Thursday, October 1, 2026
Long Beach pride is shining as bright as gold thanks to hometown hero Charlie McAvoy and Team USA. The national men’s hockey team captured the gold medal at the 2026 Winter Olympics with a nail-biting overtime win to beat Team Canada 2 to 1.
The medal is the first US gold in men’s hockey since the “Miracle on Ice,” when Team USA earned a hard-fought win over the Soviet Union on Feb 22, 1980 — marking 46 years, to the day, that the men’s USA team captured gold.
"Long Beach couldn’t be prouder of our hometown and American hero, Charlie McAvoy," said Council Member Michael Reinhart on behalf of the Long Beach City Council. "From the Long Beach Ice Arena to the world stage — congratulations to Charlie and Team USA on a historic and emotional win that brings the gold home to the US for the first time in 46 years and for the very first time to Long Beach! U.S.A.!"
McAvoy is a Long Beach native who, at 4 years old, began playing hockey for the Long Beach Apple Core team at the Ice Arena. He attended both Long Beach Middle and High Schools before moving to Michigan to participate in the US National Team Development program. After playing two seasons for Boston University, McAvoy was drafted by the Boston Bruins and has played in the NHL since 2016.
One day before the final Olympic match-up, Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman shared his thoughts in hopeful anticipation of a victory. “We are extremely proud. He’s an amazing athlete. What could be better than a gold medalist in Nassau County?” Blakeman said. “We’re going to be rooting really, really hard. I’ll be up early tomorrow morning, I’ll get my hot coffee and I’ll be rooting as hard as we can.”
McAvoy and Team USA apparently felt the county’s support behind them, as Matt Boldy scored a goal early in the first period, giving Team USA a quick lead. Canada fought back and tied the score in the second. During a tense third period, McAvoy, a defenseman, played a key role in helping to avert several attempts on goal. At one point, McAvoy positioned himself behind goalie Connor Hellebuyck to stifle a Canadian attack.
John Kelly, a Long Beach local, had insight on Charlie McAvoy — both junior and senior. “I played hockey with Charlie McAvoy’s father years ago down here in Long Beach,” Kelly said of Charlie Sr., who operates the family’s four-generation-strong plumbing business. “I saw Charlie [Junior] play at the Ice Arena. I went to Boston University and saw him play there a couple of times. But this is awesome.”
Many local restaurants and bars opened early on Sunday morning to air the Milan Cortina Games at 8:10 a.m. local time — 2:10 p.m. for the players in Italy. At Billy’s Beach Cafe on West Park Avenue, the crowd was packed around the bar, tables were filled and it was standing room only as more than a dozen televisions broadcast the game. The Long Beach community was more than enthusiastic to get behind their local Olympic athlete and the victory triggered echoing chants of “U.S.A! U.S.A!”
“Long Beach has, probably, their first gold medal in the Olympics and we got to experience this with all our friends and family here in Long Beach,” said resident Keith DeSantis. “Watching this unfold today was amazing.”
