Jarrett Karnibad

I was not planning on writing an article today. But after watching the Men’s Hockey Gold Medal Game in Milan, there was no way I couldn’t write down my thoughts and emotions. Fair warning, lots of superlatives ahead.

I will start off by saying that this was the greatest hockey game I have ever seen. Now I will be the first to admit, I do not watch a ton of hockey. I watch occasionally in the regular season, and a good bit in the playoffs. With that being said, I have never seen a game with such speed, physicality, and most of all, emotion. It was clear from the opening puck drop how much this game meant to each team. The game began with a furious blitz by the Americans before the first line change. Canada thwarted the initial attack until 6 minutes in, Matt Boldy made a spectacular play splitting two Canadien defenders while flipping the puck off of the ice to himself, before beating Jordan Binnington to put the Americans on the scoreboard. After that, however, it was all Canada for essentially the next 50 minutes. The ice appeared to be tilted towards towards the American net, but Connor Hellebuyck was fantastic, only allowing one goal, despite a barrage of shots on goal. That lone goal coming on a Cale Makar shot with less than two minutes to go in the 2nd Period.

The turning point of the game came with around 7 minutes left in the 3rd Period. Quinn Hughes weaved through the Canadien defense and fired a shot on net, but Binnington turned it away. It was the first real scoring opportunity for the Red, White, and Blue in a long time. It led to a Sam Bennett high sticking penalty on future American hero Jack Hughes. The 4-minute double minor penalty gave the USA team an unbelievable opportunity to score before regulation ended, although it would cost Hughes parts of two of his teeth. He left the game briefly before returning with around a minute left in the power play. Hughes would then give a high stick of his own to Bo Horvat, leading to 4-on-4 hockey for 49 seconds, before giving Canada a 5-on-4 power play for over a minute. Hellebuyck and the American defense were gritty and were able to kill the power play and essentially ice the clock to end regulation.

After regulation, so much was going through my head. Visions of 2010 came to mind, when Sidney Crosby scored the game-winner in the Gold Medal Game, mere seconds after I foolishly asked, “Why does everyone say Sidney Crosby is so good if he never scores?” I thought of the Miracle on Ice, 46 years ago, to the day. And finally, thanks to the broadcast, I relived Quinn Hughes waving off the bench and scoring the game-winner to defeat Sweden in the Quarterfinals only days ago.

When it comes to 3-on-3 hockey, the game could be over at any moment. I, along with everyone else watching I’m sure, was on the edge of my seat. There might not be a better goal-scoring combination of 2 attackers and 1 defender in the world than the Canadiens’ 1st Line: Connor McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon, and Cale Makar. The two teams traded shots, and possession over the 1st minute, and time seemed to slow down. Both teams had great scoring opportunities only to turned away. But then, as Hellebuyck turned away a Connor McDavid shot, Jack Hughes took the puck, passed to Zach Werenski, who gave it back to Hughes, and Hughes sent it up the ice. Werenski gained control, spotted a trailing Jack Hughes, sent him the puck, and Hughes beat Binnington and found the back of the net. And just like that, the celebration was on. Less than two minutes into Overtime, Jack Hughes had scored the Golden Goal and etched his name into United States Men’s Hockey History.

The celebration was a beautiful sight to see. Gloves, sticks, and helmets thrown into the air and an army of white and blue jerseys stormed the ice. As the initial celebration began to wind down, we got to witness some really special moments.

• Connor Hellebuyck and Jack Hughes, the two brightest stars of the game, hugging and sharing a moment of true joy.
• Zach Werenski, Auston Matthews, and Matthew Tkachuk retrieved the jersey of Johnny Gaudreau, a member of the Men’s USA Hockey Team who tragically died after being struck by a drunk driver in 2024. They then skated around the ice holding his jersey high, as if giving Johnny his own Olympic Gold moment.
• The Jack Hughes Interview. I truly have no words about this interview. It was perfect from start to finish. The bloodied mouth and broken teeth. The American pride. The humility and love for his teammates. Please, just take the time to go watch the interview.
• Finally, Werenski and Dylan Larkin went to the stands and brought out Gaudreau’s two children to join them in the team on-ice picture with their gold medals.

These were just a few of my favorites from the postgame festivities. This game felt different from start to finish, and this group of players was truly special. Not only did they bring home the first Gold Medal in Men’s Olympic Hockey in 46 years, but they did so beating Canada. The very team that had defeated them in the 2010 Olympic Final, and in 2025’s Four Nations event. To say this Canadian team was stacked, is an understatement. And yet, it was the United States who prevailed. The grit, toughness, and passion that this team played with, will never be forgotten.

1960, 1980, and now 2026. Congratulations to the US Hockey Men’s National Team.