Utah Mammoth head coach Andre Tourigny addresses the media. Tourigny is Clayton Keller’s head coach Keller who played for Team USA at the Olympics in Milan Italy (Utah Mammoth photo)
By Tom Walker
Winnipeg goaltender Connor Hellebuyck denies Canada while Minnesota forward Matt Boldy and toothless New Jersey forward Jack Hughes score in historic 2-1 victory in Milan.
Utah Mammoth captain Clayton Keller played limited minutes for Team USA in Sunday’s gold medal win against Canada, but is nevertheless etched in American hockey history as a member of the first US team since the 1980 Miracle On Ice squad to claim the sport’s highest international prize, the third American team overall to win Olympic gold.
Team USA took a 1-0 lead at exactly six minutes into the first period when Matt Boldy (Minnesota Wild) split Canadian defenders Devon Toews and Cale Makar, both of the Colorado Avalanche, driving through them like Moses parting the Red Sea on his way to beating Jordan Binnington (St. Louis Blues) in net for his second goal of the tournament. Boldy was assisted on the play by Auston Matthews (Toronto Maple Leafs) and Wild teammate Quinn Hughes.
Makar and Toews atoned for their defensive lapse with less than two minutes remaining in the second period when Makar beat Connor Hellebuyck (Winnipeg Jets), assisted by Toews, to draw even at 1-1. The third period was largely dominated by Team Canada who had multiple opportunities to take the lead but couldn’t put the puck past Hellebuyck, whose highlight reel stick save against Toews at 1:24 of the frame will go down as one of the greatest stops in Olympic history.
Team USA had a prime chance to take the lead at 13:26 of the third when Sam Bennett went to the sin bin for minutes for high sticking to the mouth of Jack Hughes (New Jersey Devils) who lost two teeth and some blood in the exchange, but the Americans not only failed to score, but Jack Hughes – who naturally remained in the game with his bloodied mouth – took a high sticking penalty himself to give Canada a late power play in the game. Team USA killed the penalty, sending the game to a 3-on-3 overtime.
Mirroring the overtime success of the American women against Canada in their gold medal match last week, Jack Hughes found the back of Binnington’s net at 1:41 of bonus time, his fourth goal of the tournament, assisted by Zach Werenski (Columbus Blue Jackets) and winning goaltender Connor Hellebuyck to seal the match and send helmets and sticks flying as Team USA mobbed Hughes on the ice to complete the American sweep of Olympic hockey gold. Hellebuyck stopped 41 of 42 shots in the win.
In one of the most emotional and touching moments of the Olympic games, Dylan Larkin (Detroit Red Wings) and Werenski went into the stands to bring Johnny Gaudreau’s two oldest children, three-year-old Noa, and Johnny Jr. who celebrated his second birthday on Sunday, onto the ice to participate in the team photo as teammates held up Gaudreau’s jersey #13, with wife Meredith looking on. Their youngest son, Carter, was born last April only seven months after Johnny and his brother Matthew were killed by a suspected drunk driver in 2024.
Just a couple of hours later, an ocean and a continent away, the Utah Mammoth practiced at their new facility in Sandy, Utah, which was just opened to the public over the weekend for all manner of hockey and other ice activities. The America-born players on the squad were visibly excited for the success of their country, and the rest of the team joined them in expressing congratulations to their captain, Clayton Keller, who brings home the gold as play resumes this week, along with defenseman Olli Määta who returns with a bronze medal following Finland’s victory over Slovakia on Saturday. Karel Vejmelka (Czechia) and JJ Peterka (Germany) had already returned from Milan and joined Sunday morning’s practice.
Utah defenseman Nate Schmidt of St. Cloud, Minnesota, woke up early to watch the game. When asked his reaction, the first thing he thought of was “that Jack Hughes photo of him after the game will be iconic for a long time, with his mouth all messed up, it’s amazing.” When asked further about the memories he would take from the game by Brogan Houston of the Deseret News, Schmidt continued, “How well Helly played, and just the reaction, the celebration. I have a couple of buddies in town who might not have made their flight because they stuck around to watch the end of the game with us at home, so it was fun celebration at home too, fun for Kels, fun for everybody. It was a great game.” Cole Bagley of KSL-TV asked how the win defines USA hockey, and Schmidt responded, “They talked a lot during the broadcast how the 80 team inspired a generation of players, me included. Hopefully – it gives me goosebumps – they will inspire the next generation of kids. This is what the pinnacle looks like. I got goosebumps. It was so amazing.” I asked him what he’s expecting from three angry silver medalists on Wednesday when the Mammoth return to action against a Colorado Avalanche team featuring Toews, Makar, and Nathan MacKinnon, to which Schmidt responded, “I can only imagine, that we better be ready to rock. … It was already going to be a great game, but there will be a little extra jam in their step.” Briefly talking about how his family spent the first part of the Olympic break, Schmidt said that they visited Disneyland but otherwise stuck around the Salt Lake area doing things as a family that they normally don’t have time to do during the season, with his son doing some skiing and his daughter having fun tobogganing.
German Olympian JJ Peterka said that he enjoyed “competing with my buddies from Germany, for our country, just soaking up the whole Olympic feeling” while they were in Milan. “Being around those guys, especially the guys who play overseas as well, playing on the same team for once in awhile, but obviously super excited to be back now.” Asked how it felt to score in the Olympics, Peterka responded, “Obviously it felt good. I think overall, there were ups and downs teamwise as well. Would have wished we would have done a little bit better, but I feel like we progressed as the tournament went on.” With the Mammoth facing three divisional opponents coming back from the break, Peterka said, “We know it’s a tough schedule until the end. We’re super excited for it to start and gain some momentum right away and get going.”
Utah forward Dylan Guenther, talking about the matchup with Colorado and how the team’s silver medalists may be fired up for the game, said, “[they are] some of the best players in the league, so maybe a little extra incentive, but we’ll be trying to shut them down anyways.” Guenther said he spent part of the break down in Mexico working on his tan with Barrett Hayton and Jack McBain, while Alexander Kerfoot, seated next to him in the locker room, spent a couple of days in California but otherwise stuck around Salt Lake with his young family.
Fresh off the plane from Milan, Vejmelka said, “It was a great experience. I would say a lifetime experience. I enjoyed every moment.” Asked about the next Olympics in France, Vejmelka said he’d love to return. Looking toward the Avalanche, the Czech netminder said, “Obviously one of the best teams so far this season, so we have to get ready for them, be ready for a big challenge, we need every point. I think we had a great break. We practiced today and yesterday, so we have so much energy and we are rested, and I’m excited to get back on the ice with the guys and play good hockey for our fans.”
The Mammoth player who perhaps is looking more forward to getting back on the ice is young phenom Logan Cooley, who has been out of action since suffering a lower-body injury colliding with a goal post on December 5, 2025, against the Canucks in Vancouver. His return will shake up a roster which had been hot with a 12-4-1 record in the new year. Cooley was excited for his fellow Americans, saying of Team USA’s victory, “It’s super special. I think it’s great for the US having had a couple of tough bounces there at Four Nations. I thought it was unbelievable. That game was so much fun to watch, so many skilled players. That’s probably one of the fastest games that I’ve watched. Heck of a shot by Hughes there to cap it off, and just congrats to Kels.” Asked how the victory embodies what USA Hockey is all about, Cooley responded, “It’s awesome. Just like all the players were saying after they won, the brotherhood, it seems like they came together so close, they way they battled for each other, it was cool to see and unbelievable to cap it off with a gold medal.” Of his captain, Cooley said, “I’m so happy for him. He’s earned it. He’s had the right to be on that team. He’s worked his tail off. I see it every day. Just the experience that he has now and moving forward with upcoming Olympics, what he can take into the next one, it’s really good for him and the whole team too. It’s awesome to see, and hopefully he can bring that experience and help us.” Four years from now, one could see Cooley joining Keller on the Olympic roster in France. To that, Cooley said, “Those are the games you want to be in. As a competitor you want to be in those big games, you want to be representing your country on the world stage like that. It’s so fun watching, but I couldn’t imagine being able to play in a gold medal game for the Olympics, so that’s something that I’m striving to do. I’m going to work as hard as I can to eventually make that team.” Reacting to the team photo with the Gaudreau children, the Mammoth forward said, “That was one of the more cooler moments that I have seen. Just like it goes back to the brotherhood I think that the US has, and how close everyone in USA hockey is, to have them share that moment with them, it’s special.”
“What a game, eh?!” a jovial head coach André Tourigny said to begin his post-practice interview. “That was unbelievable. I think that was the best thing that could happen to our game, to our league I think, having the two best teams and the way it went, the overtime and everything. That’s a great day for hockey.” Asked what it felt as a coach to see two of his players earning medals at the Olympics, Bear responded, “There are two teams which won their last game. I think that’s great. We all would love to have a gold medal or a bronze medal at the Olympics. I think it’s great to have two of our four guys coming back with a medal, and four of them coming back with unforgettable memories and souvenirs. Good for them. I’m really happy. I’ve said many times how valuable and hard those experiences – when you play elimination games, when you’ve been there, you see the team, the feeling of belonging and all of it. I’m proud of them and for them.” Asked how Keller and Määta winning medals helps to grow the game in Utah, Tourigny said, “Everything happening in the last year and a half, from those guys showing up at Delta Center and being involved in the community and having exposed our young fans to our beautiful game and to our players in the community, plus those Olympics where you have the chance to see the big stage of hockey, to see the best, and you have a guy who just won the gold and the other one just won the bronze who will be at the Delta Center in a couple of days, so I think that means a lot I’m sure for our fans and means a lot for us to be able to showcase our game like that.” Responding to the question of what to expect from Colorado’s silver medalists on Wednesday, Tourigny said, “I don’t know. That can go either way, I guess. but I’ll let them deal with that and I will deal with our guys.”
The Mammoth (30-23-4) return to action at home on Wednesday against the NHL-best Colorado Avalanche (37-9-9) followed by games against the Minnesota Wild and Chicago Blackhawks before heading out on the road for five games beginning with the Washington Capitals.
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