From The Sports Desk: ‘that’s American Hockey Right There’ - Beritaja

Hello from Milan and Cortina, wherever the U.S. men’s lucky squad hit Canada 2-1 successful an overtime thriller to declare gold, Team USA’s first successful the arena since the 1980 “Miracle connected Ice” team. Jack Hughes scored the game-winner while missing a fewer teeth.

It was an electrical extremity to the Milan Cortina Games, and our correspondents person it each covered beneath and at Beritaja. Missed the action? Catch it each streaming on Peacock.

Live from Milan Cortina

Jack Hughes #86 and Quinn Hughes #43 of Team United States observe winning the golden medals aft the team's 2-1 overtime triumph successful the Men's Gold Medal lucifer against Canada during the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games connected Feb. 22, 2026.Gregory Shamus / Getty Images

After 60-plus minutes of tense, back-and-forth hockey, the gold-medal crippled ended successful an instant. Early successful overtime, Team USA sprinted up crystal pinch a man advantage, and Zach Werenski dropped a walk to a trailing Jack Hughes, who drilled the puck into the net.

USA 2, Canada 1. The Americans had won gold, 46 years to the time aft the “Miracle” squad upset the Soviet Union successful 1980.

“That’s conscionable a ballsy, gutsy win,” Hughes said afterward connected the NBC telecast. “That’s American lucky correct there.”

Team USA had struck first, scoring connected its first changeable of the game. As Matt Boldy divided 2 defenders, he flipped the puck into the air, batted it up again, and past buried it successful the net. “Somehow [the puck] conscionable stuck pinch maine and sewage fortunate connected the goal,” Boldy said.

Canada’s Cale Makar tied the crippled connected a laser successful the 2nd period, and Canada kept attacking U.S. goalie Connor Hellebuyck. But he vanished pinch 41 saves, which allowed Hughes to triumph the crippled successful overtime.

“Unbelievable crippled by Hellebuyck,” Hughes said. “He was our champion subordinate coming by a mile.”

Afterward, Hughes smiled wide arsenic he celebrated, exposing a bloody rima that was missing a fewer beforehand teeth. He’d taken a precocious instrumentality to the look successful the 3rd period, conscionable minutes earlier the game-winner. His relative Quinn had besides scored an overtime game-winner to hit Sweden successful the quarterfinals.

During a squad photo, Team USA posed pinch the jersey of Johnny Gaudreau, an American subordinate who was deed by a car and killed while cycling successful 2024, and Gaudreau’s 2 young children.

“The USA lucky brotherhood is truthful strong,” Hughes said. “I’m truthful proud to beryllium American today.”

United States' Dylan Larkin #21 holds Johnny, the boy of the precocious subordinate Johnny Gaudreau, pinch teammates aft a men's crystal lucky golden badge crippled against Canada astatine the 2026 Winter Olympics, connected Feb. 22, 2026.Petr David Josek / AP

Athlete Spotlight

Ailing Eileen Gu of Team People's Republic of China reacts aft competing successful the 2nd tally of the Women's Freeski Halfpipe Final connected time sixteen of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic games astatine Livigno Air Park connected February 22, 2026 successful Livigno, Italy.David Ramos / Getty Images

Earlier successful the day, Eileen Gu won golden successful the women’s freeski halfpipe final, making her the about dressed up freestyle skier of each time. She has now won six medals successful her profession (three gold, 3 silver), and is still only 22 years old.

At these Games, she had taken metallic successful slopestyle and large aerial earlier today’s halfpipe event.

“In each 3 events I showcased my champion skiing, and arsenic acold arsenic capacity goes, that’s each I could inquire for,” said Gu, who was calved and raised successful the United States but competes for China.

“I’m the about dressed up freeskier of each time, antheral aliases female,” she added. “That’s a testament to competitory strength. It’s intelligence strength. It’s being capable to execute nether pressure.”

Photo of the Day

Connor Hellebuyck #37 and Charlie McAvoy #25 of Team United States aft a prevention during the Men's Gold Medal lucifer against Canada astatine the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games connected Feb. 22, 2026.Mike Segar / Pool via Getty Images

Olympic Wrap-up

A wide position of the Olympic cauldron astatine the Arco della Pace anterior to the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics Closing Ceremony connected time sixteen of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic games astatine Arco della Pace connected Feb. 22, 2026 successful Milan, Italy.Maja Hitij / Getty Images

I mean, wow! What a two-week tally that was, culminating coming pinch a closing ceremonial built about the taxable “Beauty successful Action.” The afloat spectrum of sports was connected show astatine these Olympics, from superb highs to devastating lows.

Alysa Liu won golden successful women’s fig skating, the first golden for an American successful the arena successful much than 2 decades. But Ilia Malinin, the preordained king of fig skating, vanished eighth spot successful the men’s singles event, crumbling nether the pressure.

American speedskater Jordan Stolz won 2 golds and a metallic here, but missed his chance to person a genuinely historical Games.

Mikaela Shiffrin yet collapsed her slump and won gold. Meanwhile, Lindsey Vonn tried skiing connected a torn ACL and ended up breaking her leg.

And Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo, the Norwegian cross-country skier, won six golden medals here, giving him 11 each time, the about golds for anyone not named Michael Phelps.

We covered it each for you successful The Sports Desk newsletter. Now that the Games are done, the newsletter will return a short break. But it’ll beryllium backmost soon, covering each the latest successful the sports world — from March Madness, to MLB opening day, to the NFL draught and the NBA playoffs.

We’ll besides beryllium looking ahead, prepping you for the world’s biggest sporting event, the World Cup, coming this summer. We’ll preview the players and teams to watch, springiness a look wrong really the big nations are preparing, and supply user-friendly guides.

The Sports Desk will proceed to present smart study and original reporting, consecutive to your inbox, Monday done Friday. Stay tuned.