Milan (Italy) (AFP) – Jack Hughes lost his front teeth before scoring the overtime goal that gave the USA Olympic ice hockey gold for the first time in 46 years on Sunday. Hughes took a high stick to the mouth from Canada’s Sam Bennett in the third period at the Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena. The USA failed to convert on the resulting four-minute power play, but Hughes then hit the winner in overtime.
The 24-year-old picked up an inch-perfect pass from Zach Werenski to beat Canadian goaltender Jordan Binnington 1 minute 41 seconds into overtime. “Yeah, I mean, like my first thought was draw the penalty,” Hughes said after the game. “Actually, my first thought was I looked down the ice and saw my teeth. I was like, here we go again.”
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Hughes said he feared he had cost the USA the gold. “I pictured myself on a barstool being the guy that America hates because Canada scores in the power play. I was like, oh my God, here it is. I’m just glad we got out of that pickle I put us in.”
The Americans won the men’s Olympic ice hockey gold since the ‘Miracle on Ice’ victory over the Soviet Union at the 1980 Lake Placid Games.
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