The focus for Buffalo Sabres fans and American hockey fans alike is still on Milan and the gold medal game. Despite some injury concerns and the feeling that he needed more playing time, there is no better feeling than seeing Tage Thompson return home draped in gold.
Though attention will shift to the path ahead for the Sabres, one can’t help but reminisce a bit after goaltender Connor Hellebuyck’s performance against the Canadians in the gold medal game. For Sabres fans, it invoked memories of another legendary performance: Sabres goaltender Dominik Hasek’s heroics in Nagano in 1998.
Hellebuyck Dominates for USA
Hellebuyck was the catalyst for Team USA against the rival Canadians on Sunday morning. He turned aside 41 of 42 shots, stonewalling names on Connor McDavid and Macklin Celebrini on breakaways.
He may have had a few “lucky” breaks go his way – like Nathan MacKinnon missing an open net – but there is no doubting that he was the difference-maker for the Americans and the reason they won gold.
His run throughout the Olympics – in 6 games, he went 6-0-0 with six total goals allowed, including limiting the high-powered Canadians to a single tally – is already the stuff of legends. It is the kind of performance that has Sabres fans thinking about Hasek’s performance in Nagano. Ironically enough, it was also the first time in a long time (ever for the 1998 Games) that NHLers were included.
Haske’s Legendary Nagano Run
The 33-year-old Hasek was already the undisputed “best goalie in the world” by the time the 1998 Nagano Games rolled around. He was in the midst of his second consecutive Hart Trophy season as league MVP, a dominant force in the crease for the Sabres.
He was even better than advertised as NHLers made their debut in the Olympics in a true “best on best” competition. Hasek went 5-1-0 in six games, a 2-1 loss to the Russians the lone blemish in an otherwise sparkling performance.
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His stats read like something out of a video game: 0.97 goals against average, 0.963 save percentage, two shutouts, 155 saves on 161 possible shots across six games. In the semifinal against a loaded Team Canada, he limited them to one goal and stonewalled five Hall of Famers in the shootout to steal the game for the Czech Republic.
Hasek turned aside all 20 shots from a stacked Russian team in the gold medal game, giving the Czechs one of the most unlikely gold medals of all-time. Though the Americans were among the heavy favorites in 2026, their gold medal win would not have happened without Hellebuyck’s heroic performance.
Legacy Performances for Both
As is the case with Hasek 28 years later, Hellebuyck’s performance is the kind of thing that will be talked about for decades to come. As his team was outplayed, Hellebuyck kept the Americans in a game that most Canadians feel is rightfully theirs.
Americans hope that it won’t be another 46 years before the gold comes back home. But for now, the legend of Connor Hellebuyck will live on as one of the greatest performances in American hockey history.
