Team USA won the gold — and the fight.
The U.S. National Junior Team secured a big win on ice on Friday, beating host Sweden 6-2 in Gothenburg in the gold medal game of the IIHF World Junior Championship.
But along the way, Lane Hutson, a Boston University defenseman and Montreal Canadiens prospect, decided to give Sweden a late-game whooping when a fight broke out with the Americans leading by four with only 31 seconds left in the rout.
Swedish players Liam Ohgren and Anton Johansson dropped Jimmy Snuggerud, which prompted Hutson to skate over and entice Johansson into a fight.
Huston, listed at 5 foot 10 and 160 pounds, rushed over and immediately confronted fellow 19-year-old Johansson, who is 6 foot 4 and 190 pounds.
Hutson straight-up bullied the larger Detroit Red Wings prospect, immediately popping him with consecutive straight right crosses.
Johansson charged into Hutson, electing not to use his height advantage and fight from a distance, leaving the opportunity for Hutson, looking to land what may have been a left hook, to take him down with his left hand and stuff the Swede into the ice, which ended the confrontation.
“People think Lane can’t take that but he’s strong as hell. We knew Lane was going to take that.” U.S. defenseman Zeev Buium said after the game, according to The Athletic.
The win marked the sixth gold medal for the Americans in the highly prestigious under-20 tournament and their first since 2021.
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