When American forward Jack Hughes squeaked a puck past Jordan Binnington during overtime of the Olympic Gold Medal Game on Sunday, it was more than just a goal for the United States of America. Not only was it their first Gold Medal in 46 years, but it was the first broadcast live, first scored by a National Hockey League (NHL) player and first in the era of social media.
Within minutes, everyone with an even semi-remote interest in sports knew the name ‘Jack Hughes’, bloody smile and all. His Instagram following shot up to over a million, making him the first American NHL player to ever reach that mark.
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NHL Has Huge Untapped Audience in USA
At the end of the day, while hockey has always been more popular (per capita) in Canada, a majority of the NHL’s teams reside in the U.S. — 25 of the 32, to be exact. There’s a huge untapped audience there. The 4 Nations Face-Off and its heated fisticuffs between the Americans and Canadians set the stage for extreme interest in a potential Olympic final between the two countries.
That dream finals match was almost thwarted multiple times. The U.S. got taken to the brink by Sweden, while Canada almost fell to Czechia and Finland. Nonetheless, fans got what they wanted and the results backed that up despite a start time as early as 5AM on the West Coast:
According to NBC, in the U.S., an average of 18.6 million viewers tuned in to watch. The game saw a peak viewership of 26 million. And in all likelihood, those numbers are much higher as many took the game in at local bars (in true American fashion). Here’s an example that would count as just ‘one’ of those 26 million:
Incredible scene at an Ohio bar when USA secured the gold medal pic.twitter.com/htyHvKrxV9
— Jomboy Media (@JomboyMedia) February 22, 2026
While this was all a great first step, it still remains to be seen as to what sort of long-term impact the Golden Goal will have on the American sports landscape.
A recent survey from Statista in 2025 showed that among the four major sports (NHL, National Football League — NFL, National Basketball Association — NBA and Major League Baseball — MLB), the NHL is clearly the least watched.
Find more statistics at Statista
But that was obviously before the Golden Goal swept headlines across the country; even among outlets that typically don’t cover sports. Now, NHL players and coaches hope to ride the momentum to great heights.
“I mean we know where our place is [especially] when you talk about football, baseball and basketball in particular,” said Hughes’ New Jersey Devils head coach, Sheldon Keefe. “But you know, for these types of moments, I think back to [Miracle on Ice] in 1980, I mean, there’s so many people who probably never watched a hockey game before. That [had] a push around that time. And you know, we’re in a much different place now with how the NHL and the game itself has grown. The captain of the USA [Auston Matthews] is from Scottsdale, Arizona. It’s pretty remarkable that way. I think there’s a long way to go. Jack and his teammates, how that team came together for a moment like that, it’ll go a very long way for the next wave of hockey players for sure.”
He’s right; the NHL has certainly picked up steam as time has passed. According to Sportico, the percentage of NHL players from the United States has risen from 17% in 1990 to 28% in 2026. Despite Canada leading all nations at 42%, the U.S. has been able to keep up with them (two wins in three contests since 4 Nations) in large part to their successful National Team Development Program (NTDP), which 16 of the U.S. Olympians went through.
While the other countries participating in the Olympics would have preferred they take home the Gold, in all actuality, the U.S. winning Gold — in combination with continued Olympic participation by NHL players in future years — gives the greatest chance for the NHL’s continued growth.
“Want to be an American Hero just like you!”
— Daniel Amoia (@daniel_amoia) February 25, 2026
This is the power of #NJDevils Jack Hughes’ Golden Goal.
🇺🇸🥇 pic.twitter.com/Llja55yTLB
Devils’ captain Nico Hischier, who represented Switzerland at the Olympics, said, “Ice hockey is such a great sport. At the end of the day, we all do it [because] we have a big passion for it and to inspire people — [especially] younger people. The game gives you a lot, from good times, sad times, [it’s] life school in general. Obviously, when you expand the sport, when you can reach more people, it makes us bigger and bigger. And that’s good for everyone.”
Like Keefe said, there’s still a long way to go. But right now, everyone’s talking about hockey. That’s never a bad thing. We’ll revisit down the road and see just how much of an impact the Golden Goal had.
