As one of the first Kraken players to arrive at the rink Sunday, Matty Beniers made sure he didn’t miss Jack Hughes’ overtime winner, which sent the United States past Canada and secured Olympic gold for the first time since the “Miracle on Ice” game in 1980.
Beniers also got to brainstorm.
“No one was really here yet. So I had time to think about what I was gonna say to everyone,” the Massachusetts native said.
The 2-1 thriller had plenty of plotlines.
Hughes’ smile was broad and bloody after an errant stick damaged several of his teeth earlier in the game. Canada’s captain, Sidney Crosby, sat out. Winnipeg Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck, a three-time MVP at his position with a reputation for wilting in the playoffs, silenced critics with 41 saves.
As Beniers’ teammates — the vast majority of whom are Canadian — trickled in, they got an earful.
“I gave it to every single guy,” Beniers said. “Every single guy I saw.”
Pre-dawn hangouts are quite literally for the birds, so Beniers watched most of the early-morning game at home, in bed. He woke up sometime around 5 a.m. and took a nap at intermission.
Even with hockey history unfolding, he couldn’t be late for work. Just this season, New York Islanders coach Patrick Roy scratched star Mathew Barzal from a game as a punishment for showing up late to the rink.
With “about six minutes left,” Beniers realized he had to rush to Kraken Community Iceplex in case the game went to overtime, which of course it did.
Beniers eventually had smack-talking backup from goaltender and fellow Boston-area native Joey Daccord. Along with forward Ben Meyers and defenseman Ryan Lindgren, who are both Minnesotans, the small contingent of Kraken Americans had a very happy Sunday.
Kraken captain Jordan Eberle, a Canadian hero in his own right with an iconic World Juniors goal to his name, loves his home country as much as anyone in the Kraken locker room. Beniers said he had fun “rehashing” the huge win with his linemate.
“We’ve been taking a lot of heat around here about ‘Canada’s the best,’ and it was nice to see those guys get it done,” Beniers said.
There might have been a few friendly Kraken wagers on the game. By noon, Beniers said he had collected his winnings. What was on the table?
“Pride,” he deadpanned.
Beniers spent two years with USA Hockey’s National Team Development Program and was the youngest member of Team USA in 38 years at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing.
That was during the 12 years the NHL didn’t send its players to the Olympics, and Beniers hadn’t yet turned pro, so he was eligible. He recorded one goal and one assist in four games, helping the team to a fifth-place finish.
The hope is to return one day.
“Every U.S. player, I’m sure, wants to be in it,” Beniers said. “It’s gonna take a lot of work. But yeah, that’s the goal, to be on that team.”
Kraken forwards Eeli Tolvanen and Kaapo Kakko made it to the podium at the 2026 Winter Games. Kakko scored a goal and Tolvanen added two assists as Team Finland routed Slovakia 6-1 in the bronze-medal game. They will rejoin their NHL club soon.
Kraken goaltender Philipp Grubauer returned to practice Sunday after representing Germany, which was eliminated by Slovakia in the quarterfinals on Wednesday. He remembers watching his “idol” Olaf Kolzig man the net for Germany once upon a time. This February, it was his turn.
“Incredible feeling. Incredible experience,” Grubauer said. “I’m really honored that I got to represent Germany on this stage. The Olympics doesn’t happen too many times, right?
“We soaked it in. Obviously, not the outcome you wanted to have against Slovakia, but we had a good experience.”
Because of his own games and practice schedule, Grubauer didn’t get to catch many other games. Seeing and meeting other athletes while milling around the Olympic Village was a highlight for him.
So was getting to share the experience with his parents and German friends, who rarely get to see him play in the U.S. but were able to make the relatively short drive to Milan.
He caught Sunday’s gold-medal game, a rematch of last year’s heated 4 Nations Face-off final. Grubauer was rooting for former teammates but didn’t claim a preference between Canada and the U.S., offering up a pithy, “I hope both teams have fun.”
Though he’s “not a fan of three-on-three (overtime) hockey in a gold-medal game,” Kraken coach Lane Lambert enjoyed the action as well.
“One of the faster games, if not the fastest game, I’ve seen,” he said.
The Olympic break is almost over and the Kraken are set to take off for Dallas on Monday, part of a two-game road trip before a six-game homestand. Seattle has 26 games left to cement the franchise’s second playoff spot.
Life, and the season, moves on. But 10 years down the road, another wave of American hockey players will be talking about Feb. 22, 2026.
“I think it’s super important, super good for the game of hockey in the U.S.,” Beniers said.
“Seattle, we’re still growing, and it’s kind of young to this city. I’m sure a lot of young hockey players were watching that game like I did when I was younger, just thinking, ‘Maybe that could be me someday.’”