Winter Olympics men’s ice hockey final: USA beat Canada in overtime to end 46-year wait for gold – as it happened
Bryan Graham was in the arena in Milan on Sunday.You can read his full report below:So the USA will finish with 12 gold medals in Italy, two more than their previous best of 10 (Salt Lake 2002) and three more than their best away from home.Canada wraps up with five, just one more than their 21st century nadir four years ago in Beijing.And one of those five went to a team (men’s curling) that disturbed the genteel nature of its sport.The 21 total medals are also the lowest since 2002.
But the real winner of these Games was surely Italy.Just 20 years after showing an indifferent face and forgettable performance in Turin, Italy brought enthusiastic fans and dynamic athletes who claimed 30 medals, 10 of them gold.The only countries that won more were the USA and Norway – which, like the Netherlands, continued to prove the old adage that you should never bet against a country in a sport that they consider a mode of transportation.Thanks for following along with us.Enjoy the Closing Ceremony and pretend you don’t have to go back to work tomorrow without any curling and snowboarding to follow.
The handshake line is polite but maybe with fewer smiles than a typical Stanley Cup postgame.It’s just so tough for Canada to deal with this.Jack Hughes: “It’s all about our country right now.I love the USA.I love my teammates.
The USA Hockey brotherhood is so strong,…“Unbelievable game by Hellebuyck,He was our best player by far,”A touching tribute here to Johnny Gaudreau, a stalwart US player killed in an accident in 2024,They parade a No.
13 jersey with his name on it around the ice.This one is going to be very difficult for Canada to swallow.They could’ve been up 4-1 at the end of regulation.Hellebuyck was one reason why that didn’t happen.A couple of dubious calls didn’t help.
But they simply didn’t get it done, despite smothering the USA for nearly all of the second and third periods.The USA held on.And held on some more.And some more.And then Canada didn’t play smart hockey when overtime started, and the USA took advantage.
Teamwork bests 1-on-1 ability.USA pass forward and work it to Jack Hughes.It’s over.McDavid again flies solo.Again, nothing doing.
(That was QUINN Hughes, btw,There are two,)McDavid tries to win it all himself,Poked away,Hughes gets a chance the other way.
Binnington barely gets a glove to it!Here’s what we’re going to do …You know the score.It’s 1-1.The final score will be 2-1.It’s just a question of who scores first.The time is only relevant in the sense that there’s an 18-minute break between each period for resurfacing the ice.
Here we go …Tiebreaking procedure: The Olympics no longer have a shootout in a gold medal game.They’ll play 20 minutes of sudden-death (“golden goal” in more positively framed parlance) overtime.Then another.Then another.You don’t have anywhere to be, do you? The US offense hasn’t been generating chances, and Hellebuyck looks like he could deflect blaster shots like a Jedi in Star Wars.
Email from Sven Dobbelaere: “Greetings from a European who, well honestly watches one ice hockey game in probably 10 years :) It’s gripping stuff, I’d honestly award the American goalie a gold medal for the saves alone!”He’ll probably be getting some awards no matter the outcome here.Replay shows a Canadian player appealing for a four-minute power play against the USA by pointing to a newly broken tooth.It’s tempting to say this sport was invented by dentists.For the record, NBC’s Mike Tirico also made the comparison between Hellebuyck’s save and Holtby’s.It’s not just the thoughts of a crazed Washington Capitals fan.
Replay shows details of a scramble in which the puck was flipped over Hellebuyck, but McAvoy had placed himself in the net to make the unofficial save.Several qualities and people are responsible for keeping the USA in this game long enough to go to overtime …A stunning miss by Nathan MacKinnon.Connor Hellebuyck’s perfectly played angles and one spectacular save, reaching back with his stick to deny Toews.Luck.Bad officiating.
Scrappy defense.Luck.Hellebuyck.Since the shot that pinged off the iron near the end of the second period, the US offense has been dormant.It doesn’t matter now.
We’ll go to sudden-death OT, with each team having three skaters.Canada keep up the pressure.But they lose control with five seconds left.Are you ready for overtime?Power play over, 48 seconds in regulation …Canada 1-1 USA, 1:03 left, 3rd period: Hellebuyck again comes up big and knocks the puck away.Canada’s power play has generated several shots from five feet away, but they can’t place one past the US goalie.
Canada 1-1 USA, 2:10 left, 3rd period: The 4-on-4 is over,Canada on the attack,Canada 1-1 USA, 2:51 left, 3rd period: 4-on-4 for 49 seconds, and if no one scores there, it’ll be a 1:11 Canadian power play,It should be 3:11,Canada 1-1 USA, 3:23 left, 3rd period: It was Jack Hughes with the high stick.
Canada played keepaway for vital seconds, killing the power play while the USA couldn’t touch the puck.It’ll be 4-on-4 for 49 seconds.Surely this is a four-minute double major, right? No? This is absurd.A TRIP! We’ll have a delayed penalty.Canada pull the goalie.
Canada clear and get a line change.1:35 left.Cleared.BIG SAVE BINNINGTON.In fairness, straight at his chest.
1:45Canada take it up the ice short-handed.Not a serious scoring threat, but it kills time.2:15 leftSHOT! SAVE! Rebound, cleared.2:42 left in the power play.US in the zone but not able to create a chance yet.
3:00Will update with time checks on the power play,No US action yet, 3:20 left,That’s … fortunate,Bennett was turning around from the boards with his stick up and didn’t notice Hughes,They call it a double minor.
Four minutes.Only 6:34 left, and the USA will spend a lot of that on the power play.Delayed penalty coming up for the USA.They maintain possession.Let’s see a replay.
The USA shoot from beyond the blue line.That’s their 22nd shot.Canada have 39.Canada 1-1 USA, 7:34 left, 3rd period: So which was the bigger miss – McKinnon hitting the side of the net or the officials not noticing a US player playing the puck as he was leaving, which gave the USA seven players in action.Canada 1-1 USA, 7:40 left, 3rd period: Have the USA weathered the storm? Binnington is under pressure now.
But now a terrible miss by the officiating crew! Too many men on the ice.That was blatant.Can officials from other countries count? Maybe give THEM the assignment from now on.Then a scramble in front of the US net! Every Canadian player takes a whack at it.Wayne Gretzky probably came out and shot at some point.
Canada 1-1 USA, 9:15 left, 3rd period: Score and time updateBEST CHANCE FOR THE USA so far.Binnington sprawls for the stop.WHAT A MISS BY MCKINNON!The Canadian star has the net at his mercy from an acute angle and hits the side of the net.Canada 1-1 USA, 11:00 left, 3rd period: Remember back in the first period, when the USA were quicker to every loose puck? Not any more.Canada 1-1 USA, 12:15 left, 3rd period: The shot count is 36-17.
How much longer can Hellebuyck keep it level?Canada 1-1 USA, 13:01 left, 3rd period: Makar ties up one of the Tkachuks.Tom Wilson wins possession to keep the puck in the USA zone.Canada whips in one shot.Then another.The USA are hanging on for dear life here
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