Yes, Detroit Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin and his USA teammates felt the weight of expectations as they faced Canada for the gold medal on Sunday in Milan.

But to hear him tell it, that pressure didn’t weigh nearly as heavily on his shoulders as that of fellow American gold medalist Mike Eruzione.

Dylan Larkin has Mike Eruzione on his shoulders in Milan 🇺🇸
pic.twitter.com/NPqO1dV18V

— Greg Price (@greg_price11) February 23, 2026

On social media, Larkin could be seen carrying Eruzione, hero of the USA’s 1980 Miracle on Ice win over the USSR, on his shoulders during celebrations of Sunday’s 2-1 gold-medal win over Canada.

“Yeah, he was happy,” Larkin said of Eruzione. “Heavy? Oh, yeah. He’s not his playing weight, that’s for sure.”

It was Eruizone’s goal that proved the winner in the 4-3 USA win over the Russians at the Lake Placid Winter Games. Up until Sunday, that team’s win was the most recent Olympic gold medal earned by the country in men’s hockey.

“You know, 46 years and I think one big thing,” Larkin said. “That (gold medal win) was for a lot of people.

“It was for ourselves, for our country, but it was also for the guys that wore the jersey and didn’t get the job done, and the brotherhood of USA Hockey. It’s special because those guys were cheering us on to do it. They were pulling for us and encouraging us. And that means a lot.

“There’s no jealousy. There’s nothing like that. It’s just guys who wanted our country to win, and we were able to do it. And I think a lot of it is for them.”

Back To Work With Red Wings

There’s no rest for the winners. Larkin was back at practice with the Red Wings on Wednesday. He’ll be in the lineup Thursday in Detroit’s first post-Olympic break game at Ottawa against the Senators. Larkin figures to be facing off against his USA teammates Brady Tkachuk and Jake Sanderson.

Cap is back! pic.twitter.com/1UxxMhqlcm

— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) February 25, 2026

“It will be strange, but like all the guys, we’re bonded for life now,” Larkin said. “It’s just incredible how close of a team we were. And a lot of credit goes to the Tkachuk brothers and how they just bring everyone into battle with them.

“Everyone’s invited to everything. They’re characters, but they’re great team guys.”