faber’s slap shot hit the post in the second period.
Saturday’s overtime was the first in Olympic history to feature three-on-three action in the gold medal game, with teams lining up three skaters and a goaltender and play continuing until a goal was scored.
After several opportunities on both sides, Hughes finally broke through, sending the U.S. bench and fans into jubilation.
The game was held in the presence of National Hockey League players, who made their return to the Olympics for the first time since 2014.
The game also had additional significance in light of past political tensions: the two teams had met in February 2025 in a game that saw threats of tariffs from then-U.S. President Donald Trump on Canada, whom Trump called a “51st state.”
Neither current administration officials nor Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney were in attendance at the Milan-Cortina final. Carney was seen watching the game in Quebec.
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After the game, the official White House Twitter account tweeted a photo of a bald eagle attacking a Canada goose in response to a social media post by a former Canadian prime minister.
The crowd was also very partisan, with Canadian fans strongly supporting their side. The U.S. team received widespread boos as they took part in the initial face-off.
Canada played the game without their captain, Sidney Crosby, 38, who had previously played for the Olympic gold medal-winning teams of 2010 and 2014. He was forced to sit out the semifinal game against Finland and the final due to a knee injury sustained during the quarterfinal victory over the Czech Republic.
His absence was largely attributed to Canada’s failure to capitalize on scoring chances as they came.
With Olympic ice hockey reverting to a full NHL roster size, observers have pointed out that the speed and level of play in this game were significantly higher than in previous Olympic competitions.
However, despite the presence of high-level professional talent on both sides of the ice, the game remained relatively clean compared to previous contests between the U.S. and Canadian national teams, which had previously featured several early-game brawls, including three in the first nine seconds of a 2025 game.
In the aftermath of this victory, the United States’ national hockey program celebrated its first Olympic gold medal in men’s hockey in foreign arenas in over four decades, solidifying its status as a global hockey power.
The next major international competition for the team will be the 2026 World Championships and the 2027 World Cup of Hockey.