JACKSON, Wyo. — In a town full of skiers, the hockey fans showed up for an early puck drop on Sunday morning when Team USA took on Canada in the men’s hockey finals at the Milan Cortina Olympics.

Around 6 a.m., sleepy people began piling into local sports bar Eleanor’s for a 6:10 a.m. game start in the Rocky Mountain time zone. It was the last medal event of the Olympics, and the action began at 2:10 p.m. local time in Milan. For the first time since the 2014 Sochi Olympics, the NHL granted permission for players to play in the Olympics on their various national teams.

Members of the Cleveland Barons hockey team watch the US men’s hockey team compete in the gold-medal game on Sunday morning. Photo: Monica Stout // Buckrail

Coffee was flowing, and Team USA put a point on the board early in the first period. Spectators cheered and took a sigh of relief, but a tough second period with a goal from Canada had people on the edge of their seats. USA teammates Matthew and Brady Tkachuk, who are NHL players and brothers, gave the Canadians a run for their money. According to the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame Museum, the father of the Tkachuk brothers, Keith Tkachuk, is one of only two men to play hockey for Team USA at four different Winter Olympic Games, helping the Americans secure the silver medal in Salt Lake City in 2002.

News of the bar opening for the early-morning game traveled fast. The Jackson Hole Moose Hockey team’s weekend opponent, the Cleveland Barons, showed up in force to cheer on the national team. Around 60 people attended the watch party throughout the course of the game. Many buzzed about the gold-medal game that had taken place on Thursday, Feb. 19, between the USA women’s hockey team and Canada, with Team USA winning in overtime.

Spectators at the men’s Olympic hockey watch party cheer as Team USA scores the game-winning goal.
Video: Monica Stout // Buckrail

Around 8:45 a.m., regulation time ended with no goals in the third period, and the fans prepared for overtime. With a three versus three format, where each team also has a goalie, spectators speculated that a goal would likely occur quickly. Just 1:41 into overtime, USA forward Jack Hughes received a cross pass in front of the net and buried it, scoring the golden goal and triggering an eruption of cheering, yelling, jumping, hugging and high-fiving.

Photo: Monica Stout // Buckrail

The crowd eagerly watched the distribution of medals, and hats came off for the national anthem. The USA men’s hockey team had secured the gold medal for the first time since 1980. This Olympics final game came exactly 46 years after the United States beat the Soviet Union in the “Miracle on Ice” semifinal game in Lake Placid. That year, the Americans went on to beat Finland for the gold medal.

Monica is a Staff Reporter who studied journalism at Syracuse University and has been in the valley since 2015. She loves writing about the local food and bev scene, especially craft beer. When she’s not on the clock, you can find her paddle boarding, sewing, or whipping up a new recipe at home.