Yesterday, Sunday, February 22, 2026, the USA men’s hockey team defeated the Canadian team to win gold at the Winter Olympics. This win comes almost 50 years after the last Olympic gold medal men’s hockey win. Team USA’s 1980 upset against the Soviet Union was dubbed “Miracle on Ice”, and while yesterday’s game may not have been a miracle, it was definitely a special game.
The “Miracle on Ice” game took place on February 22, 1980, in Lake Placid, New York, meaning that yesterday’s game took place on the 46th anniversary of that match. Seems pretty poetic to me.
It was predicted that Team Canada would win the match, given their strong performance throughout the Olympic Games and their win against the US team at the 4 Nations tournament.
The match was very exciting to watch, with Team USA’s Matt Boldy scoring a goal almost immediately into the first period. Team Canada tied the game late into the second period with a goal from Cale Makar. The goalie for Team USA, Connor Hellebuyck, seemed to be working overtime, deflecting more than 40 goal attempts by the Canadian players. The game went into overtime, which ended almost immediately after the “golden goal” was scored by Jack Hughes, who, earlier in the game, was hit in the face by a high stick, which broke some of his teeth.
Immediately after winning, the rest of Team USA jumped onto the ice to celebrate. Matthew Tkachuk, Zach Werenski, and Auston Matthews could be seen holding up the jersey of their former teammate, Johnny Gaudreau. Gaudreau, better known as “Johnny Hockey”, was originally meant to play on the team. Unfortunately, while cycling home in New Jersey, Johnny and his brother Matthew were struck and killed by a drunk driver in August 2024. His family, teammates, and fans were devastated by the loss. But Team USA’s actions demonstrate that the bonds formed between these athletes are forever.
Players Zach Werenski and Dylan Larkin also went into the stands to collect two of Gaudreau’s children, Noa and Johnny Jr., bringing them onto the ice to be included in the celebratory team photo. Johnny Jr. can be seen with his hand on his father’s jersey, in what was arguably one of the most heartfelt moments of the celebration. The game also took place on Johnny Jr.’s birthday.
Team USA’s women’s hockey team also won its game against Team Canada, earning gold medals and becoming Olympic champions as well. Megan Keller scored the game-winning goal for the women’s team. Both of these games were must-watch events of this year’s Winter Olympic Games, whether you’re a hockey fan or not.
