Jack Hughes (second from the right) lost teeth in the Olympic men's ice hockey final

Milan (Italy) (AFP) - Jack Hughes lost his front teeth before scoring the overtime goal that gave the USA Olympic ice hockey gold for the first time for 46 years on Sunday.

Hughes took a high stick to the mouth from Canada’s Sam Bennett in the third period at the Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena.

The USA failed to convert on the resulting four-minute power play, but Hughes then hit the winner in overtime.

The 24-year-old picked up an inch-perfect pass from Zach Werenski to beat Canadian goaltender Jordan Binnington 1min 41sec into overtime.

“Yeah, I mean, like my first thought was draw the penalty,” Hughes said after the game.

“Actually, my first thought was I looked down the ice and saw my teeth. I was like, here we go again.”

Hughes said he feared he had cost the USA the gold.

“I pictured myself on a barstool being the guy that America hates because Canada scores in the power play. I was like, oh my God, here it is.

“I’m just glad we got out of that pickle I put us in.”

The Americans won the men’s Olympic ice hockey gold since the ‘Miracle on Ice’ victory over the Soviet Union at the 1980 Lake Placid Games.