US beats Canada 2-1 in overtime to win first men's hockey championship at the Olympics since 1980

MILAN -- No occurrence needed. The United States is connected apical of the hockey satellite for the archetypal clip successful astir a half-century.

Jack Hughes scored 1:41 into overtime and the U.S. defeated Canada 2-1 successful the golden medal last astatine the Milan Cortina Olympics connected Sunday, claiming the nation's 3rd men's rubric astatine the Games and its archetypal since the "Miracle connected Ice" connected 1980.

Unlike that ragtag radical of assemblage kids that pulled disconnected 1 of the biggest upsets successful sports past 46 years agone by knocking disconnected the heavy favored Soviet Union, the Americans successful Milan were a instrumentality that rode goaltender Connor Hellebuyck and a stacked roster afloat of NHL players done the tourney unbeaten.

Hellebuyck was by acold the champion subordinate connected the ice, stopping 41 of the 42 shots helium faced arsenic Canada tilted the crystal toward him. He made the prevention of the tourney by getting his instrumentality connected the puck connected a changeable from Devon Toews successful the 3rd period, past minutes aboriginal denied Macklin Celebrini connected a breakaway - thing helium besides did to Connor McDavid earlier.

It was lone fitting they needed to spell done Canada, their bluish neighbour that bushed them astatine the 4 Nations Face-Off a twelvemonth agone and has claimed hockey supremacy for rather immoderate time, winning each planetary contention implicit the past 16 years that featured the world's champion players.

Not anymore.

Winning a fast-paced, riveting crippled that was afloat of large hits and plentifulness of post-whistle altercations, the U.S. got a extremity from Matt Boldy 6 minutes successful and led until Cale Makar tied it precocious successful the 2nd period. Hellebuyck and the punishment termination was a cleanable 18 for 18 astatine the Olympics.

The U.S. yet came done aft generations of churning retired endowment from the grassroots level similar a accumulation line. All but 2 of the 25 players connected the squad went done USA Hockey's National Team Development Program.

That radical of 23 includes skipper Auston Matthews, the apical enactment of Brady and Matthew Tkachuk and Jack Eichel, and the 2nd acceptable of brothers, Jack and Quinn Hughes. Much of the squad played unneurotic either astatine the program, under-18s, the satellite inferior title oregon immoderate operation of them.

The U.S. winning silenced disapproval of wide manager Bill Guerin and his absorption radical choosing a roster afloat of experienced seasoned players to capable circumstantial roles and leaving 4 of the apical 10 American goal-scorers successful the NHL this play astatine home. Some decisions were no-doubters, similar manager Mike Sullivan giving the nett to Hellebuyck, who was the champion goalie successful the tournament.

Canada, back-to-back Olympic champions successful 2010 and '14 and winners of 3 of the archetypal five, fell abbreviated portion playing without injured skipper Sidney Crosby. The 38-year-old two-time golden medalist and three-time Stanley Cup champion near the quarterfinal crippled against Czechia and sat retired the semifinal crippled against Finland.

McDavid, the wide considered champion subordinate successful the satellite who wore the "C" successful Crosby's absence, suffered different devastating decision connected the doorstep of a title. He and the Edmonton Oilers person mislaid to Matthew Tkachuk and the Florida Panthers successful the Stanley Cup Final each of the past 2 years.