After Quinn Hughes' overtime winner versus Sweden, Brady Tkachuk (#9, left) salutes the crowd as the U.S. looks forward to battling Slovakia in the 2026 Olympic semi-finals.
photo: © INTERNATIONAL ICE HOCKEY FEDERATION / ANDRE RINGUETTE
The U.S. is riding high with four straight wins in the 2026 Olympic men’s hockey tournament. Yet based on history, making the semi-finals in Milan was far from a sure thing. More like a coin flip.
The Americans have lost five out of their 10 Olympic quarter-finals since the IIHF adopted the playoff system in 1992. That includes two eliminations during the “NHL Olympics” era, falling 4-1 to the eventual champion Czechs in 1998 and 4-3 to the soon-to-be-silver-medalist Finns in 2006.
So it was a sigh of relief for GM Bill Guerin and the rest of the USA Hockey braintrust when Quinn Hughes stepped up with the 2-1 overtime winner against Sweden in Wednesday’s quarter-final, setting up Friday’s semi-final showdown with Slovakia. This was a massive team-building moment.
Hughes, with a goal and five assists, leads all Olympic defencemen in scoring. The former Vancouver Canucks captain and recently acquired Minnesota Wild superstar is also tied with captain Auston Matthews for the U.S. points lead.
The oldest of the three Hughes brothers who have represented the U.S. internationally, Quinn, at 26, has elevated his Olympic performance to the level expected from the 2024 Norris Trophy winner.
“I’m glad he’s on our team,” said Wild teammate Matt Boldy, who got the puck to Hughes in sudden-death. “He’s an absolute animal, the guy who wants to have the puck, and he stepped up big.”
“Anytime he has the puck like that, he makes magic happen,” added U.S. blueliner Noah Hanifin. “And he’s just so hard to check, especially in 3-on-3 when there’s that much room on the ice. He’s such a great skater. He gets on his edges. It’s just his mindset, his confidence. He impacts the game.”
Remarkably, Hughes has already gotten more points in four Olympic games than he did in 18 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship games in 2018 and 2019, where he totalled five assists. He looks driven to excel on the biggest stage while playing with – and in front of – family.
Brady Tkachuk, the captain of the Ottawa Senators, is a longtime close friend of Hughes. At these Games, they are both relishing the opportunity to play with their brothers.
The Americans have lost five out of their 10 Olympic quarter-finals since the IIHF adopted the playoff system in 1992. That includes two eliminations during the “NHL Olympics” era, falling 4-1 to the eventual champion Czechs in 1998 and 4-3 to the soon-to-be-silver-medalist Finns in 2006.
So it was a sigh of relief for GM Bill Guerin and the rest of the USA Hockey braintrust when Quinn Hughes stepped up with the 2-1 overtime winner against Sweden in Wednesday’s quarter-final, setting up Friday’s semi-final showdown with Slovakia. This was a massive team-building moment.
Hughes, with a goal and five assists, leads all Olympic defencemen in scoring. The former Vancouver Canucks captain and recently acquired Minnesota Wild superstar is also tied with captain Auston Matthews for the U.S. points lead.
The oldest of the three Hughes brothers who have represented the U.S. internationally, Quinn, at 26, has elevated his Olympic performance to the level expected from the 2024 Norris Trophy winner.
“I’m glad he’s on our team,” said Wild teammate Matt Boldy, who got the puck to Hughes in sudden-death. “He’s an absolute animal, the guy who wants to have the puck, and he stepped up big.”
“Anytime he has the puck like that, he makes magic happen,” added U.S. blueliner Noah Hanifin. “And he’s just so hard to check, especially in 3-on-3 when there’s that much room on the ice. He’s such a great skater. He gets on his edges. It’s just his mindset, his confidence. He impacts the game.”
Remarkably, Hughes has already gotten more points in four Olympic games than he did in 18 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship games in 2018 and 2019, where he totalled five assists. He looks driven to excel on the biggest stage while playing with – and in front of – family.
Brady Tkachuk, the captain of the Ottawa Senators, is a longtime close friend of Hughes. At these Games, they are both relishing the opportunity to play with their brothers.
Matthew Tkachuk, Brady’s older brother, is an assistant captain and two-time Stanley Cup champion with the Florida Panthers. And of course, Jack Hughes, Quinn’s younger brother and the first overall pick in the 2019 NHL Draft, is an elite scorer with the New Jersey Devils. All are seeking their first gold medal in senior men’s IIHF competition as the U.S. aims to end an Olympic drought dating back to the 1980 “Miracle on Ice” in Lake Placid.
“I think it's just a unique experience for all of us,” Tkachuk told IIHF.com. “Just to be able to play for your country and with a family member, with your best friend that you grew up with, those are memories that you'll have forever.”
Surviving mental and physical challenges is a big part of any Olympic playoff hockey run. According to Brady Tkachuk, rallying to beat Sweden after Tre Kronor’s Mika Zibanejad tied the game up with 91 seconds left in regulation time could be a pivotal moment, bringing the U.S. team even closer together.
“It was a blow, and you’ve got to handle that, get your mind back in a good spot,” he said. “You’ve just got to believe that it happened for a reason and test out the adversity a little bit. In the grand scheme of things, I’m almost glad that it happened, because it really tested us. Now we’re even better than we were before that situation.”
Coach Mike Sullivan’s Americans have outscored opponents 18-6 and have the tournament’s second-best power play (3-for-9, 33.3 percent) after Canada. They must stay committed at both ends and keep delivering on special teams to beat the inspired, youth-driven Slovaks.
“I just know [the Slovaks] are playing really good hockey now,” said Jack Hughes, who has four points so far. “They’ve beaten a lot of good teams, so we’re going have to gear up and be ready to play them. You know, the Swedes are one of the best teams here, so that's a great win for us, and we want to keep it going against the Slovaks.”
“From playing them at past World Championships and stuff like that, they’re hard to play against,” Boldy said. “Got a lot of offence, but they’re pretty committed to their system, and they make it really hard. So it should be an exciting one.”
“I think it's just a unique experience for all of us,” Tkachuk told IIHF.com. “Just to be able to play for your country and with a family member, with your best friend that you grew up with, those are memories that you'll have forever.”
Surviving mental and physical challenges is a big part of any Olympic playoff hockey run. According to Brady Tkachuk, rallying to beat Sweden after Tre Kronor’s Mika Zibanejad tied the game up with 91 seconds left in regulation time could be a pivotal moment, bringing the U.S. team even closer together.
“It was a blow, and you’ve got to handle that, get your mind back in a good spot,” he said. “You’ve just got to believe that it happened for a reason and test out the adversity a little bit. In the grand scheme of things, I’m almost glad that it happened, because it really tested us. Now we’re even better than we were before that situation.”
Coach Mike Sullivan’s Americans have outscored opponents 18-6 and have the tournament’s second-best power play (3-for-9, 33.3 percent) after Canada. They must stay committed at both ends and keep delivering on special teams to beat the inspired, youth-driven Slovaks.
“I just know [the Slovaks] are playing really good hockey now,” said Jack Hughes, who has four points so far. “They’ve beaten a lot of good teams, so we’re going have to gear up and be ready to play them. You know, the Swedes are one of the best teams here, so that's a great win for us, and we want to keep it going against the Slovaks.”
“From playing them at past World Championships and stuff like that, they’re hard to play against,” Boldy said. “Got a lot of offence, but they’re pretty committed to their system, and they make it really hard. So it should be an exciting one.”