This gold medal is brought to you courtesy of the red, white and blue.
For the first time in 46 years, Team USA won the gold medal in hockey at the Winter Olympics following a thrilling overtime 3×3 victory over Team Canada.
The Canadians had Team USA on their heels for most of the game, but an incredible performance from goalie Connor Hellebuyck helped the Americans send the game into overtime. And during 3-on-3, Jack Hughes became an American hero by scoring the game winner after losing two teeth earlier in the game.
Just an incredible effort from this group all the way around.
In a touching scene after the game, the team skated around the jersey of fallen teammate Johnny Gaudreau, who was killed in 2024 after being struck by a drunk driver while riding a bike the day before his sister’s wedding. And they even brought Gaudreau’s children out onto the ice for the team photo:
How can you not love sports?
Well the team was clearly pumped to bring the gold back home to America, especially after the women’s team also beat Canada to win a gold medal earlier in the Olympics. (Tough week for Canada…they would have two more gold medals in hockey if they had become the 51st state when they had the chance).
Team USA alternate captain Charlie McAvoy shared a video of the celebration in the locker room after the game, with the entire team singing along to Toby Keith’s “Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue” while wearing their gold medals around their necks.
Jack Hughes also had an all-time interview after the game, and you could see just how proud he was to wear the red, white and blue on the global stage:
“Unbelievable game by Hellebuyck, he was our best player tonight by a mile, unbelievable game. Unreal game by our team, just a ballsy, gutsy win, that’s American hockey right there. That’s a great Canadian team, but we’re USA, we’re so proud to be American’s, tonight was all for the country.”
You love to see it, especially after other Team USA athletes have said they weren’t proud to represent America in the Olympics…
US halfpipe skier Hunter Hess essentially said (in his Kim Kardashian, valley girl voice) he’s only competing for his family and his friends who support him and not representing the United States of America in its entirety.
His full quote:
“It brings up mixed emotions to represent the U.S. right now, I think. It’s a little hard. There’s obviously a lot going on that I’m not the biggest fan of, and I think a lot of people aren’t. I think for me, it’s more I’m representing my friends and family back home, the people that represented it before me, all the things that I believe are good about the U.S. – if it aligns with my moral values, I feel like I’m representing it.
Just because I’m wearing the flag doesn’t mean I represent everything that’s going on in the U.S. I just kind of want to do it for my friends and my family and the people that support me getting here.”
And to no surprise, he caught a lot of well-deserved heat for such a ridiculous, entitled take on what it means to represent the United States of America in the Winter Games.
Mike Eruzione, a former US Olympian and captain of the 1980 “Miracle on Ice” men’s hockey team, a guy who knows a little something about wearing that flag on his chest, blasted Hess for the comments:
“Hunter Hess US snowboarder saying he doesn’t represent his country but his family and friends. Then don’t put on the USA uniform maybe just put for family and friends some athletes just don’t get it.”
There’s no doubt Eruzione is happy to see guys like Jack Hughes proudly representing the United States and bringing home the gold in hockey.
God bless America.
