After Jack Hughes scored the golden goal just 1:41 into OT, celebrations broke out everywhere, especially in the Sabres’ building.
BUFFALO, N.Y. — The U.S. men’s hockey team had no shortage of family and friends offering support in Milan, Italy, where they beat Canada 2-1 in overtime on Sunday to claim the gold medal on the final day of the Winter Olympics.
Back home, Sabres teammates and fans were just as enthusiastic for Tage Thompson and the rest of Team USA.
“For being involved in one of the greatest tournaments, I thought Tage handled himself and represented our team really well and played well,” Ruff said.
Scheduled to practice early Sunday, the Sabres pushed that back so the team could watch the gold medal game.
Jack Hughes — a 24-year-old center with the New Jersey Devils — scored the winning goal 1 minute, 41 seconds into overtime. That moment quickly sparked massive celebrations across the pond, including at Harborcenter, where the Sabres waited to practice.
Alex Tuch, himself a candidate for the U.S. Olympic team, talked about the atmosphere when the game went final.
“Such a crazy game,” he said. “See the puck go in, and then we actually had to run right over to practice there, but it was awesome. USA winning, it was really special. I’m really happy for those guys. So happy and proud of Tage. I thought he was awesome over there and played really well today. I’m just … that was awesome.”
Thompson has 30 goals and 29 assists in 57 games this season for the Sabres, who are attempting to end their 14-year NHL playoff drought. He finished with Winter Olympics with four points and — most importantly — a gold medal after the Hughes golden goal.