2026 Winter Olympics Men's Hockey Results, Live Highlights and Analysis for USA vs. Canada
If you listen closely, you can almost hear Al Michaels.
It's still February 22. But this time he's talking about 2026.
Precisely 46 years after the "Miracle on Ice" victory over the Soviets that enabled a gold medal two days later in 1980, Team USA cashed in on its latest chance to claim the top step of the podium in the men's hockey tournament finale against Canada, winning gold, 2-1, in an OT thriller.
It's the third time the NHL-rostered rivals met with gold on the line, following Canadian victories in both 2002 (Salt Lake City) and 2010 (Vancouver). Team Canada also beat the Americans in a semifinal in 2014, on the way to its most recent title.
The U.S. had not medaled since 2010 and not won gold since 1980.
Gold-Medal Game Highlights vs. Canada
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Overtime
JACK HUGHES THE HERO! The United States wins the gold medal for the first time since 1980!
Third Period
McAvoy prevents Canada from taking the lead!
Hellebuyck denies Celebrini on the breakaway!
Another massive stop from Hellebuyck!
Second Period
GOAL! Canada gets back on even terms after a wicked shot from Cale Makar at 18:16 of the period.
Connor Hellebuyck is having an OUTSTANDING game.
First Period
Ice-level angle of the Boldy goal.
GOAL! The US opens the scoring after a great individual effort from Matt Boldy at 6:00 of the opening stanza.
Pre-Game
Coach Mike Sullivan's pre-game speech to the team.
Here are the lines for the United States.
And for Team Canada, with Sidney Crosby out.
Final Takeaways
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Toothless Hughes Cements His Place in History
He was down a few front teeth thanks to an errant third-period stick.
But that didn't seem to bother Jack Hughes all that much.
The 24-year-old New Jersey forward took a cross-ice pass from Zach Werenski and snapped a wrister through Jordan Binnington's legs to win gold at 1:41 of OT.
"This is all about our country right now. I love the USA. I love my teammates," Hughes said. "Just a ballsy, gutsy win. That's an American win right there. I can't even believe this. We wanted to go through Canada and beat them."
Born in Florida while his dad was a minor-league coach, Hughes was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2019 NHL Draft and is in his seventh season with the Devils. He was clipped by a Sam Bennett stick late in the third and scored his game-winner with a blood-stained mouth.
It was his team-leading fourth goal of the event.
"The USA Hockey brotherhood means so much. It's so strong," he said. "I can't even believe this."
McDavid's Big-Game Legacy Takes a Hit
Connor McDavid took over the Team Canada captaincy in the absence of Sidney Crosby, so it'll be particularly hard for him to recall memories of the finale years from now.
The three-time NHL MVP opened the OT with possession but lost the puck in the slot in front of Connor Hellebuyck, then rushed the puck to the crease but lost it again to trigger the American breakout that led to Hughes' game-winner.
McDavid won the Conn Smythe Trophy in 2024 in a losing playoff cause for the Edmonton Oilers, then was second-best again when the Oilers lost to the Florida Panthers for the second straight time last June.
He scored the game-winner at the 4 Nations Face-Off Event a year ago and entered Sunday's finale as the leading Olympic scorer with two goals and 11 assists.
He had two shots and was a minus-1 on Sunday.
"The Canadians had a game plan and they executed it," Olczyk said, "but they just weren't able to beat Connor Hellebuyck."
Takeaways from the Third Period
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Canada Unlucky
It's not as if the Canadians didn't have chances, many chances, to win before OT.
They were denied on yet another breakaway when Macklin Celebrini's shot was kicked away and a glittering Devon Toews chance from in the crease deflected off the paddle of Connor Hellebuyck's stick and just past the far post.
Nathan MacKinnon fired wide, too, with Hellbucyk out of position leaving a wide-open net.
They then missed a would-be power-play chance when officials failed to call a too many men on the ice infraction, then were forced to kill off a double minor of their own when forward Sam Bennett's stick got up as he fell to the ice and clipped Jack Hughes across the mouth and drew blood.
Last, but not least, they had their own power play late in the period, but Celebrini fired wide on a pair of chances from 15 feet away.
"This game could have been 3 or 4 to 1," analyst Ed Olczyk said.
Hellebuyck a Hero Regardless of Result
He may walk away with gold or silver, but Hellebuyck's a hero no matter what.
Each 20-minute session has brought another series of highlights for the decorated goalie, who stopped Celebrini on the aforementioned breakaway and denied Toews with his stick on what analyst Brian Boucher called "the save of the tournament" in the third alone.
He got fortunate when MacKinnon misfired at the left post, but 130 saves on 136 shots—a .956 save percentage—through five games proves his worth in perpetuity.
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Takeaways from the Second Period
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Penalty Kill Provided a Memory
It's not quite Mike Eruzione against the Russians, but if you're looking for a decisive highlight to be played on a loop if the U.S. wins, it's not a tough choice.
The Americans killed off a 93-second stretch at a 5-on-3 disadvantage while Jake Guentzel (holding) and Charlie McAvoy (hooking) were serving penalties.
Team Canada maintained consistent pressure and sent three shots at U.S. goalie Connor Hellebuyck, but the three-time Vezina winner stopped Macklin Celebrini on a pair of one-timers and denied Brad Marchand after some net-side contact.
Also vital in killing the time was Dylan Larkin's initial win in the face-off circle that allowed the Americans to clear the zone and set their zone scheme.
Larkin entered the game having won 76.3 percent of his draws through five games. He's won better than 50 percent in six of his last seven full NHL seasons and is at 52.7 percent through 792 career games.
Hellebuyck Channeling Jim Craig's "Miracle" Performance
Meanwhile, if you're looking for a Jim Craig impression, we've got that, too.
Hellebuyck has been magnificent through two periods against a de facto NHL All-Star team that's got the league's first-, second-, and fourth-leading scorers on its top line.
He stopped 24 Canadian shots before Cale Makar finally beat him at 18:16 of the second period and had made 90 saves on 95 shots in his first four Olympic games.
It's a putback to critics of the Winnipeg goalie, who won the league's MVP award in 2024-25 but has had a plus-3.00 goals-against average in the playoffs in each of the last three seasons and gave up the decisive goal in the 4 Nations Face-Off event.
"If you're looking at Connor Hellebuyck and asking if he's nervous," analyst Brian Boucher said, "look at the highlights and the answer will be there."
Canadian Pressure Looking More Decisive
But even a brick wall shows a crack now and then.
Makar's goal came during a second period in which the Canadians held a 17-7 edge in shots, and the continued pressure suggests the Americans will have to change some things to avoid being overwhelmed in the final 20 minutes.
Makar's goal came after a face-off win by Bo Horvat, who pulled the puck back to Devon Toews at the left point. Toews moved left to right and found Makar sneaking down from the right point, where he fired the shot that eluded Hellebuyck.
"They just seemed to be able to have their way in the offensive zone," Olczyk said. "They are commanding the offensive zone. It's causing some problems."
Larkin agreed.
"They did tilt the ice by playing on top of us," he said.
Takeaways from the First Period
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Physicality Makes an Early Impact
Fighting is an automatic game misconduct in Olympic play.
But if you think that yielded an absence of physicality early on, think again.
The Americans and Canadians played like Game 7 rivals through the first 20 minutes, with particularly big hits doled out by Canada's Tom Wilson, who laid out Dylan Larkin behind the U.S. net about five minutes in and later took a run at Quinn Hughes.
Even a backchecking Connor McDavid got into the act, drilling Jack Eichel along the boards in the Canadian defensive zone.
"It's hit or be hit out there," analyst Ed Olczyk said. "That becomes the mentality."
Making Nice Compromises Scoring Chances
Given the overwhelming amount of offensive skill on the ice at any given time, it's maybe not surprising that one player would automatically defer to another in a scoring situation.
Sometimes, though, it gets out of hand.
The U.S. provided multiple "scream-at-the-TV" opportunities in the first period when forwards passed up what appeared to be Grade A chances to make a perfect pass to a teammate.
Nowhere was it more apparent than with Auston Matthews, who was alone with the puck in the slot in front of Canadian goalie Jordan Binnington and instead tried to dish it off to Tage Thompson near the left post on a first-period power play.
Matthew Tkachuk also deferred in the opening 20 minutes when he was by himself rushing down the right wing and opted for a cross-ice pass that was broken up.
"As an offensive player, everyone sees everyone trying to be nice. It becomes contagious," Olczyk said. "You don't get too many opportunities with you and the goalie all by yourself from seven feet out. You've got to shoot it."
Boldy's Otherworldly Play Opens Scoring
Watch a lot of hockey, and you won't see many better scoring plays than Matt Boldy made.
The Minnesota forward took a pass from Matthews after he'd beaten Nathan MacKinnon to a puck along the defensive-zone boards, then approached the blue line with the Canadian defensive pairing of Cale Makar and Devon Toews ahead of him.
But rather than dumping it in or losing possession, he flipped the puck in the air between them, then beat Toews to it and went forehand-backhand to slide it past Binnington for the game's first goal on Team USA's first shot at the six-minute mark.
It was Boldy's second goal of the tournament, Matthews' fourth assist, and more validation for coach Mike Sullivan's decision to keep the line (with Tampa Bay's Jake Guentzel) together after a slot start in pool play.
"Somehow it just stuck with me, and I got lucky on the goal," Boldy said. "We've had a lot of chances that haven't gone in, and we're due to get a couple."
No Crosby for Team Canada
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If the Canadians win another gold medal, it won't be because of Sidney Crosby.
The veteran superstar will not play in Sunday's finale after sustaining a lower-body injury in the second period of Canada's quarterfinal win over Czechia. He didn't play in the semifinals against Finland, a game Team Canada won, 3-2, on Friday.
Crosby, 38, and Winnipeg defenseman Josh Morrissey are scratched, as is Los Angeles goalie Darcy Kuemper, who's not played in the tournament.
Connor McDavid will wear the captain's "C" in Crosby's absence and center a line with Macklin Celebrini and Nathan MacKinnon, which has combined for 30 points in five games.
"(Crosby) won't put himself in harm's way," Team Canada coach Jon Cooper said. "He's not going to put the team in harm's way."
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