Dive into the emotional journey of a team united by purpose, overcoming rivals and honoring fallen teammates in a victory for the ages.



One of the driving forces behind the USA men’s hockey team’s first gold medal in more than four decades is a defenseman who is bold in his Christian faith and says he plays to glorify God, not man.

Jaccob Slavin is an 11-year NHL veteran with the Carolina Hurricanes who helped propel the American men to a historic gold medal, capped by a thrilling 2–1 overtime victory over Canada on Sunday – exactly 46 years to the day after the United States’ iconic 1980 Olympic triumph over the Soviet Union, the last year the Americans captured gold.

Slavin was a key part of an American defense that killed all three Canadian power plays and finished the tournament a perfect 18-for-18 on the penalty kill. Open about his Christian beliefs, he lists Galatians 1:10 on his social media profile and often speaks about his faith in interviews. He also penned a devotional for Compassion International’s The Race Set Before Us.

“Hockey is just a tool that I get to use as a platform to glorify Him,” he told Colorado’s 9News before the gold medal game.

He added that Galatians 1:10 is his life verse.

“If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ,” he said. “... That’s been my verse throughout my whole career, because it just reminds me of my purpose. It's not to impress man. It's not to impress coaches or players or management or anybody. It's just solely just to be a servant of Christ and to glorify Him. …. It keeps me grounded in what my purpose is in playing the game of hockey.”

Slavin isn’t the only Christian on a team that has captivated the attention of the nation. Others include Tage Thompson of the Buffalo Sabres, a forward who scored three goals during the tournament.

Sunday’s game had the makings of a movie – not only because it was played on the anniversary of the most celebrated contest in U.S. hockey history, but also because it unfolded on the sport’s biggest stage against America’s fiercest rival – a nation that had defeated the United States in last year’s high-profile Four Nations Face-Off.

The winning goal came in hockey’s sudden-death overtime, where the first team to score wins. That tally – dubbed a “golden goal” – came off the stick of American Jack Hughes, a 24-year-old forward who had lost a tooth earlier in the game after taking a high stick but shook it off and erupted in celebration when his shot found the back of the net.

“This is all about our country right now,” Hughes told NBC during a post-game interview. “I love the USA. I love my teammates. It's unbelievable. The USA hockey brotherhood is so strong. I'm so proud to be an American today.”

That cinematic moment tugged again at America’s emotions when the team invited the children of former Team USA player Johnny Gaudreau onto the ice for a team photo. Gaudreau was killed in 2024, along with his brother Matthew, in a crash caused by a drunk driver. They were riding bicycles.

“To be able to get it done like that, to win, to have his jersey out there in the team photo, have his kids come out and be with us, we're obviously thinking of him,” Auston Matthews, the team captain, told ESPN. “Just felt like the impact that he's had on so many guys in this room is special. He was with us in spirit the whole tournament.”

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