Team USA defeated Canada in overtime to win the men's ice hockey gold medal game at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics on February 22, 2026, at Santa Giulia Arena in Milan, Italy. The victory marked the United States' first Olympic gold in men's ice hockey since the 1980 Lake Placid Games.^[1][2]

Winnipeg Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck, the 2024 Vezina Trophy winner as the NHL's top goaltender, recorded 41 saves to hold Canada scoreless after Cale Makar's second-period goal tied the score at 1-1.^[3] New Jersey Devils forward Jack Hughes scored the overtime winner past St. Louis Blues netminder Jordan Binnington.

A key moment came in the second period when Hellebuyck deflected a point-blank shot from Colorado Avalanche defenseman Devon Toews with his stick paddle while the score was tied. Canada captain Nathan MacKinnon of the Avalanche also missed a wide-open net in the third period.

Pete Hegseth, Fox News contributor and President-elect Donald Trump's nominee for U.S. Secretary of Defense, endorsed a social media post dubbing Hellebuyck the "Secretary of Defense."^[4][5] Hegseth commented: "Now we have a Secretary of War…and a Secretary of Defense!"

Hellebuyck celebrated on the ice draped in an American flag after the win.

Sources

1. Olympics.com, "Milano Cortina 2026 Schedule - Ice Hockey", accessed December 2024, https://olympics.com/en/milano-cortina-2026/schedule/ice-hockey
2. Olympics.com, "Lake Placid 1980 Ice Hockey Results", accessed December 2024, https://olympics.com/en/olympic-games/lake-placid-1980/results/ice-hockey
3. NHL.com, "Connor Hellebuyck Player Profile", accessed December 2024, https://www.nhl.com/jets/player/connor-hellebuyck-8475794
4. Fox News, "Pete Hegseth Bio", accessed December 2024, https://www.foxnews.com/person/h/pete-hegseth
5. Reuters, "Trump picks Fox News' Pete Hegseth to be Pentagon chief, sources say", November 13, 2024, https://www.reuters.com/world/us/trump-picks-fox-news-pete-hegseth-head-pentagon-sources-say-2024-11-13/