The 2026 Winter Olympics have concluded, and the United States of America came out with a total of 12 gold medals. This is the most gold medals the US has ever received in a winter Olympic Games, and two of those were awarded to the USA hockey teams.
The hockey teams fought hard throughout the two-week-long competitions, resulting in a final gold medal game against Team Canada. The gold medal games were played on February 19 for the women and February 22 for the men. Both games had exceptional plays by members of both teams, resulting in a game score of 1-1 by the end of the third period. The resulting overtimes gave Keller and Hughes the chance to win it all for their country, with both of them taking the chance to score the gold medal-winning goals.
Keller’s goal came at minute 4:07 in the overtime period. After an assist from Taylor Heise, Keller cut backhand to get past Canadian defender Claire Thompson. The defense-man’s goal was scored with a shot that sailed through the pads of Canadian goalie Ann-Renée Desbiens.
Hughes’ goal occurred in a similar manner. Scored at minute 1:41 in overtime, and assisted by Zach Werenski, his shot also went through below the pads of his opposing goalie, Jordan Binnington.
Both athletes gave their team something to celebrate by being the ones to fulfill the dream and goals they had worked so hard for. The USA women’s hockey team last won a gold medal during the 2018 Olympics. That game resulted in a 3-2 win over Team Canada. Since then, the women earned a silver medal in the 2022 Olympics, when Team Canada flipped that score around to take home the gold. The men’s team has not had as recent a success as the women. Their last gold was won in the famous “Miracle On Ice” game in 1980. Since then, their best result was in 2010 when they earned a silver medal. During the Four Nations Face Off tournament in February 2025, the US lost out to team Canada with an overtime goal scored by Connor McDavid, who ended up receiving the MVP title in the Olympic Games. The Four Nations tournament was an interesting look into how the Olympics would go, because both the US and Canada had almost identical rosters that would then go on to play at the Olympics. This was the first time NHL members had played in a large best-on-best tournament in almost 10 years.
The lack of wins in recent years makes the Olympic win even more special for the men’s team. The Milan-Cortina Games signify the first time the men’s team has won in 46 years, as well as the first time they have won on non-home soil. It also signifies the first time NHL players have been allowed to play in the Olympics since the 2012 games, increasing the difficulty of play and talent levels of all the athletes involved. The US team in 2026 became the fifth team comprised entirely of NHL members in history to earn a gold medal at an Olympic Games. The women’s team was made up of a combination of college athletes and PWHL athletes, and helped to make history by giving the US the opportunity to have both ice hockey teams win the gold medal at the same Games for the first time.
While Keller and Hughes were the athletes to finish the job, there were many other athletes who were needed to guarantee the success of USA hockey this year. Some of the most important players throughout the games were Hilary Knight, Caroline Harvey, Laila Edwards, Connor Hellebuyck, Quinn Hughes, and more. Each of these athletes added an extra layer of excitement due to their skill on the ice.
The lead-up to the gold medal games was not any less exciting or important. The US teams played their way through the other competing countries’ teams in preliminary games and playoff games, before playing in the quarter and semi-finals. After the preliminary games, the ranking of teams based on position, points, goal differentials, and International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) world rankings was as follows:
Men’s: Canada, US, Slovakia, Finland, Switzerland, Germany, Sweden, Czechia, Denmark, Latvia, France, Italy.
Women’s: US, Canada, Czechia, Finland, Switzerland, Sweden, Germany, Italy.
During the semi-final games, the US women’s team beat Sweden 5-0. The men beat Slovakia 6-2. This led to a bronze medal game between Slovakia and Finland for men, with Finland winning 6-1 and earning their medal. The bronze medal for women’s hockey was awarded to Switzerland after an overtime goal over Sweden ended the game 2-1.
After the conclusion of the gold medal games, the US teams were shown celebrating on the ice with hugs, throwing their equipment into the air, and skating and jumping around the ice. While Keller and Hughes were in the center of these celebrations, there was another important piece that was noticed after the men’s game. During their celebration, fans spotted a jersey sporting the name “Gaudreau” being held by multiple of the US players. This played a big part in the team’s celebration, in honor of Johnny Gaudreau, a hockey player for the Columbus Blue Jackets, who died in August 2024.
Since the games ended, Hughes, Keller, and many other Team USA players have made appearances on various talk shows, social media accounts, news outlets, and more. The shared sentiment among all of the players who have talked is that they are proud to have represented America, and credit their wins to the entire team.
The “golden-goals” scored by Keller and Hughes will go down in American hockey history due to their importance in achieving the goal of every Team USA player, and their significance in the games that brought home the gold medal for America in 2026.
