The Canadians threw puck after puck at American goaltender Connor Hellebuyck. Forty-two shots, and plenty of those were good looks.
There was the puck that came off Devon Toews’s stick and skirted behind Hellebuyck before he made an incredible stick save.
Nineteen-year-old Macklin Celebrini, who found so much magic in this Olympic tournament, was stopped in alone.
Sometimes, it was just bad luck. With an empty cage, Nathan MacKinnon rang one off the side of the goal post.
But most of the time, it was Hellebuyck saving the day, stopping all but one shot that came his way.
That gave the Americans a chance to make it to overtime, where Hughes won it. His shot beat Canadian goaltender Jordan Binnington and secured the first U.S. Olympic gold medal in men’s hockey since the “Miracle on Ice” team won in Lake Placid in 1980 — fittingly, on the 46th anniversary of that triumph.
Jack Hughes’ OT winner lifts U.S. over Canada to capture Olympic gold
The Canadians pushed hard all game, on their heels to come back from an early U.S. goal by Matt Boldy.
They tried, and tried, and tried, but didn’t pull even until a goal from Canadian defenceman Cale Makar from the circle finally beat Hellebuyck in the final two minutes of the second period.
And then they tried, and tried again, but couldn’t get another past the American goalie.
“They probably outplayed us a little bit tonight,” Hughes said. “Our goalie stood on his head though, and then overtime we both have skilled players, so anything can happen.”
Connor Hellebuyck makes incredible paddle save to keep game tied
There were missed opportunities and stopped shots that will play in the minds of some of these Canadian players for the rest of their lives. That includes a five-on-three opportunity that the best power play in the tournament couldn’t exploit.
It wasn’t meant to be.
“I didn’t think we could better after the Finnish game and they proved me wrong,” Canadian head coach Jon Cooper said. “I thought it was a flawless performance by a group of players that [did] nothing but bled red and white for three periods-plus of hockey.”
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Sidelined with an injury, Sidney Crosby couldn’t be the overtime hero this time around. He watched the game from the training room, a situation that he admitted was more nerve-racking than playing for gold.
Both he and defenceman Drew Doughty were looking to win their third Olympic gold medal. Instead, they’ll add silver to their collection.
“We did everything but score,” Crosby, dressed in full gear to join his team for the medal ceremony, told CBC Olympics reporter Kyle Bukauskas. “In every facet, we were so good today. I thought we deserved better and unfortunately didn’t come away with the win.”
Sidney Crosby praises team for their effort, says it was tough decision to not play
The “gut-wrenching decision” to sit out the Olympic gold-medal final came down to Crosby himself, Canadian general manager Doug Armstrong said.
The captain, who was hurt in Canada’s quarterfinal win over Czechia, felt a healthy player would be more impactful in the lineup.
Crosby sustained a lower-body injury in last week’s quarterfinal win over Czechia. He had six points over the four games he played.
“It was obviously a drawn-out process in the sense that he skated, he went through his rehab, he met with the coach, he met with the doctors for probably 45 minutes, discussed the game plan and how he could be used and at the end of the day, he felt it was best for the team to give that opportunity to somebody else,” Armstrong said on the CBC Olympics broadcast.
In tight games against Czechia and Finland earlier in the tournament, Crosby was this team’s motivation.
“He’s a big part of this team on and off the ice,” Canadian forward Mitch Marner said about Crosby, who he idolized growing up. “He makes an instant impact every time he’s out there, makes some amazing plays every game. Definitely a big piece to miss, but I’m proud of how the guys stepped into roles and made bigger roles and contributed still.”
Connor McDavid, who wore the captain’s “C” in Crosby’s absence, led the tournament in scoring, with 13 points in six games. He was named MVP and best forward.
He was kept off the scoresheet in Sunday’s gold-medal final, logging two shots on goal.
U.S. delivers in OT as Canada’s men’s hockey team settles with silver
Like Crosby, McDavid is a difference-maker who can tilt the ice with his skating and skill.
Someday, the elder player will hand the reins of this team over to the younger player permanently.
“To be able to elevate to the level that he was at is unheard of,” Crosby said about McDavid. “It’s something that’s amazing to see up close. You feel for him just because he did so much and led in every possible way. We all want to win for each other, but especially for him.”
It’s the first Olympic gold medal in U.S. men’s hockey in Games with NHLers, and the third all-time.
For the first time, both the American men and women won Olympic hockey gold at the same Games.
This edition of the U.S. men’s hockey team might be the best yet, filled with stars developed through USA Hockey’s national team development program model. That gave many members of this team familiarity with each other.
As the Americans celebrated the goal from Hughes, they brought out the late Johnny Gaudreau’s U.S. jersey. His children joined the championship photo on the ice after.
Gaudreau would have been a big part of this team. His jersey hung in the locker room all tournament long, his family cheering on from the stands.
Wrapped in an American flag, captain Auston Matthews looked skyward as he was asked about Gaudreau. So many players on this team grew up playing with Gaudreau, and played for him over these couple of weeks.
“He’s here with us in spirit,” Matthews said.
