Italy, MILAN — The dream matchup fans craved since the NHL committed to the 2026 Winter Games finally unfolded: USA vs. Canada for Olympic men’s hockey gold at Milano Santagiulia Arena. Cale Makar, Devon Toews, and Nathan MacKinnon vs. Brock Nelson. It delivered pure drama.
Matt Boldy struck first for the U.S., slipping past Toews and Makar with a slick chip-and-deke to beat Binnington short-side for a 1-0 lead early.
Canada answered in the second, dominating play before Cale Makar wired a signature
wrist shot from the dot to tie it 1-1 late in the period.
The third was a tense deadlock—Canada pressed hard, Hellebuyck stood tall with huge saves (including a robbery on Toews), and late high-sticking penalties (Bennett on Hughes, then Hughes on Canada) created chaotic 4-on-4 and brief power plays, but no goals.
Regulation ended 1-1. In sudden-death 3-on-3 overtime, Jack Hughes sealed it at 1:41 with a rocket past Binnington, giving Team USA a 2-1 victory and their first men’s Olympic hockey gold since 1980—46 years to the day—in an epic rivalry classic. Hellebuyck’s 41-save gem was the backbone.
The Game
The reason fans wanted to see this matchup was the talent it brought. Not just the flashy stuff, but talent in all aspects and approaches to each position—from lightning-quick forwards to lockdown defensemen and elite goaltenders. That turned into a hectic, electric open with Canada making the ice look even shorter with their show-stopping speed.
USA’s first shot on net was a beauty: Matt Boldy pulled off a slick little chip to himself, exploding through Devon Toews and Cale Makar, then deked forehand-backhand to put it short-side on Jordan Binnington, who bit hard on the five-hole fake. The Americans weathered Canada’s ferocious initial onslaught—waves of pressure, bodies flying—and clung to that early 1-0 lead.
The rest of the first featured power plays from both sides, tense and tight, but stellar penalty kills, and ironclad goaltending kept the scoreboard quiet.
The second period was all Canada—they tilted the ice dramatically with relentless zone time and a barrage of shots. They earned a 5-on-3 advantage after quick whistles on Jake Guentzel (holding) and Charlie McAvoy (hooking), but America’s gutsy, desperate effort—led by Dylan Larkin’s blocks and Hellebuyck’s acrobatics—killed it off masterfully. Momentum had shifted hard north, though.
Cale Makar seized control with space no one wants to give him: from just below the face-off dot, he wired a laser-perfect wrist shot far side, beating Hellebuyck clean in a clinic of sniper precision we’ve come to expect from Cale. The period ended tied at one apiece. Surprise, surprise—classic North American showdown brewing into a one-goal-or-overtime thriller.
The third period kicked off with more of the same: Canada on the absolute front foot, pouring on sustained pressure, but Connor Hellebuyck was a brick wall in net. His highlight-reel stick save on Devon Toews, robbing what looked like a sure tap-in amid a chaotic flurry, kept the game knotted despite Canada’s dominance.
Late drama arrived when Sam Bennett’s high stick caught Jack Hughes square in the teeth, drawing blood and earning the U.S. a timely four-minute power play. They couldn’t convert, though the zone time shifted momentum just a hair. Then Hughes took a retaliatory high-sticking minor, turning it into 4-on-4 chaos for a stretch before a brief 43-second man-advantage for Canada. Nathan MacKinnon had the golden look at a gaping net, but shot it off the side of the net. MacKinnon had this to say regarding his missed open net chance: “I missed off the side of the net. (It would) be nice to get that one back. Just wasn’t meant to be, it felt like.”—heart-breaker.
This classic rivalry delivered the goods: a tense, low-scoring, edge-of-your-seat battle dominated by suffocating defense, heroic goaltending (Hellebuyck standing on his head against Canada’s 41+ shots), and elite skill on full display. Locked at 1-1 through 60 minutes, we head to sudden-death 3-on-3 overtime to crown Olympic champions in the most fitting way possible. Who would be the hero?
The golden goal came 1:41 into sudden-death 3-on-3 overtime when Jack Hughes, playing through visible pain from the high-stick that knocked out two of his front teeth earlier in the third, ripped a one-timer past Jordan Binnington to seal USA’s 2-1 victory and their first men’s Olympic hockey gold since 1980.
Hughes, who had drawn blood from the earlier incident, yet refused to leave the ice, mentioned that Connor Hellebuyck was the undeniable hero of the game and the extra frame, despite his scoring the game-winner.
“He was our best player by far,” Hughes said of Hellebuyck post-game, summing up the grit and brilliance that defined the night for the Americans in this unforgettable rivalry classic at Milano Santagiulia Arena.
The US team would watch their flag be raised while the crowd sang the star spangled banner. Matt Tkachuk and Zach Werenski held Johnny Gaudreau’s kids for a gold medal photo, with Johnny Gaudreau’s Johnny hockey jersey held in front. A beautiful moment that Brady Tkachuk explained post-game: “What he means to our entire team, what he means to USA hockey,” he started, “We just wanted to show the Gaudreau family that he was so near and dear to a lot of us.” Brady finished with, “We did it for him.”
By the Numbers
Connor Hellebuyck is the story of this gold-medal victory, making 41-42 saves and standing tall in spite of the ever-dangerous Canadian side. Connor has gotten a ton of grief for not performing his best in the NHL playoffs, but we saw none of that at the Olympics. He should be proud.
Team Canada outshot Team USA 42-26, and I’m sure many in the comments will attempt to detract from the USA victory by questioning the OT format. Here’s the thing: it was 3-on-3 on both sides, and Hellebuyck’s performance counts for something and earned the US their gold medal.
It only took 1:41 seconds to anoint a gold medal winner. Shouldn’t surprise us that it ended so quickly. Tough for goalies in the 3-on-3 situation and against so much talent.
Avalanche Spin
As I watched Nathan MacKinnon accept his silver medal with a steely-eyed look of disappointment, my first thought was, “Well, how is this gonna effect the Avalanche?” We often joke on the Mile High Hockey Lab that MacKinnon has to synthesize motivation, but I don’t think that will be required now. Now he’s going to want to set the whole league on fire. He missed a wide-open net that could have put Canada ahead.
Cale Makar and Devon Toews played well all tournament and in this game. The first USA goal was a really good play by Boldy althought I’m sure the D pair will take accountability. Makar’s tying goal illustrates his impact in this game. Toews had this to say following the loss, “Tonight we generated more looks, better looks, you could say. The analytics probably show that.” He lamented, “It just didn’t go our way.”
This is an incredible result for Brock Nelson, who is now the third generation of his family to win Olympic gold in men’s ice hockey. Cementing his name in American and family history should surely help him continue his streak of great play for Team USA and the Colorado Avalanche. “Man, unbelievable. Dream come true.” Brock said after the game, “That first phone call with my grandpa is gonna be a fun one, that’s for sure.”
