It was an overtime thriller for the ages, and it was Team USA hockey that captured a 2-1 victory over Canada in the gold medal game Sunday.
Jack Hughes did the honors in overtime, firing home a one-timer off a pass from Zach Werenski to earn the gold medal for the United States.
The gold medal is the first the U.S. has won in men’s hockey in 46 years, and it came 46 years to the day of the iconic “Miracle on Ice” game where the American squad beat the Soviet Union in Lake Placid.
Hughes, who had been hit in the mouth earlier in the game with a high stick, sprinted into the offensive zone as Werenski won the puck, and the defenseman’s pass to Hughes resulted in the game-winning goal and a raucous U.S. celebration in Milan.
The gold medal is just the third the U.S. has won in men’s hockey and the first they’ve won outside of the United States, having won in 1960 and 1980 on home ice.
It also marks the first time the U.S. has beaten Canada in a gold medal game, having lost to the team in 2002 and 2010.
Finally, it marks the first time the U.S. men’s and women’s hockey teams have won gold medals in the same Olympics, as the women’s squad beat Canada in overtime on Thursday.
