In the third period of Sunday's USA-Canada gold medal men's hockey game, the American forward Jack Hughes spit blood after he took a high stick to the mouth from Sam Bennett. The ensuing four-minute penalty didn't lead to a U.S. goal to break the 1-1 deadlock, but less than two minutes into three-on-three overtime, Hughes earned his place in the history books with a golden goal that delivered his country its first Olympic men's hockey triumph since the 1980 Miracle on Ice.
Taking notes on this game was like trying read a book in the middle of a nightclub. This hotly anticipated rematch of the 4 Nations final was high-stakes hockey that forced you to shake and scream and feel your heart pound with every change of possession. It rocked so hard that I can't even summon the strength to be upset about an undeserved Canada loss. The Hughes OT winner just evens them out after Sidney Crosby's extra-time heroics back in 2010, anyway.
The game, unsurprisingly, was a demolition derby to start, with tons of opportunities for both sides of this rivalry to show off how strong and tough they are on a slightly undersized Italian rink. The U.S. didn't even get a shot off in the first six minutes, but Minnesota Wild youngster Matt Boldy made the first one count with a sick goal that saw him push the puck past two elite defensemen and then outskate them for a point-blank chance. Better than the highlight video, in truth, is this photo that shows how hard he had to work to keep Devon Toews from snuffing out the opportunity before it even began.
Cale Makar evened up the score late in the second period, but more important were all the attempts that Canada could not convert. Winnipeg Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck, who's struggled to perform to his own high standards in the NHL playoffs, played a star role for the Americans while his skaters tried to play catch-up, with Canada fulfilling the ideal of their all-star squad in every area but on the scoreboard. Connor McDavid's breakaway couldn't get the puck across the line, and neither could Macklin Celebrini's. A five-on-three power play yielded nothing. Nathan MacKinnon didn't find the net off a wide-open feed. And best of all for the U.S., Hellebuyck made a ridiculously blessed save on what looked to be a tap-in for Toews.
Canada's bad luck and the U.S.'s resilience led them to overtime, which both countries had used to their advantage in games prior. Some folks didn't like that three-on-three would decide a gold medal, because it makes the winner feel random. But that kind of ignores how every single NHL playoff overtime ends with the stupidest deflection you've ever seen in your life. The reduced-men format all but guaranteed the fourth period would be a sprint to the finish line, and that's how it went. McDavid charged forward and came up empty, then Hughes made an awesome hustle play to push the puck back up ice for the Americans. Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Zach Werenski fought for possession in the attacking zone, and once he gained it on his stick he sent a pass across the slot to a streaking Hughes. With his shot, the New Jersey Devil did what so many Canadians did not: He finished. Then he got to show off a gap-toothed grin while his teammates (including his brother Quinn) rushed the ice.
In the return of NHL athletes to the Olympics for the first time since 2014, the tournament started a little slow, to the point that the phrase "NBA Cup" was rattling around in my head. But beginning in the quarterfinals, these contests took on an intensity that finally emphasized what an absurd amount of talent was on display. That it climaxed with a U.S.-Canada game that would have been memorably furious and terrifying even if it hadn't gone to OT makes it impossible to imagine going back to the underwhelming rosters of 2018 and 2022. This is what hockey looks like when it's played by a few dozen of the best and most motivated players in the world. Even among that rarefied group, once the smoke cleared and the teeth were swept away, Jack Hughes stood tall.
