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Team USA faces tough Canadian squad in Olympic gold medal hockey game
+522 words added -510 words removed
− Special Series 2026 Milan Cortina Olympics Team USA faces tough Canadian squad in Olympic gold medal hockey game February 22, 20267:55 AM ET Becky Sullivan
United States' Dylan Larkin (21) celebrates after scoring the opening goal during a men's ice hockey semifinal game between United States and Slovakia at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Friday, Feb.
+ Special Series 2026 Milan Cortina Olympics Golden again!
− 20, 2026.
+ U.S.
− (AP Photo/Petr David Josek) Petr David Josek/AP hide caption
MILAN — It is the matchup that many have been hoping for all along — the U.S.
+ tops Canada to win 1st men's hockey gold since 'Miracle on Ice' Updated February 22, 202611:11 AM ET Originally published February 22, 20267:55 AM ET Becky Sullivan
MILAN, ITALY - FEBRUARY 22: Jack Hughes #86 of Team United States celebrates with teammates after scoring the game-winning goal in overtime during the Men's Gold Medal match between Canada and the United States on day 16 of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic games at Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena on February 22, 2026 in Milan, Italy.
− versus Canada in the Olympic men's hockey gold medal match.
+ Bruce Bennett/Getty Images Europe hide caption
MILAN — The U.S. men's hockey team won the Olympic gold medal, its first in 46 long years, after a thrilling final against its rival Canada that went to overtime.
− Canada has won nine all-time gold medals in men's hockey, the most of any country.
+ In the end, the Americans won 2-1 on an overtime goal by forward Jack Hughes, after a heroic performance by goaltender Connor Hellebuyck in regulation kept the Americans' dreams alive.
− The U.S.
+ Hellebuyck ended the game with 41 saves compared to only 28 total shots on goal by his teammates.
2026 Milan Cortina Olympics Looking back on the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina The U.S.
− has won only two — the last a long 46 years ago, when an underdog American squad upset the Soviet Union in 1980's "Miracle on Ice."
2026 Milan Cortina Olympics Looking back on the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina Today, the Americans aren't such underdogs anymore. But this generation of American stars — including team captain Auston Matthews, star goaltender Connor Hellebuyck, and the Tkachuk brothers Matthew and Brady — still lack a signature win to prove they belong with the best.
+ had been waiting nearly half a century for this chance at an Olympic men's ice hockey gold medal, this chance to proclaim that the Americans are just as much a hockey powerhouse as any country.
− "The line between winning and losing is so fine in tournaments like this and when you play a team like [Canada]," said U.S.
+ The return of NHL players to the Olympics had raised hopes for the first U.S.
− forward Jack Eichel.
+ gold in men's ice hockey since 1980, when an underdog American squad toppled the Soviet Union for the gold in the "Miracle on Ice."
Sunday's gold medal is only the third all-time for the U.S.
− "It's going to be a competitive game.
+ Canada leaves with the silver medal, its fifth all-time.
The Americans found the net first, when a flying Matt Boldy chipped the puck to himself as he fought through two Canadian defenders, then slipped the puck past Canada's goaltender Jordan Binnington to take the 1-0 lead.
That was all the offense the U.S.
− It's going to be back and forth.
+ could muster in regulation.
− We know it's not going to be easy, but we're ready for a hard and demanding game, and we're going to give everything we have."
Last year, Canada bested the Americans with a 3-2 overtime win in the final of the 4 Nations Face-Off, a tournament staged by the NHL in lieu of an All-Star Game.
+ Meanwhile, the pressure from Canada, especially its top line, was relentless.
− It was the first best-on-best event in international men's hockey in nearly nine years.
Sunday's final is the first matchup between Canada and the U.S.
+ The star-studded trio — hockey's best player, Connor McDavid; the NHL's leading goalscorer, Nathan MacKinnon; and the electric 19-year-old phenom Macklin Celebrini — delivered scare after scare for the white-knuckled American fans in the stands, leaving the U.S.
− men's hockey teams on the Olympic gold medal stage since 2010, when a young Sidney Crosby electrified the home-country crowd with a golden goal in overtime at the Vancouver Winter Games.
+ players exhausted and unable to energetically mount their own charge.
− With NHL players participating in the Olympics for the first time since 2014, the U.S.
+ 2026 Milan Cortina Olympics In a thrilling comeback win, U.S.
− squad is more talented than ever. The roster includes five NHL team captains and two winners of the Hart Memorial Trophy, the NHL's most valuable player award, the Toronto Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews and the Winnipeg Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck.
+ women take home Olympic hockey gold over Canada Late in the second period, Canada's top defensemen — Cale Makar, with the assist by Devon Toews — were the only ones to find an opening in Hellebuyck's wall to tie the game 1-1.
− 2026 Milan Cortina Olympics In a thrilling comeback win, U.S.
+ Every play in a highlight reel's worth of heroic moments by goaltender Connor Hellebuyck was needed to secure the U.S.
− women take home Olympic hockey gold over Canada But the Canadian team is fearsome. Its top line includes the best player in hockey, Connor McDavid, along with the league's current leading scorer, Nathan MacKinnon, and its brightest young talent, Macklin Celebrini. Those three players alone have combined for 11 goals and 19 assists through five games.
+ gold.
− Crosby, now 38 years old, was the captain of this Canadian team coming into the Olympics.
+ There was the save on a second-period breakaway chance by McDavid, then the penalty kill after 92 seconds of 5-on-3 play as two Americans sat in the penalty box.
− But he was hurt after a pair of hits in the quarterfinal against Czechia, and he was unable to play in the semifinal.
+ A jaw-dropping behind-the-back stick save on a wide open tap-in shot by Toews was followed by another foiled breakaway chance, this one by Celebrini.