MILAN — The United States grabbed gold, Canada settled for silver, and Finland skated away with bronze. But the real winner of the NHL’s long-awaited and much-anticipated return to the Winter Olympics? That would be the sport itself.
Jon Cooper called it “hockey on steroids,” and there’s no question that what we witnessed here in Milan was a smashing success.
The rosters were stacked. The competition fierce. The atmosphere electric. The elimination games intense. And it all culminated in hockey’s two fiercest rivals meeting in one of the most highly anticipated games of this generation— an instant classic that had bars opening as early as 5 a.m. and might just set some viewership records.
United States’ Jack Hughes (86) scores during a men’s ice hockey gold medal game between Canada and the United States at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Sunday, Feb. 22, 2026. (Hassan Ammar / The Associated Press)
“This has been the greatest two weeks of my life,” U.S. defenceman Charlie McAvoy said following his team’s dramatic 2-1 overtime victory to reach the top of the podium. “I can’t believe the storybook ending here.”
Fans from other nations might beg to differ on that “storybook ending,” but a tournament that arrived with sky-high expectations managed not just to meet them, but exceed them — reminding the world what it’s missed the past three Olympics.
Memo to everyone involved: Do NOT make us wait that long again.
“It’s definitely a once in a lifetime experience, getting to compete here and compete for your country,” said forward Sam Bennett, who has won two straight Stanley Cups with the Florida Panthers.
“So forever grateful for that, and just super disappointed that we couldn’t get it done for our country,”
Teammate Brad Marchand called it the “best hockey team to ever be put together.”
“Unbelievable guys. Obviously, on the ice, but in the room, just such a great group to be around,” he said.
Drew Doughty, whose name also adorns the Stanley Cup, added: “We bonded so well together, we had a lot of fun together. I’m going to still be friends with these guys the rest of my life, that’s never going to go anywhere. It would have been nice, you know, seeing them in 20 years with a gold medal to share.”
On the American side, there was plenty of talk about legacies and the lasting impact this victory could have on the next generation. This was the first men’s Olympic gold for the U.S. since 1980 and only the third in the nation’s history.
United States’ Jack Hughes (86) celebrates after scoring during a men’s ice hockey gold medal game between Canada and the United States at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Sunday, Feb. 22, 2026. (Hassan Ammar / The Associated Press)
“I’m sure this is going to be a moment that younger kids are talking about, to see Jack (Hughes) score that OT winner, and they’ll try to re-create, to try to envision themselves in that spot,” said forward Brock Nelson, whose uncle Dave Christian, was a member of that “Miracle On Ice” team 46 years ago.
“Hopefully this keeps the sport the way it’s been going the last 10, 20 years.”
Christian was actually in the building on Sunday to cheer on his nephew.
“I know what that 1980 (win) did and what that meant for generations that came after in USA Hockey,” said forward Jack Eichel. “We wrote our own story here.”
Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck recalled being a kid watching his hockey heroes on TV. He hopes Milan provides similar inspiration for future players.
“I can’t put it into words yet. This gold is a nation’s gold. It’s not just a team USA gold, it’s a whole nation’s gold,” he said.
Was the tournament perfect? Absolutely not.
Injury risk was a major concern, and we saw some stars sidelined. Swiss forward Kevin Fiala broke his leg, a major blow for the Los Angeles Kings’ playoff hopes. Sidney Crosby, Mikko Rantanen, and Josh Morrissey also carry ailments back to their club teams.
Hockey is fast, physical, and sometimes violent and accidents happen. But every player who spoke said the risk is worth taking for the game.
Referees try to break up a fight between Canada’s Sam Bennett (9), United States’ Charlie McAvoy (25) and Canada’s Tom Wilson (43) during the second period of the men’s ice hockey gold medal game at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Sunday, Feb. 22, 2026. (Luca Bruno / The Associated Press)
Still, some issues were glaring. The three-on-three format to settle the gold medal? Gimmicky, even if better than a shootout. And yes, we would have still said that had Canada won.
“All the teams know the rules going into these beforehand., You can’t come up here and say we’re the losing team, we lost in a three-on-three and that’s not fair,” said Cooper.
“We won a game three-on-three (Wednesday’s quarterfinal against Czechia). Do the traditionalists want it a certain way? I’m sure they do but there’s a lot more than this that goes into it. We get the rules. Whether you like it or not you gotta abide by them. We got the short end of the stick.”
Closed practices were another problem — Canada held three, exploiting IIHF rules despite NHL prohibitions. If the idea is to grow the game, hiding from spotlight is a funny way to go about it.
And the mixed-zone media setup, which is a product of the International Olympic Committee, can be fired straight into the sun.
Sunday provided a jarring example: American players draped in flags and gold medals, smiling as they did interviews while sad Canadians pass by to do the same, all crammed into a small space with roughly 200 reporters shouting questions. The NHL’s open dressing-room and podium formats feel far superior.
The NHL also had reason to be frustrated: limited video access from the Olympics prevented them from fully showcasing the event during the three-week pause in their own season. The New Jersey Devils and the league itself can’t even show Hughes’ winning goal on any of their platforms.
Commissioner Gary Bettman has promised to address this next time — and rightly so.
But these are fixable issues. We can expect adjustments when the NHL returns to the Olympics in 2030 in the French Alps. Even better, fans can look forward to best-on-best competition happening every two years, with the World Cup of Hockey returning in 2028 on a four-year rotation.
The United States and Canada shake hands after Canada lost in overtime during the men’s gold medal hockey game at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, on Sunday, Feb. 22, 2026. (Darryl Dyck / The Canadian Press)
Winnipeg Free Press | Newsletter
The Warm-Up
Winnipeg Jets Game Days
On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop.
We now return you to your regularly scheduled NHL programming, which will take a little adjusting before the pace ramps up again down the stretch and into the playoffs.
One thing is certain: for hockey fans, the Milan Olympics were a thrilling reminder of what’s possible when the world’s best lace up their skates — and why we wouldn’t want to miss it for anything.
“I look at this game and I’m so proud of what went on. I’m proud of our country, proud of our players, proud of our team,” said Cooper.
“In the end you’re gonna read in a book that in 2026 USA won the gold in Olympic hockey and Canada won the silver. I think in the big grand scheme the big winner of this tournament was ice hockey.”
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Mike McIntyre is a sports reporter whose primary role is covering the Winnipeg Jets. After graduating from the Creative Communications program at Red River College in 1995, he spent two years gaining experience at the Winnipeg Sun before joining the Free Press in 1997, where he served on the crime and justice beat until 2016. Read more about Mike.
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