The Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics took place from February 6th, 2026, to February 22nd, 2026. While there were many sports in this year’s games, USA hockey was one of the most intriguing in this year’s Olympic Games. The U.S. took home a “Double Gold” in this year’s Olympics for Hockey.
Women’s Hockey started on Thursday, February 5th. Some countries that were notable early in the tournament included the U.S., which went unbeaten in the group stage, cruising through the competition. They beat Czechia, Finland, Switzerland, and Canada. This landed them in the knockout 8-country tournament in the Women’s Ice Hockey bracket.
The U.S. Women’s Team played Italy in the first round of the tournament, the hosts of this year’s Olympic Games. The Lady Americans seemed not to care, as they took the Italians down 6-0. This win put them in the Semis.
The U.S. women took down Sweden 5-0 in the Semis. This set them up in the gold medal game against Canada, guaranteeing them at least a silver. The U.S. women’s team took home the gold after a 2-1 win against Canada. This was their second gold medal in the last 3 olympic games.
The U.S. men’s hockey team started about a week later, on Wednesday, February 11th. They also went undefeated in the group stage, putting the gas on cruise control. In the group stage, they beat Latvia, Denmark, and Germany. They landed in the Men’s Ice Hockey bracket.
The Men’s team faced off against Sweden in the quarterfinal round. While Sweden gave them a hard battle, the U.S. was able to take an overtime win. The U.S. men picked up a win over Slovakia in the Semis, setting up a gold medal game against Canada. It was 1-1 heading into overtime. An overtime goal from Jack Hughes secured a 2-1 win for the U.S. men’s team, officially clinching a gold medal. This was their first gold medal since the 1980 “miracle” team.
After the men’s team won the gold, they honored their lost teammate Johnny Gaudreau. Gaudreau and his brother Matthew were killed by a drunk driver in August of 2024. The Gaudreau family went to the semifinal game and the gold medal game.
This was the first “double-gold” in U.S. Olympic hockey history. Both teams got invitations to the White House because of their gold medals. While the women’s team declined, they made America just as proud as the men’s team.
