MILAN — The Canadian men’s hockey team could not maintain its best-on-best dominance over the United States, falling 2-1 in overtime in Sunday’s gold-medal game at the Milan-Cortina Games.
New Jersey Devils forward Jack Hughes scored 1:41 into overtime, left alone in the slot during 3-on-3 play as Canada scrambled after surrendering an odd-man break seconds earlier.
Matthew Boldy of the Minnesota Wild also tallied for the U.S. in the first period, while Colorado Avalanche defenceman Cale Makar scored an equalizer late in the second.
The gold is the United States’ first in Olympic men’s hockey since the 1980 Lake Placid Games.
Canada played the final without captain Sidney Crosby, sidelined by a lower-body injury sustained when his right leg bent awkwardly in the quarterfinal win over Czechia.
He also missed the 3-2 semifinal victory over Finland on Friday.
Connor McDavid again served as captain in his absence.
Canada had previously beaten the United States for Olympic gold in 2002 and 2010.
The silver leaves Canada with 21 medals at the Games, eighth in the overall standings behind Norway (41), the United States (33), and host Italy (30).
Canada won five gold medals across long- and short-track speedskating, freestyle skiing and curling.
In other action on Day 16 of the Games, Canada just missed the podium in women’s halfpipe with Amy Fraser finishing fourth.
Calgary’s Fraser finished with 88 points, four-and-a-half points behind bronze medallist Zoe Atkin of Britain.
Eileen Gu defended her Olympic title with a score of 94.75 points, with another Chinese skier, Li Fanghui, scoring 93.
Cassie Sharpe of Squamish, B.C., the 2014 Olympic champion in the event, qualified third but sustained a concussion in a crash and did not participate in the final.
There was also Canadian content in the men’s four-man bobsled finals, where Taylor Austin of Lethbridge, Alta., piloted the top Canadian team to a 14th-place finish.
Jasmine Drolet of Rossland, B.C., was the top Canadian in the women’s 50-kilometre classic style cross-country ski race, finishing 17th.
Finally, the Games will take its curtain call by holding its closing ceremony, set to be held at the Verona Olympic Arena, an ancient Roman amphitheatre and a UNESCO World Heritage site.
The ceremony gathers athletes from more than 90 countries to celebrate and bid farewell to the Games.
Speedskater Valérie Maltais and short-track speedskater Steven Dubois have been named Canada’s flag-bearers for the closing ceremonies.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 22, 2026.
The Canadian Press
