In a thrilling conclusion to the men's ice hockey tournament at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, Jewish-American forward Jack Hughes scored the game-winning goal in overtime, securing a 2-1 victory for Team USA over arch-rival Canada and claiming the nation's first men's hockey gold medal since the iconic "Miracle on Ice" in 1980.
Hughes, the 24-year-old New Jersey Devils star who had a bar mitzvah and grew up celebrating Passover with his Jewish mother Ellen Weinberg-Hughes, fired a wrist shot past Canadian goaltender Jordan Binnington just 1:41 into the 3-on-3 overtime period.
The decisive play came after defenseman Zach Werenski stripped the puck from Nathan MacKinnon in the right face-off circle and fed it across to Hughes, who beat Binnington with a quick release.
The game, played at Santaguilia Arena, was a defensive battle marked by intense physicality and stellar goaltending. Team USA took an early lead when Matt Boldy scored six minutes into the first period, but Canada tied it late in the second with a goal from Cale Makar.
American goaltender Connor Hellebuyck was instrumental in the win, stopping 41 of 42 shots, including a perfect 18-for-18 on the penalty kill throughout the tournament.
