Connor Hellebuyck stars in the gold medal game; three Jets leave the Olympics with a medal

The Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics came to an end today with the closing ceremony, concluding 16 fantastic days of winter sports at the highest level. Before the closing ceremony, Canada and the USA faced off in another classic gold medal match that will go down in hockey history. Of the four Jets at the Olympics, one was eliminated in the quarterfinals and the other three in the finals. Two of them didn’t end up playing in the big game, but the one who did played was the MVP of the game and led his team to a gold medal. Before we return to Jets hockey in three days, here’s your final update for the Jets at the Olympics.

Nino Niederreiter – Switzerland

Nino Niederreiter and Team Switzerland lost 3-2 to Finland in the quarter-finals after extra time. Switzerland led 2-0 at one point, the second goal coming from Niederreiter, his only point in his five games at these Olympics. Finland rallied late in the 3rd and won in overtime, leaving Switzerland in 5th place. Posting on X/Twitter after they were eliminated, Niederreiter thanked fans and said he was proud to represent Switzerland, and that scoring his first Olympic goal was a special moment for him.

Josh Morrissey – Canada

Josh Morrissey was ruled out of the Gold Medal match the night before the big match. Morrissey’s Olympics were cut short in Canada’s first match against the Czech Republic, when Morrissey left late in the first period with an undisclosed lower-body injury. Morrissey was never officially ruled out of the tournament after his injury, which is hopefully a good sign that he can play again for the Jets’ first game on Wednesday. Morrissey leaves the Olympics with a silver medal.

Kyle Connor – USA

Kyle Connor, like Morrissey, had an overall low-impact time at the Olympics. Connor played in Team USA’s first two round robin matches, but was listed as a “healthy scratch” for the remainder of their matches. Connor finished with 0 points, and with all of Team USA’s talent, there was simply no way for Connor to truly prove himself worthy of a spot on this balanced roster. Connor will still be happy in the end as he leaves the Olympics with a gold medal.

Connor Hellebuyck – USA

The star of the show for the Jets at the Olympics was Connor Hellebuyck. In the semi-final against Slovakia, Hellebuyck wasn’t too busy, but he still put in a strong performance with 22 saves on 24 shots. The gold medal match was Hellebuyck’s highlight at the Olympic Games and one of his best performances of his career. Hellebuyck made 41 saves on 42 shots, including several game-saving saves to keep USA in the game late. Jack Hughes won the match for Team USA in 3 on 3 overtime, with Hellebuyck recording a secondary assist on the goal to secure a 2–1 win for USA, their first gold medal since 1980.

After the competition was over and Hellebuyck was officially a gold medalist, further honors were awarded to him for his performance at the Olympic Games. Hellebuyck was named as the tournament’s best goaltender, and he was also named to the Olympic all-star team, as voted by the media. Quinn Hughes, who was voted best defenseman, simply said that “Hellebuyck was insane.” Hellebuyck finished with a perfect 5-0-0 record, an eye-popping 1.18 GAA and a sparkling .956 SV%.

With the Olympics now in the books, the remainder of the 2025-26 NHL season resumes on Wednesday. The Jets play the last-place Canucks in Vancouver on Wednesday, followed by a stop in Anaheim against the Ducks on Friday to round out their February schedule. Stay up to date on all the latest Jets news, including the upcoming trade deadline, right here at Jets Nation.

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