It was a special evening in downtown Buffalo on Tuesday night as the Sabres honored forward Tage Thompson for his historic gold medal run with Team USA at the 2026 Milan Winter Olympics.
Before puck drop, the fans gave Thompson a great reception along with American teammates — and Tuesday's opponents from Vegas — Jack Eichel and Noah Hanifin.
Thompson's family joined him for the ceremonial puck drop before the night was made even more memorable thanks to his game-winning goal in a 3-2 Sabres win — their fourth straight.
“Awesome reception from the crowd, and it meant a lot to me and everyone in here, and to score, obviously, and hear the crowd, that was probably the loudest I’ve heard it here," Thompson said after the game. "Really cool and obviously a big goal in that time of the game.”
"So cool my family got to be there for the puck drop, I had no idea that was happening," he added
The Sabres handed out TNT towels — his nickname earned from his explosive shot — to each fan in attendance, adding to the sold-out atmosphere and making it feel like a playoff game.
This wasn't the first honoree celebration since winning gold; Thompson and Team USA met with President Donald Trump at the White House shortly after the victory.
"Everyone in that locker room is a patriot," Thompson said. "We love the country. Every time you put on that jersey, it's the best feeling in the world to represent your country and the men and women who fought for your country. We get to enjoy such great lives here, and it is because of those men and women. I couldn't be more proud to be an American and do it with the group of guys that we had. Going to the White House was such an honor and a very cool experience that we will probably never get to do again."
The Sabres, who sit in second place in their division, get set to continue their journey to end an NHL-record 14-year playoff drought with a matchup Thursday at Pittsburgh.
