USA beats Canada for the men’s Olympic Hockey Gold Medal, cementing their status as the greatest sporting nation in the world

Jack Hughes scored the gold medal winning goal for the United States in overtime to dethrone the mighty Canadians. It was the US’ first men’s olympic hockey gold medal since 1980, and the US’ first best on best hockey tournament victory since the 1996 World Cup of Hockey.

Canada dominated for large stretches of the game, but US goalkeeper Connor Hellebuyck made a plethora of incredible saves to keep the Americans in the game, including a move to stop a Canadian from tapping in the pick right in the crease.

American players talked a big game in the months leading up to the tournament, often repeating a mantra of “gold or bust” — and backed that up with a win over their biggest rivals. It was a clean sweep for USA Hockey as the women also defeated Canada 2-1 in overtime for the gold medal on Thursday.

Jack Hughes may have lost some teeth along the way, but his hockey smile is even bigger with a gold medal around his neck. Hughes’ goal, less than two minutes into overtime, was assisted by Zach Werenski, who wrestled the puck away from Canada’s Nathan MacKinnon and sent a cross-ice feed to an open Hughes.

After Hughes’ winning goal, the gloves went flying. “I can’t wait to see the footage of what happened after we scored, because it was a complete blackout,” defenseman Charlie McAvoy said. “Who I was hugging, where I was going … I don’t know what happened. It was just euphoria. I can’t even explain what I was feeling, just pure joy.”

Hellebuyck had several signature moments, the biggest coming in the third period, when he used his paddle to stop Devon Toews from tucking a rebound into a gaping net. He also stuffed Connor McDavidon a breakaway halfway through the second period.

“It’s going to go down as one of the best performances of all time — it has to,” Matthew Tkachuk said of Hellebuyck. “Right up there with Jimmy Craig [in 1980], all the great United States goaltenders. In the NHL, whatever type of hockey, whatever goaltending performance you want to talk about, that’s right up there.”

It should be remembered that the US is better than Canada in every sport besides hockey, and that while hockey borders on a national religion in Canada, it is still only the 5th most popular sport in the US.

It seems that foreign nations can only beat the US in sports that they care much more about than the US, and the US still can get wins in big moments against them. It is a clear display of the breadth of American sporting prowess.

It was never in doubt before, but this US gold medal win, not just in the men’s hockey tournament, but in the women’c hockey tournament as well, should put to rest any question about whether the US is the greatest sporting nation in the world; it is, and by quite a large distance.