Hughes scores in additional time as US beats Canada for first males’s hockey gold on the Olympics since 1980 – Boston Information, Climate, Sports activities

MILAN (AP) — America is on prime of the hockey world for the primary time in almost a half-century. No miracle wanted.

Jack Hughes scored lower than 2 minutes into additional time and the U.S. beat Canada 2-1 in the gold medal closing at the Milan Cortina Olympics on Sunday, incomes the nation’s third males’s title on the Video games and its first for the reason that “Miracle on Ice” in 1980 — 46 years to the day of the upset over the mighty Soviet Union, too.

Not like that ragtag group of faculty children that pulled off one of many largest shockers in sports activities historical past in Lake Placid, the Individuals in Milan have been a machine that rode goaltender Connor Hellebuyck and a roster filled with NHL gamers by means of the event unbeaten.

Nonetheless, they have been underdogs once more towards the stacked Canadians and got here out on prime — once more.

“That is all about our nation proper now,” mentioned Hughes, who misplaced not less than one and perhaps two of his entrance tooth taking a excessive stick throughout the recreation. “I like the united statesA. I like my teammates. It’s unbelievable. The USA Hockey brotherhood is so robust.”

Early within the three-on-three additional time, Zach Werenski took the puck away from Nathan MacKinnon and handed it to Hughes, who was huge open streaking to the online. Hughes fired a shot previous Jordan Binnington 1:41 in to ship gamers right into a wild celebration because the rival Canadians watched from the bench.

Requested his favourite second throughout his Olympic debut, captain Auston Matthews quipped, “I believe when Jack scored. … I’ll positively bear in mind Jack’s objective.”

There was a observe of unhappiness amid all the enjoyment as Werenski and Matthew Tkachuk carried a Johnny Gaudreau No. 13 jersey across the ice in tribute to the beloved participant who was killed alongside along with his brother in 2024.

Gaudreau’s dad and mom, Man and Jay, his widow, Meredith, and their oldest kids have been in attendance. It was Johnny Jr.’s second birthday and he was introduced on the ice with older sister Noa for the crew photograph.

“We simply needed to point out the Gaudreau household our help,” Brady Tkachuk mentioned of the participant referred to as “Johnny Hockey.” “He was so close to and pricey to loads of us, and we miss him dearly. We did it for him.”

Hellebuyck was extraordinary, stopping 41 of the 42 pictures he confronted as Canada tilted the ice towards him over the ultimate two intervals. He made the save of the event by getting his stick on the puck on a shot from Devon Toews within the third interval, then minutes later denied Macklin Celebrini on a breakaway — one thing he additionally did to Connor McDavid earlier.

“He was our greatest participant by a mile,” winger Matt Boldy mentioned. “He’s an absolute stud. He needs to be in these moments. He needs to make the saves. And he did simply that, so he was positively our MVP.”

It was a wonderful weekend for Workforce USA, with the ladies’s hockey crew additionally defeating Canada in additional time to win gold. For the lads, it was solely becoming the Individuals wanted to undergo Canada, their northern neighbor that beat them on the 4 Nations Face-Off a yr in the past and has gained each worldwide competitors over the previous 16 years that featured the world’s finest gamers.

Not anymore.

Profitable a fast-paced, riveting recreation that was full of huge hits and loads of post-whistle altercations, the U.S. bought a objective from Boldy 6 minutes in and led till Cale Makar tied it late within the second interval. Hellebuyck and the penalty kill was an ideal 17 for 17 on the Olympics.

“I can’t even consider this,” Hughes mentioned. “I imply it’s such an unbelievable recreation, USA-Canada. Such an excellent recreation. There’s so many nice gamers. We’re an ideal crew. That’s precisely how we needed it to go. We’re underdogs to Canada, (however we) beat them. It might have gone both manner.”

Hughes paid a painful worth when he took the excessive stick and wound up face down on the ice. The tooth have been out, however the celebration wasn’t far-off.

“Extra individuals are going to be taking a look at his medal than his tooth,” Boldy mentioned.

The U.S. lastly got here by means of after generations of churning out expertise from the grassroots degree like a manufacturing line. All however two of the 25 gamers on the crew went by means of USA Hockey’s Nationwide Workforce Growth Program.

That group of 23 consists of captain Auston Matthews, the highest line of Brady and Matthew Tkachuk and Jack Eichel, and the second set of brothers, Jack and Quinn Hughes. A lot of the crew performed collectively both on the program, under-18s, the world junior championship or some mixture of them.

The U.S. successful silenced criticism of basic supervisor Invoice Guerin and his administration group selecting a roster filled with skilled veteran gamers to fill particular roles and leaving 4 of the highest 10 American goal-scorers within the NHL this season at house. The gamers they introduced bought the job finished.

“There are whisky drinkers and milk drinkers and we bought loads of whisky drinkers on this crew,” coach Mike Sullivan mentioned. “One of many issues that Billy Guerin and I talked about from the very starting was making an attempt to construct a crew within the true sense of the phrase, so we checked out a deep group of American expertise and these selections have been very tough. They weren’t straightforward. You have a look at how this group is constructed, there was a thought course of that we had gamers that might play in all conditions.”

Some selections have been no-doubters, like Sullivan giving the online to Hellebuyck, who stopped 131 of the 137 pictures he confronted all through the event and was at his finest towards Canada.

“He was our spine — at present much more so than the remainder of the event,” ahead Vincent Trocheck mentioned. “He saved our lives there a pair occasions within the third. He was unbelievable.”

Canada, back-to-back Olympic champions in 2010 and ’14 and winners of three of the primary 5, fell quick whereas taking part in with out injured captain Sidney Crosby. The 38-year-old two-time gold medalist and three-time Stanley Cup champion left the quarterfinal recreation towards Czechia and sat out the semifinal recreation towards Finland.

“It was a tricky determination,” Crosby mentioned. “Clearly, in your head you at all times need to be on the market and discover very manner doable. However not on the expense of what must be finished. And them watching how we performed at present, the blokes performed unimaginable.”

McDavid, who wore the “C” in Crosby’s absence, suffered one other devastating defeat on the doorstep of a title. He and the Edmonton Oilers have misplaced to Matthew Tkachuk and the Florida Panthers within the Stanley Cup Last every of the previous two years.

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AP Winter Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics