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Hughes's golden goal will inspire generation of players
The Jerusalem Post
|February 27, 2026
With a chipped tooth, a full heart and a nation holding its breath, Jack Hughes delivered a moment that will live forever in American - and Jewish - sports history.
JEWISH HOCKEY star Jack Hughes scored the game-winning goal this week against Canada to clinch an Olympic gold medal for the US men's hockey team, its first since 1980.
(James Lang/Imagn Images)
Forty-six years after the “Miracle on Ice,” Team USA once again stood atop the Olympic podium, defeating Canada 2-1 in overtime at the 2026 Winter Games in Milan. The golden goal came just 1:41 into three-on-three overtime, when Hughes took a pass from Zach Werenski and slipped the puck through the legs of Canadian goaltender Jordan Binnington.
The United States had not won Olympic gold in men’s hockey since 1980. Now, thanks to a 24-year-old Jewish star center from the New Jersey Devils, the drought is over.
“This is all about our country right now,” Hughes said afterward. “I love the USA. I love my teammates.”
He said it with a noticeable lisp-the result of a broken tooth suffered earlier in the game - a small physical sacrifice that only added to the mythology of the moment. His bloodied, battered smile quickly became the image of these Games.
But for many American Jews, the goal meant something more.
This story is from the February 27, 2026 edition of The Jerusalem Post.
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