The United States ended a nearly half-century wait for Olympic men’s ice hockey gold with a 2-1 overtime victory against Canada in a thrilling final on Sunday, with Jack Hughes delivering their third title and first since 1980 with the winning shot.
Hughes left it all — including at least one of his teeth — out on the ice in a nerve-jangling triumph exactly 46 years to the day since the iconic U.S. “Miracle on Ice” victory over the Soviet Union en route to gold in Lake Placid.
It came down to three-on-three play where Hughes collected a pass from Zach Werenski and fired into the net one minute and 41 seconds into the extra period, flashing a bloody, chipped grin after receiving a high stick to the face in the third period.
The goal resulted in gloves, helmets and sticks flying over the ice as his teammates ran to smother the American hero.
“The best experiences I have are playing for my country, playing to break the golden drought with this group of guys and for us to win gold here at the Olympics,” said Hughes.
