MILAN (AP) — Quinn and Jack Hughes watched the U.S. women’s hockey team beat Canada in overtime in the Olympic gold medal game Thursday night in a thriller that showed what the sport could look like for Hillary Knight and her likely successor, Leila Edwards.
The Hughes brothers had a family interest in the matter. Their mother, Ellen, works as a player development consultant in the women’s tournament.
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“Happy for her, happy for everyone on the team and the coaching staff,” Quinn Hughes said. “You know it’s going to be a tough game, but I think they deserve it.”
Players from both teams also got to know each other by hanging out in the athletes’ village, which added to their interest, Jack said.
“All of us, obviously, are excited for them,” Jack Hughes said. “It’s all about the girls and we’re really excited for them.”
Quinn Hughes said JT Miller also had his daughter with him while the rest of the men’s team watched from down the hall in the Village treatment room they shared with the women’s team. Megan Keller’s overtime goal was cause for celebration.
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“We were going crazy,” Dylan Larkin said. “It’s a really cool moment, great for them. It’s a great story for Megan Keller: a Michigan girl, very proud of her. It’s a great moment for USA Hockey.”
Coach Mike Sullivan spoke after the team’s game day skate and began by congratulating the women’s team. There’s also staff relations: Assistant John Hynes worked with women’s coach John Wroblewski in the U.S. national team development program.
“We talked about it last night; we talked about it again this morning,” Sullivan said. “It’s so exciting. These girls, what a great hockey team, they’re going to be an inspiration to the next generation of girls growing up in America… We couldn’t be more proud of them.”
The U.S. women’s team defeated their opponents 33-2 to win the gold medal. The U.S. men’s team, also undefeated, will face Slovakia in Friday night’s semifinals, and Sullivan hopes his team can be inspired by what the women’s team has accomplished.
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“There’s no doubt about it,” Sullivan said. “You look at how dominant they were throughout the tournament and before that, it’s one of the best women’s teams I think I’ve ever seen. We’re certainly eager to do the same thing on the men’s side.”
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AP Winter Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics
