The 2-1 OT win over Canada brought the Yanks their first Olympic gold since 1980 and their third overall (1960). They were carried on the wide shoulders and blocker of UMass Lowell product Connor Hellebuyck (41 saves), who received some sensational backup from Charlie McAvoy, the Bruins’ franchise defenseman who slipped behind Hellebuyck under heavy fire with 8:15 to go in a tied game.
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Goalie Connor Hellebuyck got some help from Charlie McAvoy, who kept Canada’s Nick Suzuki at bay in the third period. Pool/Getty
The Canadians, including Nick Suzuki and Devon Toews, were buzzing all around the crease and it was McAvoy, trapped in the US net, who blocked Tom Wilson’s Grade-A go-ahead attempt. McAvoy was still pinned in the net when ex-teammate Brad Marchand delivered one more shot from short range, an attempt snuffed out by Hellebuyck.
“That was pretty crazy,” said Mittelstadt, noting McAvoy’s impromptu Vezina performance. “We were watching and someone yelled, ‘I think Chuckie saved it!’ Then we saw the replay . . . a pivotal point in the game. It probably gets overlooked by the overtime goal, but who knows if they get there if [McAvoy] isn’t there, right? . . . Pretty cool, for sure.”
The Bruins delayed the start of practice by an hour (to 11:30 a.m.) to accommodate the players’ moveable feast of a watch party leading up to the workout A good-sized group started out in the Guest Street weight room, watching Period 1 on TVs. Then it was on to the players’ lounge for Period 2 and eventually over to the meeting room (tiered seating) for the third.
“We were spread out,” said a smiling Mittelstadt. “Especially the third — that was a pretty electric period.”
A flag-draped Charlie McAvoy celebrates his new gold medal with his child. ALEXANDER NEMENOV/AFP via Getty Images
Beginning with a practice Monday morning (weather permitting), Black-and-Gold Olympians David Pastrnak, Hampus Lindholm, and Elias Lindholm will be repatriated with their Spoked-B brethren. It could be another day or more before Finns Joonas Korpisalo and Henri Jokiharju are reunited with the group.
No telling, as of Sunday night, if gold medalists McAvoy and Jeremy Swayman will get in a skate here prior to Thursday’s game vs. the Blue Jackets at TD Garden. The Americans were on a post-game flight to Miami, the impending blizzard nixing plans to land in New York.
Whenever McAvoy and Swayman do come walking through that door, it will be the first time the club has welcomed home US gold medalists fresh from the Olympics. Jim Craig, whose heroics in net backed the ‘80 USA win at Lake Placid, had a four-game NHL debut with Atlanta following the Adirondacks. He was traded to the Bruins that June before his short run here during the 1980-81 season.
Dual citizen Mark Kastelic, whose parents grew up in Canada, was a touch more subdued than Mittelstadt. In a room full of split allegiances, his emotions about a USA-Canada final played down the middle.
“A crazy game with near-misses . . . power plays for both teams near the end . . . exciting to watch,” mused Kastelic. “Good on the US, I guess, for winning the gold medal. I am happy for our boys [McAvoy and Swayman] here. I imagine it’s a tough one for the guys on Canada, but I am happy for Charlie and Sway.”
Any temptation to let out a joyful scream at the end, noted Kastelic, was muted because, “We weren’t the ones over there doing it, so at the end of the day, I felt like everyone has respect in here for each other. So no one’s rubbing it in anyone’s faces, I don’t think.”
The Bay State’s Jordan Harris, healthy again after a lengthy stay on injured reserve, tapped into the US Olympic hockey dream as a kid watching “Miracle,” the movie about the ‘80 win.
“If there is one thing that is as close as pulling on the USA jersey, it’s playing for your hometown [NHL] team,” said Harris, who played four seasons at Northeastern before beginning an NHL career that brought him here in the offseason. “Of course it’s your dream to play in the Olympics.”
If pressed, said Mittelstadt, after watching “Miracle” countless times, he could recite from memory the famed speech coach Herb Brooks made to his USA charges prior to taking on the mighty USSR.
“You were meant to be here tonight,” said Brooks. “This is your time.”
When it came time for the 2026 USA team to claim the gold Sunday, Mittelstadt, born 18 years after the win at Lake Placid, watched on the TV in admiration and quiet respect.
“Yeah, I mean, we tried to keep it a little classy,” he said of his fellow Black-and-Gold Yanks. “But we were a little excited . . . obviously there’s some bragging rights. But I think most of us, more than anything, were cheering for a good hockey game. That’s what’s best for the sport and it was a heck of a game.”
Kevin Paul Dupont can be reached at kevin.dupont@globe.com.