For the first time in 46 years and just the third time ever, the United States has claimed Olympic men's hockey gold.
Jack Hughes scored the winner in a 2-1 overtime victory on Sunday as the U.S. came out on top over Canada in Milan.
It was the 20th all-time Olympic meeting between the two nations.
The Americans last won gold in 1980, when the "Miracle on Ice" team triumphed at Lake Placid, N.Y. Sunday's win came 46 years to the day after the U.S. upset the five-time Olympic champion Soviet Union 4-3 in that semifinal.
U.S. forward Matt Boldy opened the game's scoring in the first period, Canadian defenceman Cale Makar tied things up 1-1 with 1:44 remaining in the second, and Hughes ultimately scored the winner in three-on-three overtime.
U.S. goaltender Connor Hellebuyck stood tall for his team throughout the contest, recording 41 saves on 42 shots against.
"It's really disappointing, especially with the group we had. The whole time, we believed in ourselves. We had lots of chances, I had lots of chances I missed. You get put in those situations, you have to capitalize on your opportunities, and I didn't," said Canada forward Macklin Celebrini, of North Vancouver, B.C.
"We went through a lot. We're all going to remember this time, but unfortunately, it's going to be more motivational than celebration."
The silver medal is Canada's sixth in Olympic history.
Finland claimed the bronze on Saturday with a 6-1 victory over Slovakia.
The men's result mirrored the U.S. women, who also defeated Canada 2-1 in overtime to win gold on Thursday.
Canada played the final without captain Sidney Crosby, sidelined by a lower-body injury sustained when his right leg bent awkwardly in the quarterfinal win over Czechia.
He also missed the 3-2 semifinal victory over Finland on Friday, with Connor McDavid serving as captain in his absence.
Canada had previously beaten the United States for Olympic gold in 2002 and 2010, and defeated the Americans in overtime in last year’s 4 Nations Face-Off final.
The silver leaves Canada with 21 medals at the Games, eighth in the overall standings behind Norway (41), the United States (33), and host Italy (30).
--with files from The Canadian Press
