By: Declan Flavin | Follow me on Twitter / X @FlavinDeclan
Jack Hughes’ overtime winner for the United States was 46 years in the making, tracing back to the 1980 Winter Olympics, when the U.S. men’s hockey team went on to win gold after its infamous semifinal victory over the Soviet Union. It served as a moment of massive satisfaction for Jeremy Swayman and especially Charlie McAvoy, considering the grueling, injury-riddled seasons the defenseman has endured.
However, the shot from number 86 against a Canadian lineup that featured Connor McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon, and Cale Makar also sent a message to teams across the National Hockey League. There is a clear lesson in watching the winning team compete in the final game through disciplined defensive structure, patiently waiting for the right opportunity to strike.
Skill Alone Isn’t the End-All, Be-All
Like Team Canada, an NHL team can prioritize the skill pieces it wants on the chessboard all it wants, but that does not guarantee anything once a playoff bracket begins to unfold. In the modern NHL game, it becomes increasingly clear that you are always one series and one bounce away from getting hoodwinked by the ragtag “whiskey-drinking” team.
At the same time, it may feel odd to point out that this United States team, relying in part on forecheck intangibles, won by that formula, because in the end, Canada did an exceptional job controlling most of the play throughout the final. Not to bring up nightmares, but can’t the 2023-2024 Boston Bruins say they essentially did the same thing in the seven-game series against the Florida Panthers?
Ultimately, there is something transcendent but unquantifiable about teams that are out-skilled but not out-matched. On any given day, this type of team can show up to the rink and get just the right number of saves and just the right bounces to set them up for the few opportunities they need to capitalize on.
You don’t think this season’s Bruins, with the help of intangible players like Fraser Minten or Sean Kuraly, are watching the results of the 2026 Winter Olympics and appreciating the value of the work they put in? Now is the time for players to look to their left and right and draw every ounce of compete from one another, because teams built on nothing else but destiny are in, and you don’t know how far you can go in a retooling season unless you truly give it your all.
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