It was a storybook ending for the U.S. Women’s Hockey Team on Thursday. Four years after falling to Canada in the Olympic final in Beijing, the Americans returned the favor — defeating Canada 2-1 in overtime to capture gold at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan.
The win marked just the third time Team USA has captured Olympic gold in women’s hockey, and each time it has come at the expense of archrival Canada.
Lightning defenseman Ryan McDonagh knows what representing his country on the Olympic stage means. A key member of the U.S. team that competed at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, McDonagh was also invited to Team USA’s orientation camp in August 2025 ahead of the 2026 Winter Olympic Games.
But beyond his hockey resume, McDonagh is a dad cheering on his little girl, who has fallen in love with the game herself.
“It was so fun to follow along with the U.S. Women’s team, and whenever we got a chance, we had the game on,” McDonagh said. “And certainly Falan watched the gold medal game. It was really exciting.”
Falan McDonagh plays girls hockey in the Tampa Bay area and has served as Thunder Kid before Tampa Bay Lightning games. She has joined her dad on a number of special occasions, including recently before the NHL Stadium Series.
“She definitely loves it, and her eyes were wide open watching that game and seeing the celebration and the gold medals go around their necks,” said McDonagh. “She’s very young, but she's got big aspirations because of great role models like them.”
A record number of viewers tuned in to watch Team USA rally to stun Canada and claim gold in Milan. NBC announced that an average of 5.3 million people watched the United States’ 2-1 overtime win on USA Network and Peacock, making it the most-watched women’s hockey game on record. The audience peaked at 7.7 million viewers during overtime.
“Congratulations to the U.S. women — that team had a heck of an Olympics. We’re really proud of their effort,” McDonagh said. “It’s inspiring for young girls all over this country, and they’ve done a great job of representing our country in the finest fashion.”