On Sunday, the Team USA hockey team won its first gold medal in the better part of five decades by knocking off the Canadian national team in overtime in the gold medal game. It wasn't always pretty, but ultimately, the American squad did just enough to secure the victory, thanks to an overtime goal from Jack Hughes.
Also on team USA was fellow NHL star Quinn Hughes, who was named the best defender in the tournament, per Chris Johnston of The Athletic.
After the game, Quinn Hughes fired back at some of the critics of his brother, who have pointed to his injury concerns and other factors as reasons to be skeptical of his ability to perform on the Olympic stage.
“People don’t know s***. There’s a bunch of idiots out there and no one’s rehabbed before. There’s reporters out there saying this and that. They don’t know what it’s like to get surgery for six months, not really feel good for 10 months, and do that back to back. For him to just persevere and keep believing and just keep going no matter what happens, he’s a special guy, special player,” said Hughes, per Michael Russo of The Athletic.
Fellow Team USA star Dylan Larkin also had high praise for Jack Hughes after his epic game-winning goal.
“Jacko, that moment. I can't wait to watch it. The difference between a guy that wants the puck on a stick in that moment, if you watch the video, I turn and go back. He wants it and he f****** put it in the net. That's what superstar players do. Just that moment for us, that's gonna stick with me for the rest of my life,” he said, per Russo.
It was indeed an instantly iconic moment for Hughes, who etched his name into the Olympics history books.
Team USA will be honored later in the day at the closing ceremony in Milan.
