“The U.S. men’s hockey team defeated Canada 2-1 in the gold medal game at the 2026 Milan Cortina Olympics on Sunday,” NBC Sports reported on February 22, 2026, from “the gold medal game of the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026 at Santagiulia Arena,” as NHL.com put it. The goal that won it was a “‘Golden Goal’ 46 years in the making,” NHL.com wrote: “It is the United States’ first gold medal in men’s hockey since the Miracle on Ice in 1980.” It was scored by Jack Hughes. “The 24-year-old Hughes is a forward for the New Jersey Devils in the NHL,” the Associated Press wrote, and “Hughes’ brother, Quinn, is a defenseman for the Americans.”
“Matt Boldy opened the scoring for Team USA just six minutes into this year’s gold medal game,” NBC Sports wrote, and “Canada finally got on the board with less than two minutes remaining in the second period when Cale Makar drilled a shot past American goalie Connor Hellebuyck.” In the third period, with the game tied 1-1, a Canadian forward’s high stick caught Hughes “directly to the chops, cracking his front teeth,” NHL.com reported. “My first thought was, I looked on the ice and saw my teeth, and I was like, ‘Here we go again,’” Hughes said. The call was “a double minor penalty. The U.S. got a four-minute power play out of it at 13:26 of the third period.”
Then Hughes “came on the ice and took a high-sticking penalty to negate the last 49 seconds of the man advantage,” NHL.com wrote; it came at 16:37, and it set up “a 4-on-4 before Canada would go on a power play for 1:11.” “Hughes had thoughts as he sat in the penalty box.” “I pictured myself on Barstool [Sports] being, like, the guy that America hates because Canada scores on the power play,” he said. “His teammates saved him by killing off the penalty,” NHL.com wrote, and “Both teams had power play chances in the third period, but Hellebuyck kept the puck out of the net to send the game to overtime tied 1-1,” NBC Sports reported.
Overtime was “3-on-3 play,” as NBC Sports put it, and Zach Werenski found him: “Werenski won a quick puck battle with forward Nathan MacKinnon, gained possession low in the right face-off circle and saw Hughes wide open across the ice in the left circle,” NHL.com wrote. At 1:41 of overtime, “Hughes buried his shot under Canadian goalie Jordan Binnington’s left pad.” “The forward who put the puck in the net in overtime to give the Americans a 2-1 victory over Canada in the men’s hockey final Sunday did so with a bloody mouth,” the Associated Press wrote. “Just glad we got out of that pickle I put us in,” Hughes said.
NHL.com described the picture that followed: “The cracked tooth smile with blood on his teeth and lips. The American flag draped over his shoulders and his right fist up in the air. … The gold medal around his neck.” “Hughes’ shattered smile will be the defining image of Team USA’s victory,” NBC New York wrote. It was, in the words of the AP game report on KTVU FOX 2, the “first Olympic men’s hockey gold medal since the ‘Miracle on Ice’ team triumphed in 1980.”
Fact check
The facts and where they come from
- In the Olympic final, a stick broke his teeth, and then he nearly cost America the gold. NHL.com: the high stick went “directly to the chops, cracking his front teeth”; “Hughes came on the ice and took a high-sticking penalty.” Hughes: “I pictured myself on Barstool [Sports] being, like, the guy that America hates because Canada scores on the power play”; “Just glad we got out of that pickle I put us in.” 1
- His name is Jack Hughes. The Associated Press: “The 24-year-old Hughes is a forward for the New Jersey Devils in the NHL.” 2
- In February 2026, America met Canada for hockey gold. NHL.com (Milan, February 22, 2026): “the gold medal game of the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026 at Santagiulia Arena on Sunday.” NBC Sports: “The U.S. men’s hockey team defeated Canada 2-1 in the gold medal game at the 2026 Milan Cortina Olympics on Sunday.” 14
- The US men hadn’t won it in 46 years. NHL.com: “‘Golden Goal’ 46 years in the making”; “It is the United States’ first gold medal in men’s hockey since the Miracle on Ice in 1980.” The Associated Press: “won the country’s first gold in men’s hockey since the 1980 ‘Miracle on Ice’ team.” 12
- Tied 1-1 in the third, a Canadian stick hit him in the mouth. NBC Sports: “Matt Boldy opened the scoring for Team USA just six minutes into this year’s gold medal game”; “Canada finally got on the board with less than two minutes remaining in the second period when Cale Makar drilled a shot past American goalie Connor Hellebuyck.” The Associated Press: “taking a stick to the mouth … in the third period.” NHL.com: “The U.S. got a four-minute power play out of it at 13:26 of the third period.” 421
- “I looked on the ice and saw my teeth,” he said. Hughes, to NHL.com: “My first thought was, I looked on the ice and saw my teeth, and I was like, ‘Here we go again’ …” 1
- America got four minutes on the power play. NHL.com: “a double minor penalty. The U.S. got a four-minute power play out of it at 13:26 of the third period.” 1
- Then he got his own stick up in a Canadian’s face. NHL.com: “Hughes came on the ice and took a high-sticking penalty to negate the last 49 seconds of the man advantage. He got his stick up in the face of Canadian forward … at 16:37.” 1
- Now he sat in the penalty box, and Canada had the power play. NHL.com: “setting up a 4-on-4 before Canada would go on a power play for 1:11”; “Hughes had thoughts as he sat in the penalty box.” 1
- He pictured himself as “the guy that America hates.” Hughes, to NHL.com: “I pictured myself on Barstool [Sports] being, like, the guy that America hates because Canada scores on the power play.” 1
- His teammates killed the penalty, and it went to overtime. NHL.com: “His teammates saved him by killing off the penalty.” NBC Sports: “Both teams had power play chances in the third period, but Hellebuyck kept the puck out of the net to send the game to overtime tied 1-1.” 14
- Early in overtime, Zach Werenski found him wide open. NHL.com: “Hughes scored the ‘Golden Goal’ … 1:41 into overtime”; “Werenski won a quick puck battle with forward Nathan MacKinnon, gained possession low in the right face-off circle and saw Hughes wide open across the ice in the left circle.” NBC Sports: “in 3-on-3 play.” 14
- With a bloody mouth, he buried the shot. The Associated Press: “The forward who put the puck in the net in overtime to give the Americans a 2-1 victory over Canada in the men’s hockey final Sunday did so with a bloody mouth.” NHL.com: “Hughes buried his shot under Canadian goalie Jordan Binnington’s left pad.” 21
- After 46 years, the wait was over. NHL.com: “46 years in the making.” KTVU FOX 2, from AP: “first Olympic men’s hockey gold medal since the ‘Miracle on Ice’ team triumphed in 1980.” 13
- He smiled through broken teeth, with gold around his neck. NHL.com: “The cracked tooth smile with blood on his teeth and lips. The American flag draped over his shoulders and his right fist up in the air. … The gold medal around his neck.” NBC New York: “Hughes’ shattered smile will be the defining image of Team USA’s victory.” 15
Sources
- Jack Hughes becomes U.S. hockey hero by scoring ‘Golden Goal’ against Canada (Dan Rosen, February 22, 2026) NHL.com
- Jack Hughes lost teeth from a high-stick to the mouth before his Olympic gold-winning goal (February 22, 2026) The Associated Press, on News4Jax
- US tops Canada 2–1 in OT for 1st Olympic men’s hockey gold since 1980 (February 22, 2026) KTVU FOX 2, from AP game results
- Gold medal game recap: the US v Canada men’s hockey final (Max Molski, February 22, 2026) NBC Sports, on NBC Washington
- Jack Hughes’s smile after the gold medal game (March 2026) NBC New York
Notes
Teeth: NHL.com says the high stick was “cracking his front teeth”; the Associated Press says he “lost some teeth” and was “spittin’ chiclets,” and NBC that he was “chipping a few of his teeth” and “broke his teeth.” The Short says “a stick broke his teeth” and “broken teeth.”
Penalty: Hughes took a high-sticking minor at 16:37 of the third period (NHL.com); it cancelled the last 49 seconds of the US power play, and after a short 4-on-4, Canada had a power play of 1:11. The Short names no penalty type.
Time of the goal: 1:41 into overtime (NHL.com and the AP game results); the AP’s story on his teeth says “a little more than 1 1/2 minutes.” The Short says “Early in overtime.”
“Nearly cost America the gold” is the Short’s reading of Canada’s power play, with the game tied late in the third period, and of his own words afterward: “Just glad we got out of that pickle I put us in” (NHL.com).
Jack Hughes, Zach Werenski and everyone else named here are alive. Only game results, reporting by major outlets and Hughes’s own published words are used. The Canadian players whose sticks were involved in the two high sticks are not named; Matt Boldy, Cale Makar, Connor Hellebuyck, Nathan MacKinnon, Jordan Binnington and Quinn Hughes are named only for plain game facts. Left out: his words about an earlier time he lost a tooth, his contract, and everything off the ice after the final beyond where and when the two medal photos were taken.
Pictures: no free photo shows the high stick, the penalty, the goal or the celebration; every picture of them we found is agency, broadcast, Olympic or league media, so none is used. Jack Hughes is with his gold medal at the US Capitol in Washington on February 24, 2026, two days after the final, in two official White House photos by Daniel Torok, cropped to him alone; and on the New Jersey Devils bench in Seattle on December 7, 2023, beside goalie Vítek Vaněček (Jenn G). A fan’s photo shows the US v Canada final itself, from the stands, during the third intermission on February 22, 2026 (TitaniumCobra75); the fans are seen from behind. The Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena is seen from outside on February 17, 2026 (Quintin Soloviev), and inside during Germany v France the same day, in two photos (Eric Salard); those players are other teams, not named here. Zach Werenski (no. 8, Columbus) is with Seattle’s Jaden Schwartz in Seattle on January 28, 2024 (Jenn G, cropped), and Herb Brooks Arena in Lake Placid, the 1980 “Miracle on Ice” rink, is seen on August 28, 2019 (Dak1493).
Photo credits
The archive photos in this story
The photographs and illustrations in this story are in the public domain or shared under open licenses; each one is credited below with its license. Tap one to enlarge it, or follow the link to its Wikimedia Commons page for the full record. The narration, captions and graphics in the Short are our own; its music and sound effects are credited below.
Music and sound effects
Music: Beethoven, Coriolan Overture, Op. 62 (Musopen Symphony Orchestra, CC0); Brahms, Symphony No. 1 in C minor, Op. 68: IV. Adagio - Piu andante - Allegro non troppo, ma con brio (Musopen Symphony Orchestra, CC0).
Sound effects: Freesound, CC0.
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