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.
Updated
USA win the gold medal in men's hockey
Teamwork bests 1-on-1 ability. USA pass forward and work it to Jack Hughes. It’s over.
Updated
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!
Start overtime: Canada 1-1 USA
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.
End regulation: Canada 1-1 USA
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. 1:45
Canada take it up the ice short-handed. Not a serious scoring threat, but it kills time. 2:15 left
SHOT! SAVE! Rebound, cleared. 2:42 left in the power play.
US in the zone but not able to create a chance yet. 3:00
Will 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 update
BEST CHANCE FOR THE USA so far. Binnington sprawls for the stop.
Updated
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.
Canada 1-1 USA, 13:31 left, 3rd period: Giveaway next to the USA goal, but Canada can’t find a good angle to shoot. The USA simply cannot string any passes together.
Canada 1-1 USA, 14:49 left, 3rd period: Hellebuyck makes his 34th save of the game and hangs on. This is turning into an instant classic.
BREAKAWAY FOR CELEBRINI after a sloppy play by the US attack. But Hellebuyck cuts down the angle, and the shot is untroubling.
Canada 1-1 USA, 16:38 left, 3rd period: Canada are dominating. The shot count is 31-17 now.
And yet … the longer this goes, the more likely the USA are to sneaking one in. They already hit both posts near the end of the second period.
Canada 1-1 USA, 17:56 left, 3rd period: HOW DID THAT NOT GO IN?!
Marner shoots. It deflects to Toews, who gets his stick behind Hellebuyck in the crease and shoots into what is briefly an empty net.
Too briefly. Hellebuyck stretches back and gets his stick on it.
Shades of Braden Holtby in the 2018 playoffs.
Updated
Canada 1-1 USA, 19:05 left, 3rd period: We start this period the way much of the second period proceeded – with icing calls against the USA.
Start third period …
Twenty minutes to gold. Or more.
About hockey fighting …
One of the most analyzed aspect of sports is the hockey “code,” unwritten rules that tell players when and how they can drop the gloves and engage.
In one sense, it’s charming. NHL rules harshly (and reasonably) punish anyone who tries to turn a 1-on-1 fight into a 2-on-1. No matter how mad one team may be at the other, there are lines not to be crossed. Many enforcers won’t pick fights with injured players. Dueling with someone significantly smaller is frowned upon. And there are countless stories of enforcers talking about who’s buying the beer and the pizza after the game.
And sometimes, fights serve no apparent purpose, as seen in this classic video of someone taking on legendary puncher Georges Laraque, with one of the funniest buildups ever caught on audio.
Fighters are often trying to just swing the momentum in a game. But the most vociferous defenders of the practice insist that it’s also a necessary self-policing safety valve. If players couldn’t drop the gloves to keep each other honest, they insist, players would instead resort to dirty play.
And yet the most meaningful games in the sport – Olympics, most Stanley Cup playoff games – proceed without punching. Also, few people ever dissect the actions that led to a fight. A tough hit on a star player? Forgetting to tip the bar staff the night before? No one ever knows. And The Code suggests that players should leave such matters on the ice.
What a shock THAT would’ve been!
Killing a 5-on-3 power play is normally a massive momentum boost for the penalty-killing team. But the USA’s advantage was brief. Canada piled on the pressure – pass after pass, shot after shot – while the US defensemen chased ghosts. Canada’s lead in the shot count is now 27-16.
And yet this game is still tied only by a couple of millimeters after that last US shot.
End 2nd period: Canada 1-1 USA
The USA get a chance that goes double-doink off two posts! Canada quite relieved there.
We’ll end the period with some argy-bargy near the US bench.
Canada 1-1 USA, 1:00 left, 2nd period: We’re hearing “ole, ole, ole, ole” in the stands. Nice change of pace.
Canada 1-1 USA, 1:33 left, 2nd period: Toews got the assist on that goal, so the two defensemen who were to blame for the USA goal have combined to even it up. They’ve had stellar games since then.
Updated
Goooaaalll! Canada 1-1 USA (Makar 38:16)
It’s no more than Canada deserve. They win the faceoff, flip it back to Makar, and he sends a laser through Hellebuyck’s arm and leg pads.
Updated
Canada 0-1 USA, 1:50 left, 2nd period: Icing on the USA. Rinse, repeat.
Is anything more stupidly entertaining than hockey fights?
Canada 0-1 USA, 2:30 left, 2nd period: Icing on the USA. Canada definitely in the ascendancy, now outshooting the USA 24-15.
The broadcasters focus on the stadium organist. As one should. The Capitals have fallen apart since parting ways with their organist.
Canada 0-1 USA, 3:08 left, 2nd period: A US player loses a stick. Canada try to capitalize. Makar shoots from relatively close range, Hellebuyck smothers, and we have shoves that turn into half-hearted punches for some reason.
Canada 0-1 USA, 4:35 left, 2nd period: Is this the inverse of the women’s final, where Canada got a goal and held on for much of the game?
Another good shot for Canada – now 22-15, and Hellebuyck is making a case for MVP honors in this final.
Canada 0-1 USA, 5:13 left, 2nd period: Now Canada create some chances, and Toews just misses as he rushes toward the post. McDavid, who has to be in the conversation if you’re talking about the best player in the world at the moment, also had a chance in that sequence.
Canada 0-1 USA, 6:05 left, 2nd period: Canada’s turn to be pinned back. They finally clear, but the USA bring it right back in. You can sense the momentum firmly behind the team that just killed a 5-on-3.
Canada 0-1 USA, 7:27 left, 2nd period: Tom Wilson chases after the puck to try to prevent an icing call, and he’s held off by the retreating US defense. Then he takes a skate to the head. Helmets are good.
Canada 0-1 USA, 7:57 left, 2nd period: Canadian shot deflected high. We’re back at full strength on each side. That’s a glaring missed opportunity. Teams don’t often get 90 seconds of 5-on-3.
Updated
Canada 0-1 USA, 8:09 left, 2nd period: Canada win the faceoff. They have a player open at the doorstep, but they can’t connect.
5-on-3 over. Chants of USA. Then Canada commits an elementary error, getting called for icing on their own power play, which is almost over.
Celebrini with a shot that never had a chance. Now a better one, but Hellebuyck is equal to it.
Only 8 seconds left in the 5-on-3.
McKinnon whips a shot wide, and the USA clear. They’re able to change. Then they stop Canada from getting in to the zone.
Going for quick commentary during the 5-on-3.
USA win a faceoff and clear.
Canada 0-1 USA, 10:05 left, 2nd period: Canada 43.75% on the power play in this tournament. USA 100% penalty killing.
But now it’s going to be 5-on-3!! For a full 1:33. McAvoy with an ill-timed grab.
This is pivotal. If Canada can’t score here, the USA will be in their heads.
Canada 0-1 USA, 10:33 left, 2nd period: Sustained possession for the USA now …
But it’s a breakaway to McDavid! He’s in alone on Hellebuyck, but he’s stopped. He may have wanted a penalty on that one. Replay shows it was pretty close to penalty-shot territory.
NOW it’s a penalty on the next sequence, and Canada will have their first power play.
Canada 0-1 USA, 12:10 left, 2nd period: Replay from the big US shot a couple of minutes ago – Brock Nelson was the beneficiary of the Toews giveaway, and he may rue his placement on that opportunity.
Oh, surely that’s a penalty! No? How about the other end? No? OK, cool. The referees are getting a wonderful view of the game, at least.
Canada 0-1 USA, 12:46 left, 2nd period: Canada’s passes are crisp, and Hellebuyck once again has to be at his sharpest. Canada now up 13-10 in shots. The USA haven’t had any possession in the offensive zone in several minutes. But now the puck is loose, and Binnington has to smother.
Canada 0-1 USA, 13:54 left, 2nd period: It’s all Canada – until Toews gives it away! Huge stop by Binnington.
Canada 0-1 USA, 15:04 left, 2nd period: Hellebuyck is under intense pressure now. Long-range shots, short-range shots. His defense is scrambling to cope with the Canadian attack. Marchand with a big shot forces a good save.
Canada 0-1 USA, 16:24 left, 2nd period: Makar with some incisive passes, but his Canadian teammates can’t quite finish.
Canada 0-1 USA, 18:17 left, 2nd period: McDavid with a chance! It hits Hellebuyck and then trickles wide of the post.
Then a half-decent chance at the other end.
Updated
Canada 0-1 USA, 19:08 left, 2nd period: Why do players grow playoff beards but not Olympic beards? Just wondering.
Canada 0-1 USA, 19:34 left, 2nd period: We had some line shuffling for Canada. It’ll take me some time to sort it out, so just … trust me. The lines have changed.
First shot of the period to the USA, and they now lead 9-8 in shots.
Second-period faceoff …
Canada needs to dig out of a hole …
A quick peek at what this sport means in Canada, on Bluesky.
Bluesky also has a call to add a Spring and a Fall Olympics. I’m in. It’s going to be a long 28 months or so until the next Olympics. We’ve been spoiled by having four in less than five years post-pandemic.
Day 4: I’m getting really sick of the music they play on the broadcast feeds during breaks in the action.
Day 17: I’m going to miss this music.
Guardian correspondents are sharing some of their favorite moments of the Games on our multisport blog:
End 1st period: Canada 0-1 USA
Nervy moments after a bad giveaway in the Canadian zone.
The USA have nearly evened out the shot count. It’s 8-7 Canada.
Should be some soul-searching in the Canadian locker room. Too many defensive errors. Too slow and deliberate in the attack. Too willing to settle for shots from the blue line.
US defensemen have made their share of errors as well, but they’re generally winning the battles in their own end when it counts.
Canada 0-1 USA, 0:48 left, 1st period: Canada kill the power play, then get called for icing.
Credit to Toews for atoning for his earlier mistake with a strong defensive play in front of his net.
Canada 0-1 USA, 1:33 left, 1st period: Theodore is the unlucky Canadian whistled for hooking, though it’s far less than what Eichel did in exactly the same spot. Again, I’ll ask why this game is being officiated by a USA/Canada crew. Is this figure skating?
Canada 0-1 USA, 2:57 left, 1st period: It’ll be a USA power play. That’s a weaaaaak call.
Updated
Canada 0-1 USA, 4:00 left, 1st period: Acute-angled shot, and Binnington has to smother it. For the most part, the USA have opted for quality over quantity on their shots, but that’s a good change of pace to make the Canadian goalie think.
Canada 0-1 USA, 4:49 left, 1st period: Canada lay the puck back to Sanheim, and he rips it on frame. Hellebuyck snags it. The USA probably won’t mind if the defensemen have to take all of Canada’s shots.
I’m reminded that for some reason I find the US players’ habit of gnawing on their mouthguards during breaks in the action really off-putting. Maybe it’s because I need to get a cavity filled this week.
Canada 0-1 USA, 5:00 left, 1st period: Binnington has to make an awkward save as Canada’s defense again can’t cope with some pressure.
Canada just seems tighter. The USA are playing with gleeful abandon, and they’re winning every loose puck in their own zone.
Canada 0-1 USA, 6:50 left, 1st period: USA’s Eichel very lucky not get a hooking call.
Canada have outshot the USA 7-2. But the USA have had the better chances, even aside from the goal. Matthew Tkachuk sends one skittering across the front of the goal.
Canada 0-1 USA, 8:38 left, 1st period: Makar threads a shot from the blue line with some pace, but Hellebuyck hangs on. Good Canadian pressure here.
Updated
Canada 0-1 USA, 9:55 left, 1st period: Marchand, another villain to all opposing fans in the NHL but probably temporarily forgiven by Canadian fans for now, clumsily surrenders the puck twice. Celebrini, though, rips a shot that pops off Hellebuyck’s leg pad.
Officiating note: The referees are Gord Dwyer and Chris Rooney. They’re from the USA and Canada. File that under “things that wouldn’t happen in most sports.” Surely some European referees would be up to the challenge.
Canada 0-1 USA, 11:29 left, 1st period: The bulk of the crowd responds with “CAN-A-DA!” We need more creative cheers in the Olympics.
Now Binnington comes up big on a deflected shot. Nearly a second for Boldy.
Canada 0-1 USA, 12:00 left, 1st period: Watching the replay – how Toews managed to go through that play without interposing himself between Boldy and the puck is beyond me. Binnington just seemed shocked.
And now the “U-S-A” chants start.
Updated
Gooooaall! Canada 0-1 USA (Boldy 6:00)
Atrocious defense from Makar and Toews, as Boldy skates between them and flips the puck over their sticks, then beats Binnington one-on-one. A shocking lapse after a bright start. Credit to Boldy for the clever stickwork, though.
Updated
Canada 0-0 USA, 14:00 left, 1st period: Despite that opening 80 seconds of pinning the Canadians back in their own zone, the USA haven’t managed a shot on goal. That just changed …
Canada 0-0 USA, 14:36 left, 1st period: Tom Wilson of the 2018 Stanley Cup champion Washington Capitals sends a shot just wide, then follows up with a trademark hit on the USA’s Dylan Larkin.
(Yes, you can guess where I live.)
Canada 0-0 USA, 15:49 left, 1st period: Suzuki drops it back to Stone for another Canadian shot.
Pet peeve: When players congregate around a loose puck, that is not a “scrum.” Call it a ruck if you like. Or a maul.
Canada 0-0 USA, 16:40 left, 1st period: Good rush for McKinnon’s line for Canada. Another tic-tac-toe combination, and Hellebuyck has to hang on.
Canada 0-0 USA, 17:59 left, 1st period: Canada get the first official shot of the game, easily held by Hellebuyck.
Canada reclaim the puck and force a scramble in front of the net. Each team gets a few good shoves at each other. This is not the NHL, so players do not want to get in a fight.
Canada 0-0 USA, 18:40 left, 1st period: Good hit from McDavid, but the USA maintain possession and send a shot whistling past the net. Canada simply can’t get out of their own zone for more than a minute.
Faceoff
Away we go …
What else has happened at the Games today? And what were some of the highlights of the past two weeks and change? Check our multisport coverage:
Stadium countdown at 7 minutes. Plenty more time for more “Miracle”-themed programming.
This is, coincidentally, the 46th anniversary of the Miracle on Ice, and the US men have not won it since. In that time, they’ve reached the final twice, both times in North America, and lost both of them.
The US men have never won gold outside their home country. The famous win was, of course, in 1980. They also won in 1960.
NBC, meanwhile, has brought out 1980 men’s hockey legend Mike Eruzione to talk about what it means to play for the USA. He says this is the best US team ever assembled. He also notes “there’s not a TV set in Canada that isn’t tuned to this game,” and that’s probably not an outlandish statement.
The United States will be facing a hostile crowd at the Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena as they seek their third ever Olympic title in men’s hockey and first since the Miracle on Ice team of 1980. The Americans were greeted with a chorus of lusty boos when they took the ice in their white jerseys for their 20-minute warm-up ahead of today’s gold medal game. It already felt like there were more Canada shirts in the building and along the concourses of the brand-new 14,700-seat arena on Milan’s south-eastern edge. Now it sounds that way too.
It is arguably the hottest ticket of the Milano Cortina Olympics and that’s clear from the scenes outside the gates, where hordes of Canadian and American fans in hockey sweaters are pounding beers and roaring through songs and chants in glorious 53F (12C) sunshine.
And now it’s the saddest moment of every four years …
Olympic curling is over.
Anna Hasselborg goes back-to-back, and my fantasy team dominated.
What was your favorite moment of the Olympics?
Alysa Liu’s gold medal performance? Megan Oldham soaring to two medals? Snoop Dogg showing up at curling? Send in your favorites, and I’ll run through them during intermissions.
Preamble
So many USA-Canada showdowns in Italy this year. Women’s hockey gold to the USA. Women’s curling bronze to Canada.
Fitting that the Olympics will draw to a close with the two North American rivals facing off in the last event, the men’s hockey final. As in 1980, the hockey tournament has political undertones, but things are quite a bit different when each team has a gaggle of NHL players, not a Soviet Union team shrouded in mystery when it’s not dominating on the ice. And this time around, don’t expect any underdog-rallying speeches in the US locker room that will be commemorated on film.
Personal story: When Sidney Crosby scored the overtime winner for Canada on home ice in 2010, I was at high altitude browsing a gift shop in Whistler, where I had just ridden the breathtaking Peak-to-Peak gondola. I made sure the other patrons didn’t know I was from that other country.
Crosby will be missed in this final. But this is still the star-studded final hockey fans wanted to see. Enjoy.
Crosby ruled out for Canada
A big early blow for the Canadians. Their captain, Sidney Crosby, has been ruled out of today’s game. The 38-year-old has won two Olympics golds and three Stanley Cups, but did not play in his team’s semi-final win over Finland due to a knee injury. Canada coach Jan Cooper said on Saturday he would wait until the last minute before making a decision on Crosby’s participation.
“We will see. I watched him skate today and we will meet tonight,” said Cooper. “He won’t put himself in harm’s way, and he will not put the team in harm’s way.”
Updated
Beau will be here shortly. In the meantime, here’s what the players said ahead of today’s game:
The US and Canada are prepared for a stormy men’s ice hockey final on Sunday as the long-time rivals face off for Winter Olympic gold.
This year’s Olympics mark the first time NHL players have competed at the Winter Games since 2014, meaning many of the best players in the world will face each other on Sunday. While Canada are the betting favourites – and have won the most ice hockey golds in Olympic history – the US players say they have motivation to upset their northern neighbours.
“There’s hatred there,” USA’s Brady Tkachuk told ESPN on Saturday. “I mean, they’ve been the top dog. They’ve been the best for the last bunch of years, and for us, we want to be in that position, be the best. So it’s going to be a game where I think a lot of guys could say, this is the biggest game that they’ve ever played in.”
The rivalry between the teams has sharpened recently, particularly as political tensions have risen between Canada and the United States. At last year’s 4 Nations Face-Off tournament, Canadian fans booed the US anthem and there were a number of on-ice fights.
Canada’s Connor McDavid acknowledged there is extra spice when his team play the US.
“It is the game everybody wanted and hoped for, and it will be a great game,” he said. “It now comes down to one game between two teams. It is a hockey game, and we are excited about that. Team Canada playing Team USA in a hockey game – that is what it is.
You can read the full story here:
