It is Sunday, February 22, 2026, 6:40 AM CST. (My deepest condolences to the West Coasters in this story.) Your alarm goes off, you doubt everything, but you know what to expect. The USA Women have achieved the ultimate goal by already beating Canada in the hockey gold medal game, thanks to a heroic effort from team captain and GOAT, Hillary Knight, and one of the sweetest game-winning goals you’ll ever see in overtime off the stick of Megan Keller. You’re riding so high. Soaring with the bald eagles. You feel an indescribable sense of pride not only because USA Women’s reached the pinnacle of Olympic hockey, but you also witnessed a Texas-born player, Hannah Bilka, represent your home state on Olympic ice. Something that had never been done before in hockey.
An instant classic that will be played repeatedly in advertisements and hockey houses for the next four years.
You shake the sleep from your body and start breakfast; you have a classic spread. Biscuits, bacon, eggs and potato wedges are on deck today. You ditch the coffee and open a Rocky Mountain water, only to see that the mountains are bluer than ever this morning. A good sign.
Then you tune in. It’s the US versus Canada in the final event of the 2026 Winter Olympics, the men’s hockey final. This is it.
Put on your red, white and blue, make sure nothing is on fire in the kitchen, and lock yourself in. Sidney Crosby is gone. The American roster is full. Tage Thompson, who couldn’t finish the match against Slovakia, participates. This is the best of the best for the US, and everything is at stake. (I know Dallas Stars fans are still bitter that Jason Robertson isn’t part of this roster, but for the sake of the article, we won’t get into that. Keep in mind the news that Mikko Rantanen will miss time due to injury in the Olympics, and I’m fine with not putting him in the spotlight due to injury.)
The match starts feverishly and both teams clearly put their bodies on the line, without regrets. The smaller rink makes for an even faster game, and NBC’s Inside the Glass analyst, Brian Boucher, says it’s the fastest game he’s ever seen played. Faster than any Stanley Cup Finals he’s seen. The boys are buzzing. Then the first sip of glory.
Matt Boldy breaks through arguably two of the best defensemen in the game, Cale Makar and Devon Toews, for the first goal over Canadian goalkeeper Jordan Binnington. You lose it. You are free birding. Harder than you’ve ever done Free Birded. It’s 1-0 in the first and you have the feeling that this could be the start of something special. As the first period continues, both sides throw their bodies and willingly sacrifice their health for the sake of the country. Dylan Larkin dives behind his own net, behind goaltender Connor Hellebuyck, and Canadian forward Tom Wilson destroys him for perhaps the biggest goal of the tournament. Larkin jumps up unfazed. It will take more than that to stop these players before the biggest game of their lives. The period ends and you have a chance to breathe for a few minutes. Time to check the cookies. Not burned. No fires. You rejoin, and so does Canada.
The 2nd period is an attack by the Canadians. They’re settling, they’re cruising. They are fast, passing is timely and they play like the gold medal is on the line. Well, it is, and they are aware of it. The US is on the brink of collapse, but has a secret weapon. Connor Hellebuyck. A man possessed. Save after save, it’s as if Hellebuyck is focusing more and more on the task at hand. Stop everything. Devon Toews, looking for redemption after failing to stop Boldy for the USA’s first goal, sees the light of day early in the second period. In the slot, Toews’ eyes widened. An open net. Hellebuyck looked at the corner from which the puck came, and by the grace of the 1980 Miracle on Ice USA team, Hellebuyck flexed and made what can only be described as a one-time save with the blade of his stick, reaching behind himself to stop the tying goal.
Then even more danger. Jake Geuntzel gets two minutes for holding, and the USA’s perfect penalty is put to the test. The test becomes even tougher when Charlie McAvoy is then called for hooking, putting Canada over a minute ahead at two men. The United States escapes Canada’s power play unscathed, despite being hot on its heels. The penalty kill remains perfect at the Olympics, but Canada perseveres, and eventually the US erupts. Both Toews and Maker redeem themselves as they team up for Toews’ tying goal. You feel deflation coming on because, as much as you don’t want to admit it, Canada has tilted the ice. The 2nd period ends. Canada defeated the US 19-8, which is the most shots given up by the US team in the entire tournament. You gather yourself, make yourself a plate, clean out the empty Coors Light cans, open a new can, and get ready for the next 20 minutes, hoping this isn’t the last of the tournament.
The third period begins and we are officially at fever pitch. It’s USA versus Canada for the gold medal and bragging rights. The period starts exactly as you expected. Quick. Again. Canada knows they have the momentum, and they like to skate. When you face a team with a line touting Connor McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon and teen sensation Macklin Celebrini, you prepare for anything, and Team USA did just that. They passed the test of hockey’s top line, and then hope. Fleeting, but hopeful. USA striker Jack Hughes goes down hard behind his own net, the referee’s hand goes up, and then you see it. Hughes has lost his chompers. There is blood on the ice and the blood fills his mouth, revealing a timeless look. Hughes’ hockey smile. Several teeth are knocked out and the US takes control for four minutes thanks to Sam Bennett for his high-sticking. You think to yourself, “This could be it. This could be the moment when the US moves on and makes an effort to finish this.”
You were wrong. Classic. The same Jack Hughes, who has a new smile, now goes to the penalty area himself. Ironically, for the same reason as Bennett: high-stick. Shit. It’s 4-on-4 hockey for a short while before Canada returns to power. Perhaps this is not the intention. It’s only the 46th anniversary of the 1980 Miracle on Ice team that won gold. It’s on Johnny Geaudrea’s son’s birthday. Geaudrea’s family is present. Team USA only carries Johnny Hockey’s jersey throughout the tournament. Maybe this isn’t the intention, or maybe it is.
The clock is all zeros. The regulations are over. Hellebuyck held strong against a fierce Canadian team, and Nathan MacKinnon once again had an excellent chance to secure the gold for Canada, which he didn’t get. It’s the biggest game for Team USA in more than a decade, with everything on the line. Of course it’s going to be overtime, because why wouldn’t it?
You nervously crack another Coors Light because you don’t know what else to do. You sit in silence with the only sound coming from the television as you watch the same ads you’ve seen for the past two weeks during the Olympic coverage and think to yourself again, “I’m never going to watch this show with Tracy Morgan and Harry Potter. Stop shoving it down my throat.”
Overtime begins. It’s 3-on-3, and you know whoever wins this, the opposing team will complain about the OT format, but you’ll be leaning in for the toughest lock-in ever, because leaning over on a bench will clearly be the main reason why Team USA will win this. You think to yourself, “Wow! This OT is 20 minutes long? You mean to tell me this 3-on-3 can literally last 20 minutes?” Then, less than two minutes later (1:41 to be exact), it happens. After Canada loses the puck in the offensive zone, the US responds with Zach Werenski passing the camera boards. Werenski has numbers and sees a toothless Jack Hughes drifting towards the slot and makes the pass he will see in his dreams for years to come. Hughes, with the US and most of the world watching, makes a low shot, and Canadian goaltender Jordan Binnington lifts his leg, gives up the five-hole and misses the puck with his stick. The lamp goes on and then: pandemonium. The US did it. Golden.
So many feelings and emotions come over you. You feel the joy of victory. You laugh as Nathan MacKinnon looks absolutely disgusted and gets a hug for coming in second place. You beam with pride as your friends and family text to celebrate with you. Everyone is watching. Then tears.
You see the Geadruea jersey waving on the ice. You see the Geadreau children being brought onto the ice for the team photo. You see the Geadruea family in tears in the stands, knowing that if their son were still with us, he would be on the ice celebrating with this team. You know, he’s watching along with the rest of us. Beaming with pride, just like the rest of us. He is undoubtedly the biggest fan of this gold medal victory. You are exhausted. You have poured emotion into these Winter Olympics and both the men’s and women’s hockey tournaments, and you have been privileged to see both reach the pinnacle of their sport.
It is now 11am and the dishes are done. You drank your last Coors Light for the morning and took out the trash. Your timeline is completely filled with highlights from the US and you’ve responded to all your friends and family who texted you. You lie down for your pre-planned siesta and dream away for a few hours. Golden.
If you remember anything about these Olympics, or the victories of the men’s or women’s hockey team, Mike Tirico summed it up best.
“So for all the young people out there, not just for hockey, but for all the Olympic Games that you’ve seen, those dreams have now been formed. Go after them and go get them, because our country loves sports and it brings us together like nothing else. And if you didn’t know that, and if you haven’t been watching these last two weeks, you saw it when Team USA Hockey won the gold against their arch-rival Canada here in Milan to close out these 25th Winter Olympics.”
Now if you’ll excuse me, the NHL resumes this Wednesday.
#sweetest #hangover #USA #conquers #hockey #gold