The 2026 Winter Olympics are officially over. The United States placed second overall behind Norway for total medals earned with 33. Beyond the hardware, the athletes had many moments to look back on with pride. Here are the top ten storylines to take away from the Milan Cortina Olympics:
- Men’s hockey is golden for the first time in 46 years
New Jersey Devils forward Jack Hughes delivered the decisive moment for Team USA, scoring the overtime winner against Canada. The dramatic finish encapsulated the long wait for the country to win gold again.
Reigning NHL MVP and Vezina trophy winner Connor Hellebuyck had a performance for the ages, stopping 41 of 42 shots. His sublime stick save on defender Devon Toews was one of the best the tournament has ever seen.
Following the defeats to Canada in the 4 Nations Face-Off last year and in overtime at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, the U.S. got their must-needed breakthrough.
- Women’s hockey win over Canada was the most-watched women’s hockey game ever
It’s pretty remarkable that both the men’s and women’s hockey team overcame Canada by a score of 2-1 in overtime. Only in this game did Team USA come back from a deficit.
Captain Hilary Knight came to the rescue with 2:04 left in regulation to tie the game, and then defenseman Megan Keller pulled off an impressive deke and backhand goal in overtime that won the U.S. their third gold medal in history.
On top of the come-from-behind win, the sport gained significant attention from this single game. The contest set a record number of people who tuned in, peaking at 7.7 million viewers in overtime—an optimistic note to a popularity that continues to surge.
- Most gold medals in U.S Winter Olympics history
Team USA as a whole earned 12 gold medals, which is the most in a single Winter Olympics for the nation. The first places came from a range of individual and team performances all combining for this fantastic feat.
- Alysa Liu’s figure skating standout performance
Liu stepped away from the sport she loved at 16-years old after winning a bronze medal at the 2022 World Championships, returning two years later—this time with a different plan.
Preparing for the winter games, she wanted to skate freely. In her own way. Her approach focused on being joyful and unique rather than simply winning medals.
The UCLA student made history, becoming the first American woman to earn an individual figure skating gold medal at the Olympics since Sarah Hughes in 2002.
- Breezy Johnson’s remarkable return
Weeks before the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, Johnson suffered a knee injury in a crash that ended her hopes earlier than expected. The Alpine skier made the devastation and recovery worth it, earning the first medal in her career.
Competing in downhill, she secured the title to be the first gold medalist for the U.S. at these Olympic games. She also finished with the best time in the downhill skiing portion of the team event, but unfortunately did not win a medal.
- Ogden ends half-century drought
26-year-old Ben Ogden captured silver in the cross-country skiing sprint with a time of 3:40.61, which was less than a second behind the almighty Johannes Høsflot Klæbo.
The runner-up has been a member of the U.S. Cross Country Ski team since 2019. This was only Ogden’s second Olympics and he already made history, placing on the podium as an American for the first time since Bill Koch in 1976.
- Mixed doubles curling brilliance
Team USA has never won a medal in curling mixed doubles. That was until Cory Thiesse and Korey Dropkin showed up.
The duo formed shortly after failing to qualify for the 2022 Winter Olympics on different teams. The partnership has swiftly surfaced as a wrecking force in the sport, winning the U.S. National championship in 2023 and 2025 along with the 2023 World Mixed Doubles championship.
Taking down the defending gold medalists, Italy, the two advanced to the gold medal game where they won silver medals against Sweden.
- Meyers Taylor grabs gold
Elana Meyers Taylor previously won three silver and two bronze medals in four winter games, before finally topping the table in nail-biting fashion.
The American won by 0.04 seconds in the women’s monobob event, outlasting Germany’s Laura Nolte. With the win, Meyers Taylor tied speed skater Bonnie Blair as the most decorated U.S. woman in the Winter Olympics with six medals.
- Shiffrin reclaims dominance
Mikaela Shiffrin went on an emotional rollercoaster during her Olympic journey. From wanting to “melt off the face of the Earth” in Beijing to winning gold in Milan, the skier has definitely come a long way.
Shiffrin has won the most World Cups of any alpine skier in history, is the most decorated American athlete for the sport and reached 100 victories in her career. In a league of her own, the gold medal in the slalom event was yet another reminder of how talented she is.
- Jordan Stolz finishes as most decorated American athlete
The 21-year-old speed skater reached the podium, not once, not twice, but three times at the winter games.
Stolz didn’t simply settle with two gold medals—one in the men’s 500-meters and another in 1000-meters—along with a silver in the 1500-meters event; he also set two Olympic records.
