In a cynical world, there is no such thing as magic or destiny or fate. In sports, though? We’re reminded time and time again that there are things that cannot be explained, there are moments that exist that defy probabilities there are people who rise in ways we never thought possible. 

On a sheet of ice in Milan, Italy, 46 years removed from a miracle, we saw what makes hockey the adrenaline-fueled, mystifying, magical and beautiful game it is.

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What happened in the gold-medal game between Team USA and Team Canada was not a miracle, but there were moments where it felt like destiny took over.

The stats would suggest Canada wins that game nine times out of ten. The opportunities that existed – Devon Toews with only Connor Hellebuyck’s stick between him and the go-ahead goal; Nathan MacKinnon shanking a wide-open net; Team USA killing a 5-on-3 power play in the second period. 

On all of those chances, the puck didn’t find its way past Hellebuyck, setting the table for one of the most thrilling sequences in USA Hockey history that ended with the puck on Jack Hughes’s stick in space and a perfectly-placed shot into the Canadian net.

Sixteen years after Sidney Crosby saved Canada on home ice and broke America’s heart, Hughes – who was eight years old in 2010 –  lifted his country with an unforgettable golden goal.

Despite all the talk of no longer needing miracles to win, as the game progressed, it felt like it was going to take something close to slow the relentless Canadian attack led by the likes of Connor McDavid, MacKinnon, Macklin Celebrini, Cale Makar and the cast of all-stars. 

There was a stretch of the third period where USA was being out-shot 7-1. It turns out, you may not need a miracle if Connor Hellebuyck is your goalie.

The U.S. has always had to rely heavily on goaltending to win on the biggest stages. Jack McCartan in 1960, Jim Craig in 1980, Mike Richter in the World Cup of Hockey in 1996 and in 2026, it was Connor Hellebuyck.

Famously passed over by his high school team in Michigan, cut from various junior tryouts before catching on with the NAHL’s Odessa Jackolopes, he has become one of the NHL’s very best goalies with Vezina Trophies and a Hart Trophy in his cabinet, but he was always looked to as a guy who couldn’t win on the biggest stages.

That talk was there during the 4 Nations Face Off and it was a narrative coming into the tournament as he had a statistically poor season with Winnipeg. 

He stopped 41 shots in the game, including one that will go down as the greatest save in USA Hockey history, when he got his paddle down to rob Devon Toews from point-blank range.

He finished the tournament with a .956 save percentage, best ever by an American on the Olympic stage. He was named the goalie of the tournament and a tournament all-star.

You also may not need a miracle if you have a perfect penalty kill. A lot of hand-wringing over Team USA’s roster decisions centered around Vincent Trocheck and J.T. Miller, who were viewed as maybe home-cooking players for Mike Sullivan as New York Rangers coach. They were there, however, to kill penalties.

USA was shorthanded 17 times during the tournament including twice during the gold-medal game – once where they were down five-on-three for 1:33. They did not allow one power-play goal during the Olympics.

When you have big moments like this, moments that feel so historic, it's easy to forget what led to this. USA's gold medal was not built in a day, over two weeks or a year. This U.S. hockey victory, which along with the women’s team made for the first-ever Olympic ice hockey sweep for the country, was built over decades.

When the Miracle on Ice happened in 1980, a groundswell of hockey interest swept the nation. That provided the next wave of players like Chris Chelios, Keith Tkachuk, Mike Modano and that generation of players which fueled the World Cup of Hockey win in 1996.

Hockey has only soared in the U.S. since then. With more players, more rinks and more opportunity, this was a long time coming.

The U.S. had not won a World Junior Championship until 2004. They have now won six in the last 16 years including back-to-back for the first time in 2024 and 2025. 

The U.S. women lost the first eight Women’s World Championships, but then struck gold in 1998, sparking a women’s hockey revolution. They didn’t win Olympic gold again until 2018, but have won seven of the last 10 gold medals at Women’s Worlds and now two of the last three Olympic golds.

WHAT A GAME! WHAT A MOMENT!

For the first time since 1980, Team USA is GOLDEN! 🥇🇺🇸#MilanCortina2026 #TeamUSA #hockey pic.twitter.com/BpHlVdAenr

— FloHockey (@FloHockey) February 22, 2026

The American men had not won a gold at the IIHF World Championship since 1932 until last spring when Tage Thompson probably wrote his name on this Olympic team in ink by scoring the OT winner, ending a drought that seemed endless.

The signs were all there that this was coming. But it wasn't easy and there are a lot of people who had a hand in this victory that are no longer here to enjoy it.

The U.S. players had the late Johnny Gaudreau's jersey hanging in their locker room. He would have been part of this team, almost surely. He was part of this team in the end. The players brought Johnny's kids to the ice to celebrate this gold with them. 

Many of these players came up through USA Hockey when Jim Johannson was running their national teams. Many feel they owe him a debt of gratitude for his leadership and trust in them as younger players on World Junior teams and at the National Team Development program. A two-time Olympian himself, he never finished with a gold. He passed away in 2018 just after picking the non-NHL Olympic team for that year. Olympic gold was always his dream.

I still don't think it was a miracle, but I'm -- and my guess is Team USA top to bottom -- would be willing to admit that they may have had a little help.

After all the blood, sweat and big tears shed, the United States is golden once again.

Inside One Of The Coldest Hockey Games Ever

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