Winners and Losers From the USA-Canada Gold-Medal Game at the 2026 Winter Olympics

On the 46th anniversary of the Miracle on Ice, Team USA men's hockey has won an Olympic gold medal for the first time since that day in 1980.

Team USA defeated Team Canada 2-1 in overtime, with goals from Matt Boldy and game-winner Jack Hughes. A stellar performance from Connor Hellebuyck stole the show as the American net-minder stopped 41 of 42 shots, thwarted a long 5-on-3 opportunity from Canada, and ended the game with a .976 save percentage.

It was a battle of high-end offense on Canada's end vs. the best defense ever assembled in international play on the USA's end. Tight defense led by Hellebuyck prevailed, as the USA spent most of the game defending and was outshot 42-28. The team also ended a perfect 18-for-18 on the penalty kill in the tournament.

Team USA won the first Olympics with NHL players competing in 14 years. What does this say about the growth of the game in the US in the past decade? What went wrong with Team Canada's offense? Here are the winners and losers from the USA-Canada gold medal game at the 2026 Winter Olympics

Winner: Jack Hughes

You saw Jack Hughes' confidence grow with each game throughout this tournament, and he had a fantastic quote ahead of the gold medal game.

"I've felt all the way back the last bunch of years. I don't know, I've had a lot of injuries, but I'm a hockey player, I think I've been playing well," he told The NY Post's Mollie Walker. "I know everyone doesn't watch the Devilfs every single night, but I love where I'm at, and I've always believed in myself. I know the player I am."

Hughes has had a lot of rough, inopportune injuries in the past few seasons. As much as this stinks, it has shown us the impact he truly has on a roster when he's healthy – the Devils often thrive in a playoff spot when he's in, and they struggle to stay afloat when he's out. 

Narratives about Hughes' grit and ability got louder when he had a quiet 4 Nations Face-Off last year: Could he handle the bigger stages? Could he play hard enough?

There was something especially glorious about watching him net the golden goal with a missing tooth. That missing tooth was hard-earned, drawing a four-minute power play for the USA late in the third – just as the team was running out of steam. 

To see Hughes earn overtime playing time and net the USA's first game-winner in 46 years was a lesson in knowing who you are.

He ended the tournament second in scoring on the USA's roster with four goals and seven points, just one point behind his brother Quinn.

Loser: Connor Hellebuyck's Choker Reputation

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From the moment these rosters were revealed, Team USA and Team Canada were the clear favorites. Canada had the edge on offense, with names like Connor McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon, Macklin Celebrini, and Sidney Crosby. The USA had the edge on defense, with one of the most talented defenses ever assembled. 

Reigning Hart Trophy and Vezina-winning goaltender Connor Hellebuyck has been as consistent a goaltender as they come for years, but he was still looking for his shining moment on a big stage. He'd had some rough playoff performances for the Winnipeg Jets the past few seasons.

He almost got it done for Team USA at last year's 4 Nations Face-Off, but Connor McDavid and Canada's offense emerged in overtime despite Hellebuyck's solid game. Goaltenders receive more flak than any other position for obvious reasons, and people were doubting Hellebuyck's clutch factor headed into these Olympics.

Doubt the man's clutch factor no more.

Hellebuyck got his signature win, and he was the best player on the ice in the process. Team USA was outshot 42-28, and Hellebuyck saved 41 shots to give his team a chance. Pressure was high, and the majority of these shots came in the third, but the USA netminder came up with at least three huge game-savers in that stretch.

Team USA ended a perfect 18-for-18 on the penalty kill in the tournament, including a long 5-on-3 in the gold medal game. You simply don't do that against Team Canada's offense without mind-blowing goaltending.

Although McDavid ended up tournament MVP with a record-breaking 13 points, Hellebuyck had a strong case, leading the Olympics with a .956 save percentage in five starts. For him, though, nothing matters but the gold medal around his neck.

Loser: Canada's Luck

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Drew Doughty, Mitch Marner and Connor McDavid

Look, we're not going to discredit Team USA's well-established reputation for best-in-show defense by calling the win "luck." Hellebuyck worked too hard for that, the penalty killers worked too hard for that, and the results are clear. 

Still, you think about the offensive star power on Canada's roster, you think about the nature of this game – the amount of shots taken by Canada, the quality of those shots, that 5-on-3 – and you almost can't believe they blew it. 

Hughes said himself the game could've gone either way, and Canada had more than a few serious shots to finish it off: The McDavid breakaway in the second, the pair of Macklin Celebrini breakaways in the third, the wide open net that is going to haunt Nathan MacKinnon until the next Olympics. 

Throughout the tournament – especially after captain Sidney Crosby's injury – Canada had been sneaking in late goals to tie and/or win the game in the nick of time. Team USA was too tough an opponent for that.

This was one of the best hockey games we've ever watched for a reason: It was close as heck. Team USA played its own game better, and opportunities finally ran out for this Canadian team.

Winner: The NHL

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Gary Bettman

A win for the fans is often a win for the league, and this game kept old fans happy and hooked new fans for life. This game is going to generate tons of momentum at the right time for the NHL.

The final leg of the regular season kicks off Wednesday, and intensity will be heightened as bubble playoff teams make their big pushes. Plus, the trade deadline is less than one month away. Plenty of the guys playing in this tournament could be on the move as soon as the Olympic roster freeze ends in a few days.

There were, of course, several injuries to key NHL players throughout the tournament: Kevin Fiala, Josh Morrissey, Mikko Rantanen, and Sidney Crosby among them. But Fiala appears to be the only player out for the season with his broken leg, so all things considered, keeping severe injuries to a minimum bodes well for the NHL.

Winner: The Fans

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This was one of the fastest-paced hockey games any of us has ever seen. The skill era of the NHL was on full display tin his gold medal game as NHL players returned to the Olympic Games for the first time in 14 years.

Part of the fun was the rink's size, which was a major point of contention at the beginning of the Games. The rink was more than three feet shorter than the 200-foot standard, with the reduction taken entirely from the neutral zone, forcing the best of the best to go even faster where it counts. 

The ice started to tilt in Team Canada's favor with a huge shots-on-goal advantage in the third, but Team USA's defense constantly found a way to keep it 1-1, and some of that "finding a way" was in winning the epic, ongoing footrace.

The rest of that "finding a way" was Hellebuyck making save after save in the net despite Team Canada's high-danger opportunities. This was the exact high-end offensive skill Team Canada vs. elite defense Team USA we were promised, and it somehow exceeded our highest expectations. That's the thing about these special games: We don't need a surprise or an upset to keep us engaged; every shift of pure skill in each team's forte is enthralling enough.

Team USA forced overtime, then the world was treated to 3-on-3, sudden-death overtime with the best players in the world going at it in a game many players called bigger than the Stanley Cup.  

The return of NHL players in the Olympics was everything fans old and new could've hoped for – especially the gold medal game. We saw how far skill and speed have come in these past 14 years, but we also saw the same spirit of the game that hooked us all in the first place.