Canada rues missed chances after falling to U.S. in Olympic men’s hockey final

Jack Hughes, with a mouth full of broken teeth after taking a high stick late in the third period, scored at 1:41 of 3-on-3 overtime, and an outstanding Connor Hellebuyck made 41 saves as the United States defeated its northern neighbour 2-1 in a stunning final Sunday.

Canadian head coach Jon Cooper, who was also behind the bench for his country’s victory over the Americans in last year’s 4 Nations Face-Off, wasn’t interested in zeroing in on the misses from a gutted group that fell just short.

“Bled red and white for three periods plus,” he said. “I couldn’t be more proud of the group. They did everything we asked of them, and more.”

MacKinnon rued a botched attempt with Hellebuyck at his mercy midway through the third period and the score tied 1-1.

“Pretty sad, disappointed,” he said. “Just couldn’t finish. We didn’t have that touch … just didn’t have that finishing. Felt that we generated so many looks. It felt like it wasn’t really meant to be.”

Matt Boldy had the other goal for the Americans to tie a bow on the NHL’s return to the world stage following a 12-year absence.

“The Canadians played a hell of a game and somehow the puck stayed out,” said U.S. forward Dylan Larkin. “The fact there’s multiple times that puck didn’t go in for them, Connor Hellebuyck was unbelievable in the game — the biggest of them all.

“We got the one that counted.”

Cale Makar replied for the Canadians, who got 26 stops from Jordan Binnington.

Hughes scored the winner in the extra period after Connor McDavid, who was named tournament MVP with a record 13 points at an NHL-featured Olympics, was thwarted on a rush. Cale Makar then missed the puck on a pinch in the offensive zone, leaving MacKinnon back to defend an odd-man break.

U.S. defenceman Zach Werenski found Hughes, who changed the angle before beating Binnington along the ice through the five-hole.

“Every single person in that game can be proud,” said Hughes, who, along with his teammates, had a FaceTime call with U.S. President Donald Trump. “Just a great game between U.S.A. and Canada.”

Hughes won it in the extra period after his brother — Quinn Hughes — was denied on a huge stop from Binnington.

American captain Auston Matthews described the moment the puck hit the back of the net in OT.

“Gonna stick with me for a very long time,” he said. “We just had a blast for two weeks. To come out with a gold medal, it’s an incredible feeling.”

Canada’s NHL stars claimed Olympic glory with victories over the U.S. in 2002 and 2010 before repeating against Sweden in 2014, but came up short in Milan.

The 2026 Games marked the first time since 1998 that the Canadians didn’t claim at least one gold medal from either their men’s or women’s team. The U.S. beat Canada by the same OT scoreline in the women’s final.

Canada’s 15-game winning streak with NHL players dating back to 2010 was also snapped.

Canadian captain Sidney Crosby was scratched for a second straight game with a lower-body injury after missing Friday’s semifinal win over Finland. McDavid wore the ‘C’ in his place.

“It’s pretty clear, given the situation, whether you can either play or not play,” said the 38-year-old Crosby. “Just didn’t feel like I was able to.”

Celebrini said the team was gutted for its inspirational leader.

“He’s been everything for this country, all of us,” said the 19-year-old, who finished with a tournament-high five goals to go along with five assists to finish second in scoring behind McDavid. “Role model to all of us … we wanted to get that for him and make him proud.”

Josh Morrissey also sat out for a fifth straight game after the puck-moving defenceman was hurt in Canada’s opener last week.

The red-clad, pro-Canadian crowd was in full voice across Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena — a facility completed just before the Games, located southeast of Milan’s city centre — ahead of puck drop. Dozens of red Maple Leafs were unfurled throughout the 11,600-seat venue, while the Stars and Stripes was peppered throughout the venue.

The NHL went to five Games between 1998 and 2014 before skipping the 2018 event for financial reasons. Concerns over COVID-19 scuttled plans for a 2022 comeback.

Canadian winger Tom Wilson delivered a thunderous hit on Larkin behind the American net in the first period to send the forward flying into the end boards as duelling chants of “Let’s Go Canada!” and “U-S-A! U-S-A!” rang around the incandescent rink.

The U.S. opened the scoring six minutes into the opening period when Boldy chipped the puck past Makar and Toews, and went against the grain on Binnington to slide home his team’s first shot on target.

The Canadians had a big push to start the second period, but couldn’t find a way through Hellebuyck.

McDavid moved in on his breakaway as fans on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean held their collective breath, only to be denied when he ran out of real estate.

Canada got that 5-on-3 power play for 1:33 later in the period, but was again unable to solve the American netminder.

Cooper put his lines in a blender before the Canadians finally equalized. The puck went from Toews to the fleet-skated Makar after an offensive zone faceoff, and he snapped a shot past Hellebuyck’s blocker to send his country’s fans into a frenzy at 18:16.

The U.S. nearly went back ahead in the dying seconds when Jake Guentzel’s tip struck Binnington’s post.

Toews had an excellent chance to push Canada ahead early in the third. Hellebuyck made his desperation save with his stick on the goal line and denied Celebrini on a break at the end of a shift.

“It’s probably the biggest moment to make a stick save,” Hellebuyck said of the Toews sequence. “When I’m rolling back and puck’s not in the net, it’s just an overwhelming feel of: ‘I got this.’”

MacKinnon then had his wide-open net midway through the period, but saw the shot hit the side of the goal.

The U.S. went to the power play with 6:34 to go in regulation when Sam Bennett was assessed a double-minor for high-sticking on Hughes in the teeth.

Binnington and Canada’s penalty kill stood its ground, and Hughes was whistled for a high-sticking minor of his own with 49 seconds remaining in Bennett’s infraction, but the U.S. killers did the job to force OT despite some more terrific Canadian looks.

The Americans’ last gold medal came at the 1980 Games as part of the “Miracle on Ice” — exactly 46 years to the day of the 2026 final — when an underdog team of college players defeated the Soviet Union on the way to an improbable podium win.

The Canadians topped their neighbours to the south 2-1 in dramatic fashion on a McDavid OT goal in the politically-charged 4 Nations Face-Off some 12 months ago — an Olympic appetizer accented by Trump’s continued rhetoric that his country’s close ally and trading partner should become the 51st state.

“Some days it’s not meant to be,” Cooper said of Canada. “Unfortunately, it wasn’t meant to be today, but it wasn’t because this team stubbed their toe.

“They were exceptional.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 22, 2026.

Joshua Clipperton, The Canadian Press

by The Canadian Press

Canada rues missed chances after falling to U.S. in Olympic men’s hockey final

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