Lightning's Jake Guentzel Reflects on Team USA Ending Olympic Drought

Jake Guentzel was a happy man when reporters caught up with him yesterday. The Lightning forward was in a much more relaxed mood as he reflected on perhaps the biggest game of his life. After all, just four days ago, he bagged a gold medal at the 2026 Winter Olympics.

The significance of that overtime victory wasn't lost on Guentzel. The Tampa Bay winger could still feel the elation when Team USA got the golden goal as they defeated Canada on February 21. The victory gave them their first gold in men's hockey in 46 years, ending a drought since the Miracle on Ice of 1980.

New Jersey Devils forward Jack Hughes scored the overtime winner to end the tournament. Guentzel admitted he struggled to remember his exact reaction when Hughes buried the game-winning goal past Jordan Binnington.

"I wish I could remember," Guentzel said, according to the team. "I kind of blacked out with excitement. Just the relief; you're pretty nervous going into overtime there, so it was a lot of relief."

But while Hughes might have been the poster boy for Team USA's victory, Guentzel didn't fail to pull his weight for the national.

With 17 minutes on ice, the 31-year-old brought the veteran presence and grit that his team needed in the gold medal game. Against a Canadian side that steamrolled through the opposition, the Lightning forward got the most of his time.

Destined for Gold Medal

To Guentzel, their victory also felt a bit prophetic. While the preliminary games saw them dominate all their opponents, their subsequent performances in the playoffs proved why Team USA deserved the gold around their necks. Not to mention, they also stood as the only undefeated side in the tourney.

Feb 22, 2026; Milan, Italy; Jake Guentzel of the United States controls the puck against Connor McDavid of Canada during the men's ice hockey gold medal game during the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games at Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena. Mandatory Credit: James Lang-Imagn Images | James Lang-Imagn Images

Their tournament run included a 2-1 overtime victory over Sweden in the quarterfinals, a 6-2 semifinal win against Finland, and the dramatic overtime triumph over Canada in the gold medal game. Guentzel scored one goal in six games and finished plus-two.

"Right from the start of this tournament we felt like we were destined to win," Guentzel said. "We felt like we had the team to win. It was an unbelievable group to be a part of."

Comparing Championships

Guentzel is no stranger to winning big games. In an ironic way, the forward was part of the Pittsburgh Penguins roster under Sidney Crosby that lifted the Stanley Cup in 2017. But while his long career spans three teams and multiple playoff runs, none came close to what he achieved with Team USA.

"They're both unbelievably special, and it's hard to point to one or the other," Guentzel said of the Stanley Cup and Olympic gold.

But what made this gold medal even sweeter for the Lightning winger was that the men weren't alone in lifting the trophy. Just days before, the women's side had defeated the Canada Women's Hockey Team, with an identical scoreline of 2-1 with an overtime winner. The similar circumstances made the double sweep one for the ages.

“But when you get to do it for your country, and especially against Canada in that kind of environment and that kind of game after the women did it too before — we went there to go for 2-for-2 with the men and the women, and we did that," he continued "So it's pretty cool for us to do it for the first time in history.”

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