MILAN – Dylan Larkin was still on his skates half an hour after the game ended, a gold medal around his neck. He didn’t want to take off either.
“It’s just the best feeling I’ve ever felt with these skates on,” Larkin told USA TODAY Sports. “From having my daughter to now, to the start we’ve had in Detroit. This season’s been a lot of fun and now this. There’s a lot to look forward to.”
Larkin had just helped USA win gold at the 2026 Winter Olympics, helping them go 18-for-18 on penalty kills and scoring two huge goals during the six games it took to win the biggest prize in international hockey with a 2-1 overtime victory over Canada.
“I hope we exorcised the demons,” Larkin said. “It was fitting, we had to do it against them. Hopefully there’s many more guys to win this medal because it’s such a good feeling.”
Feb. 22 was for celebrating, for singing songs in the locker room at Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena, where USA had just dispatched Canada. It was a good day for Michigan hockey players: For Larkin, the native of Waterford and captain of the Detroit Red Wings; for Connor Hellebuyck (Commerce) who made 41 saves, for Jack Hughes, who scored the winning goal, and Quinn Hughes, who led USA with eight points in six games; the brothers consider Canton their hometown and Quinn played at Michigan.
Hellebuyck was phenomenal, making 33 saves total in the second and third periods.
“He was unbelievable,” Larkin said. “Unbelievable performance. I can’t believe he gets flak for not being a big game player because he proved to the world this tournament how special he is. I got nervous before every one of these games this tournament. When you look back at him, that settles a lot of nerves. He was special tonight and what a performance.”
Larkin was asked to play more of a defensive role at the Games, to be a penalty killer and bring energy. He embraced it, earning rave reviews from coach Mike Sullivan, who is also the coach of the New York Rangers.
“We root for all the guys, but Larks in particular, he’s gone through the experience that he’s gone through in Detroit,” Sullivan said. “I think that team is becoming formidable at this point. I think they’re emerging right now, and he’s a big part of it. He’s a big part of this team. He’s a fierce competitor. He’s a terrific player on both sides of the puck. You can utilize him in so many ways.
“The thing that probably I’ve really grown to admire about him is getting to know him as a person, which you don’t get to do when you play against him in the NHL all the time. The 4 Nations experience and now the Olympics has given me an opportunity to get to know him a little bit as a person and then you realize the intangibles that he brings to the table and why he is the player that he is. He’s a great teammate. All he wants to do is win. He’s willing to embrace anything we ask of him to do so, and he’s capable in so many ways. Am I rooting for him? Absolutely.”
Now it’s back to the grind of the NHL season. Players were scheduled to leave Milan on Feb. 23 on a charter that originally was supposed to land at New York’s JFK airport, but instead is scheduled to land in Miami because of the snowstorm battering the northeast.
Larkin will get a day or two to rest up, having played six games in two weeks on top of the 58 he has played with the Wings since early October. He absorbed a crushing hit from Tom Wilson in the first period of the game against Canada, but got up right away and finished the game.
“My body was feeling good until I got that hit in the first,” Larkin said. “I’ll be okay, but it got me good.”
It was a special tournament for Larkin, one he said he had dreamed about “so many times,” since he was a kid. He had his own kid with him at the Olympics, Lennyn Marie, born last May. Larkin’s wife, Kenzy, was at the game, along with his parents, and – well, a lot of people.
“My wife’s whole family is here, ” Larkin said.” My aunt and uncle from Wisconsin. Close family friends from Waterford. My grandmother watching back in Toronto. Uncle Paul’s watching in Clarkston at his bar. It’s great.”
Now Larkin gets to go home to a Red Wings team poised to make the playoffs for the first time in 10 years. He does so as an Olympic gold medalist, having just seen up close how big-game players play when it matters most.
“These guys, they want that moment,” Larkin said. “They want the puck on their stick. They’re going to win the game. It’s special.”
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Dylan Larkin helps USA ‘exorcise the demons’ vs. Canada
