Hello from Milan and Cortina, where the U.S. men’s hockey team beat Canada 2-1 in an overtime thriller to claim gold, Team USA’s first in the event since the 1980 “Miracle on Ice” team. Jack Hughes scored the game-winner while missing a few teeth.
It was an electric end to the Milan Cortina Games, and our correspondents have it all covered below and at NBC News. Missed the action? Catch it all streaming on Peacock.
Live from Milan Cortina
After 60-plus minutes of tense, back-and-forth hockey, the gold-medal game ended in an instant. Early in overtime, Team USA sprinted up ice with a man advantage, and Zach Werenski dropped a pass to a trailing Jack Hughes, who drilled the puck into the net.
USA 2, Canada 1. The Americans had won gold, 46 years to the day after the “Miracle” team upset the Soviet Union in 1980.
“That’s just a ballsy, gutsy win,” Hughes said afterward on the NBC telecast. “That’s American hockey right there.”
Team USA had struck first, scoring on its first shot of the game. As Matt Boldy split two defenders, he flipped the puck into the air, batted it up again, and then buried it in the net. “Somehow [the puck] just stuck with me and got lucky on the goal,” Boldy said.
Canada’s Cale Makar tied the game on a laser in the second period, and Canada kept attacking U.S. goalie Connor Hellebuyck. But he finished with 41 saves, which allowed Hughes to win the game in overtime.
“Unbelievable game by Hellebuyck,” Hughes said. “He was our best player tonight by a mile.”
Afterward, Hughes smiled wide as he celebrated, exposing a bloody mouth that was missing a few front teeth. He’d taken a high stick to the face in the third period, just minutes before the game-winner. His brother Quinn had also scored an overtime game-winner to beat Sweden in the quarterfinals.
During a team photo, Team USA posed with the jersey of Johnny Gaudreau, an American player who was hit by a car and killed while cycling in 2024, and Gaudreau’s two young children.
“The USA hockey brotherhood is so strong,” Hughes said. “I’m so proud to be American today.”
Athlete Spotlight
Earlier in the day, Eileen Gu won gold in the women’s freeski halfpipe final, making her the most decorated freestyle skier of all time. She has now won six medals in her career (three gold, three silver), and is still only 22 years old.
At these Games, she had taken silver in slopestyle and big air before today’s halfpipe event.
“In all three events I showcased my best skiing, and as far as performance goes, that’s all I can ask for,” said Gu, who was born and raised in the United States but competes for China.
“I’m the most decorated freeskier of all time, male or female,” she added. “That’s a testament to competitive strength. It’s mental strength. It’s being able to perform under pressure.”
Photo of the Day
Olympic Wrap-Up
I mean, wow! What a two-week run that was, culminating today with a closing ceremony built around the theme “Beauty in Action.” The full spectrum of sports was on display at these Olympics, from brilliant highs to devastating lows.
Alysa Liu won gold in women’s figure skating, the first gold for an American in the event in more than two decades. But Ilia Malinin, the preordained king of figure skating, finished eighth place in the men’s singles event, crumbling under the pressure.
American speedskater Jordan Stolz won two golds and a silver here but missed his chance to have a truly historic Games.
Mikaela Shiffrin finally broke her slump and won gold. Meanwhile, Lindsey Vonn tried skiing on a torn ACL and ended up breaking her leg.
And Johannes Høsflot Klæbo, the Norwegian cross-country skier, won six gold medals here, giving him 11 all time, the most golds for anyone not named Michael Phelps.
We covered it all for you in The Sports Desk newsletter. Now that the Games are done, the newsletter will take a short break. But it’ll be back soon, covering all the latest in the sports world — from March Madness to MLB opening day to the NFL draft and the NBA playoffs.
We’ll also be looking ahead, prepping you for the world’s biggest sporting event, the World Cup, coming this summer. We’ll preview the players and teams to watch, give a look inside how the host nations are preparing, and provide user-friendly guides.
The Sports Desk will continue to deliver smart analysis and original reporting, straight to your inbox, Monday through Friday. Stay tuned.
