The Gold Medal game is now in the rearview mirror, and the 2026 Winter Olympics are as well. So, now is a good time to take a step back and reflect on the games, not just the memorable finale, but the games as a whole. It’s hard to take all the action and takeaways from the past two weeks and put them into six thoughts but let’s try.
Where Connor Hellebuyck Ranks on the Pantheon of Goaltenders?
Connor Hellebuyck is the star of the tournament. Jack Hughes scored the Golden Goal but Hellebuyck had the big save, arguably the most iconic moment of the game, and had the best Olympic showing.
Against Canada, he stopped 41 of the 42 shots he faced. In five starts, he allowed only six goals, with only three of them being of consequence (the others came when the games were out of reach). All in all, Hellebuyck ended the games with a .956 save percentage (SV%) and a 1.18 goals-against average (GAA) to lead the USA to Gold.
Hellebuyck might go down as the greatest goaltender of all time. His career isn’t there yet. The fair comparison is Carey Price, at least for now. Both goaltenders at one point in their careers were the undisputed best in the NHL, and both have Vezina Trophies and a Hart. That said, Price never won the Stanley Cup, and Hellebuyck has struggled in the playoffs, with this big-stage performance being a vindication of his greatness.
A Cup title will put Hellebuyck into that tier, right up there with Dominik Hasek, Martin Brodeur, and Patrick Roy. With a Gold, Hellebuyck has checked most of the boxes as an all-time great goaltender. He’s won three Vezina Trophies, the Hart Trophy, and a Gold Medal. Now, it’s all about whether he can end his career with a Cup, which the 32-year-old has time to do.
Have The Other Nations Closed The Gap?
Canada against the USA was the peak version of best-on-best hockey. It’s hard to see the other nations being close to both of them. However, it’s easy to forget that the other nations took both the USA and Canada to the brink in the quarter and semifinals, at least for most of the games.
- Sweden forced the Americans to overtime in the quarterfinal.
- Czechia had a 3-2 lead late against Canada, and a Nick Suzuki redirected puck and a Mitch Marner dangle allowed the Canadians to win 4-3 in overtime.
- Finland had a 2-0 lead over Canada.
Throw in a strong tournament from Slovakia, and it’s no longer a two-nation or a four-nation event. Yes, the top two teams were in the Gold Medal game. That said, they aren’t the dominant nations anymore, and the Olympics showed it.
How The NHL Builds Off This
For the NHL, this is a historic and game-defining moment. Like the 1980 Miracle, this USA victory can do wonders for the sport. The NHL has a long history of killing momentum, from lockouts to minimal market but the door is open for a big moment, and they must seize it.
The big way to grow the game in the short term involves broadcasting and TV. The NHL returns to action this week, and putting the game in front of the national audience is vital, especially since there will be more eyes than usual on hockey.
Dive Deeper: Where Does ’26 Gold Rank In US History?
The other thing the NHL must build on is the rivalry between Canada and the USA. The Four Nations was a free sample, and the Gold Medal game showed how intense these games are. There’s no going back for the NHL. Now, it’s a matter of how games are played on the international stage and not whether they are or not. The World Cup is one thing that will get going, and the question is what replaces the All-Star Game moving forward, whether it’s another Four Nations or something similar.
The Overlooked Stars Put in the Spotlight
A subsequent plus to the Four Nations was the spotlight it put on the players who are great but casual fans don’t know it. Jaccob Slavin’s defensive play, for example, was on full display, and even passionate hockey fans had a greater appreciation for his talent.
The Olympics put multiple players on the big stage, and the stars delivered. Matt Boldy scored the first goal of the Gold Medal game with a remarkable play on the rush where he split the defense. Brock Faber, Zach Werenski, and Charlie McAvoy are the defensemen who stood out for the Americans, while Tage Thompson, after years of playing on an irrelevant Buffalo Sabres team, was finally on display for a national audience. Juraj Slafkovsky stood out for the Slovaks. Macklin Celebrini stood out for the Canadians and catapulted himself into that top tier.
Hockey isn’t a star-driven sport. However, the games put a lot of stars in the spotlight and not just the Hart Trophy front-runners. Now, casual hockey fans can watch a Devils vs Blue Jackets game knowing Jack Hughes and Werenski are involved.
Comparing the Olympics to the Four Nations
One thought throughout these Olympics was whether this was better than the Four Nations, which had its pros, even if it wasn’t as big a stage. The Four Nations was played with NHL rules and officiating, which was a plus because the games weren’t tainted by the refs, and more importantly, fighting and physicality could be a key part of it. Likewise, the games were in Montreal and Boston, two “home” crowds that were built for the moment and provided unique atmospheres.
The Olympics, however, were more speed and skill-focused, especially in overtime, where three-on-three hockey could showcase a star like Hughes. They also put the other nations on display, overlooked nations like Czechia, Slovakia, and Germany. The Four Nations was limited, so maybe the NHL finds a common ground with the World Cup or something in the odd-numbered years.
Extra Outtakes: Injuries, Women’s Hockey & More
The downside and thing that can derail the Olympics in the long run, something NHL owners certainly aren’t happy about, are the injuries. Sidney Crosby will miss some time with the Pittsburgh Penguins in a fight for playoff positioning. Kevin Fiala is out for the season, a tough blow for the Los Angeles Kings, who are already in win-now mode. Mikko Rantanen was placed on injured reserve, and Josh Morrissey is out as well.
This is just the tip of the iceberg. Many players powered through injuries to win Gold or make a deep run. Like the Four Nations, some players will be shut down for the season or slow to return to form. The condensed schedule affected the NHL team before the Olympics, and the condensed schedule to follow will do the same as well. It’s the one thing the NHL must consider moving forward, and it best explains why future seasons will have an earlier start date.
The Olympics also put the women’s game on display. The USA women winning Gold was significantly more so as a changing of the guard moment, as they replaced Canada as the top team in the world. That said, the game turned Abbey Murphy, Laila Edwards, and Megan Keller into household names. It’s only going to help grow the women’s game and the PWHL.
One way to look at the USA sweep of Gold in hockey is the success of the development programs. It played a big role in building the USA from the ground up into a hockey factory with youth programs around the country developing elite players.
Auston Matthews and Tage Thompson are from the Southwest of the country. 20 years ago, neither of them would have had access to sticks or skates to play hockey in the first place. The development program opened the door for them and many others to follow.
The other lingering though it the bet that general manager (GM) Bill Guerin made. He went with an experienced roster with size over a skilled group, leaving players like Cole Caufield, Jason Robertson, and Lane Hutson off the roster. Guerin was building a team to beat Canada. For the first three periods, that bet paid off, even with the USA team on the ropes and held up by great goaltending. Ironically, overtime is when they needed skill, and thanks to Hughes, the USA team had enough to win it.
