MILAN – Connor Hellebuyck skated alone on the ice.
Minutes earlier, the U.S. men’s hockey team beat Canada 2-1 in overtime in the gold medal game at the 2026 Winter Olympics. Hellebuyck, the American goalie, deserved more than a medal — and he got it.
The American fans roared.
“We’re going to be talking about this performance for generations,’’ U.S. winger Brady Tkachuk said. “It was an all-time performance from a superstar at his position. It’s going to go down as one of the best performances of all time.’’
In fact, Tkachuk compared Hellebuyck’s performance to one of the greatest of all time. That of Jim Craig, who faced 39 shots against the Soviet Union at the 1980 Winter Olympics and helped lift the Americans to their 4-3 victory in the ‘Miracle On Ice.’
“It has to be right up there with Jimmy Craig, all the great United States goaltenders, I mean in NHL, whatever type of hockey, goaltender performance you want to talk about,’’ Tkachuk said. “That’s right up there.’
There was reason to believe Hellebuyck, 32, was capable of such a performance.
He’s been a starter for the Winnipeg Jets since the 2016-17 season.
A three-time winner of the Vezina Trophy, which goes to the NHL’s top goaltender.
A winner of the Hart Memorial Trophy, awarded to the NHL’s most valuable player.
But U.S. winger Quinn Hughes mentioned the Americans’ bus ride to the arena before they played Sweden in the semifinals.
“He fell asleep on the bus on the way to the Sweden game (semifinal),’’ Hughes said. “I was like, ‘We’re good with this guy. He’s very relaxed’. Since that moment, I knew he was going to be good.”
That day, he saved 28 of 29 shots as the Americans prevailed 2-1 in overtime.
It was a sign of things to come.