USA men's hockey team wins IIHF World Championship for first time in more than 90 years
Team USA defeated Switzerland 1-0 in overtime Sunday at Avicii Arena in Stockholm, Sweden, to win the gold medal.
Advertisement
The Americans were playing in an IIHF gold medal game for the first time in over 90 years and found themselves locked in a defensive struggle against a stalwart Swiss squad. Despite having a significant advantage in shots on goal, the US could not get a puck past Switzerland's goaltender Leonardo Genoni through 60 minutes of regulation play.
But just two minutes into the overtime period, Buffalo Sabres center Tage Thompson snuck a wrister past Genoni for the sudden death winner. The goal was assisted by Logan Cooley of the Utah Mammoth and Brady Skjei of the Nashville Predators.
USA goalie Jeremy Swayman of the Boston Bruins stopped all 25 shots he faced to shut out the Swiss team.
As Thompson was swarmed by his jubilant teammates after scoring the game-winner, many of the Swiss players could be seen hanging their heads in disappointment following the heartbreaking loss.
Advertisement
But Switzerland was gracious in defeat as they shook hands with the Americans before the medal ceremony.
After receiving their gold medals, the US national anthem was played as the American flag raised at Avicii Arena. The Stars and Stripes was straddled by the Swiss flag and the flag of Sweden, who won the bronze medal with a 6-2 victory against Denmark earlier on Sunday.
During the trophy presentation, Team USA accepted the hardware while holding up the No. 13 jersey of Johnny Gaudreau, the former USA and NHL player who died tragically last year along with his brother Matthew after the pair was fatally struck by a suspected drunken driver while riding bicycles on a New Jersey roadway.
The importance of ending a nine-decade IIHF World Championship drought was not lost on the American players.
Advertisement
'It feels awesome. I mean, it's been so long for the U.S. It feels great putting this jersey back on, it's been a long time for me, and to be able to come out with a gold medal, it's pretty fantastic,' USA forward Michael McCarron told Reuters. 'And in overtime fashion, there's no better way to win a game.'
'Obviously, we know how long it's been,' American forward Drew O'Connor told Reuters. 'And, you know, we've been looking forward to finally trying to get it done, and I'm so excited that we did it with this group.'
The triumph may represent good things to come for Team USA ahead of next year's Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, where NHL players will participate in the Games for the first time since 2014.
For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
3 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Michigan State football extends official offer to 3-star TE commit Eddie Whiting
The Spartans have extended an official offer to one of their first verbal commits of the 2026 class. Eddie Whiting of Sioux Falls, S.D. received his official offer from Michigan State football on Friday. Whiting posted about the offer from Michigan State on his social media X account following receiving the official offer from the Spartans. August 1 is the first day for schools to extend official offers to prospects in the 2026 class. Whiting is a three-star tight end prospect in the 2026 class. He holds a recruiting rating of 87 and ranks as the No. 44 tight end in 247Sports' composite system. He is also listed as the No. 2 player from South Dakota in the class. Whiting was one of the first commitments for the Spartans in the 2026 class. He announced his commitment to Michigan State in early February, picking the Spartans over notable offers from Alabama, Auburn, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Iowa, Iowa State, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, UCLA, Washington, Washington State and Wisconsin. Contact/Follow us @The SpartansWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Michigan State news, notes and opinion. You can also follow Robert Bondy on X @RobertBondy5. This article originally appeared on Spartans Wire: Spartans extend official offer to 3-star TE commit Eddie Whiting
Yahoo
3 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Chicago Bears will honor late Virginia Halas McCaskey, Steve McMichael on uniforms during 2025 season
The Chicago Bears lost two franchise icons earlier this year. The organization will be paying tribute to both of them on the field this season. The Bears will honor the late Virginia Halas McCaskey with a jersey patch and the late Steve McMichael with a helmet decal. McCaskey, formerly the owner and matriarch of the Bears, died on Feb. 2. She was 102. Her initials are at the front and center of a football-shaped patch that's stitched onto the left breastplate of the Bears' 2025 jerseys. The football is orange, and McCaskey's initials are navy blue. The patch is strikingly similar to the one Chicago used during the 1983 season to commemorate McCaskey's father, George Halas, who founded, owned, coached and played for the Bears over the course of a Pro Football Hall of Fame career. "We thought it would be appropriate if her patch mirrored her dad's from 1983," George McCaskey, son of Virginia and current Bears owner, told the team's website. "So it's the same size, the same color combination. The only thing that's different, of course, is the initials. We thought that was the right thing to do." The "VMH" patch will make its debut on Aug. 10 when the Bears kick off preseason action at home against the Miami Dolphins. Also in honor of McCaskey, Chicago won't wear alternate or throwback uniforms this season. Per the team website, the Bears will wear navy jerseys and white pants at home and white jerseys and navy pants on the road. Players will be outfitted with the franchise's famous navy helmets for every game. On the back of each of those helmets will lie a football-shaped decal, with McMichael's No. 76 featured under the laces. That same logo will be painted on the grass of Soldier Field for every Bears home game this season. McMichael, a Hall of Fame defensive tackle who played for the organization from 1981-93, died at 67 years old on April 23 after battling ALS. McMichael was part of the 1985 Bears, who went 15-1 before winning Super Bowl XX. The decal logo will also be painted on the grass at Soldier Field for every Bears home game. Even though the 2025 season marks a new era for the franchise, with George McCaskey taking over as owner and Ben Johnson taking over as head coach, the Bears are faithfully remembering their past, too.
Yahoo
3 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Poulin, Primerano among players invited to Olympic women's hockey orientation camp
CALGARY — Hockey Canada has invited 30 players to a national women's team orientation camp in Calgary in preparation for the 2026 Olympic Games. The national governing body of hockey is also summoning 42 NHL players and 17 para hockey players Aug. 26-28 for presentations and meetings, and team-building opportunities for the upcoming season with an eye to the Winter Games in Milan and Cortina, Italy, from Feb. 6 to Feb. 22. Hockey Canada senior vice-president of hockey operations Scott Salmond calls the camp the first step toward the goal of winning three gold medals across Olympic and Paralympic hockey. Four goaltenders, 10 defenders and 16 forwards have been invited to the women's camp, including 17 who helped Canada beat the United States 3-2 in the final to win a gold medal in 2022 in Beijing. Women's Olympic rosters in Italy will be 23 players. Marie-Philip Poulin, Sarah Nurse, Brianne Jenner, Laura Stacey, Natalie Spooner, Renata Fast, Jocelyne Larocque and goaltenders Ann-Renee Desbiens and Emerance Maschmeyer are among the veterans. Defenders Chloe Primerano and Nicole Gosling, forward Caitlin Kraemer, and goaltenders Kayle Osborne and Eve Gascon are among players under the age of 23 on the roster. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 1, 2025. The Canadian Press
