There have been only two Team USA men’s hockey teams to ever win Olympic gold.
First, the U.S. team achieved glory at the 1960 Squaw Valley Games before its world-renowned triumph at the 1980 games in Lake Placid. As referenced by USA head coach Mike Sullivan on Saturday, with 16 players on the ’60 roster and another 20 on the ’80 team, only 36 American-born hockey players have ever earned gold medals in Olympic history.
That’s a short list. One that the 2026 team will hope to join by defeating Team Canada in the two rivals’ Olympic final on Sunday morning.
It’s something that Sullivan has been preaching to his team throughout this year’s Winter Games — a chance to mark its place in history.
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“The history of this sport is important, and in particular, in this instance, the history of American hockey is important,” said Sullivan, per the New York Post’s Mollie Walker. “We tried to bring it to their attention, because I think what it does is it heightens the opportunity that we have.”
In 1960’s “Forgotten Miracle,” the U.S. trekked its way to a 9-4 win over Team Czechoslovakia to take home the gold medal. Then, in 1980, the historic “Miracle on Ice” team defeated the Soviet Union against all odds en route to a 4-2 championship victory over Team Finland.
“It’s a privilege to be here,” added Sullivan. “It’s an honor to represent your nation. I know these guys take it seriously. When you think about over the last 100-plus years … There’s been two gold medals [for the U.S. in men’s hockey].”
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The U.S. last met Canada in a gold medal game at the 2010 Vancouver Games, with Canada earning a 3-2 overtime win.
While Team USA hopes to win its first gold medal in over 40 years, the Canadians are searching for their first gold medal in men’s hockey since 2014, which was the last year NHL players were permitted to play at the Olympics. Team Canada has won nine of the 23 men’s hockey gold medals awarded in the history of the Winter Games.
Puck drop for Sunday’s gold medal game is scheduled for 8:10 a.m. ET and will be broadcast by NBC and Peacock. There are two players to watch in the championship game, as Team Canada’s Sidney Crosby and Team USA’s Tage Thompson are both dealing with lower-body injuries entering the contest. While Sullivan has declared Thompson is likely to play, Canadian head coach Jon Cooper has said Crosby will be a game-time decision.
