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John Wroblewski was overcome with emotion when Team USA women’s hockey star Megan Keller deked around a Canadian defender and scored the game-winning goal to bring the Americans a gold medal on Thursday.
The NBC broadcast caught tears pouring down Wroblewski’s face as his team celebrated an incredible moment for the sport and the country at the same time.
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Head coach John Wroblewski of Team United States Megan Keller #5 of Team United States celebrate the victory after the Women’s Ice Hockey Gold Medal Game between USA and Canada (2-1 OT) on day thirteen of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games at Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena on Feb. 19, 2026 in Milan, Italy. (EyesWideOpen/Getty Images)
American Taylor Heise, who assisted on Keller’s goal, told Fox News Digital in a recent interview it was a full-circle moment for her coach.
“I saw the video yesterday (Friday), and it kind of just depicts him pretty well,” she said. “He’s an emotional guy, but he coached a lot of men’s teams and this is kind of his first women’s gig and we’ve taken him in with grace these past four years and I think he’s done wonders for this group and definitely an honor for me because the last Olympics, I got cut. He’s the first coach that gave me that chance back. He knows I’m very grateful for that. I tell him that every day.
AMERICAN WOMEN’S HOCKEY GOLD MEDALIST TAYLOR HEISE OPENS UP ON WHAT IT MEANS TO PLAY FOR TEAM USA
United States head coach John Wroblewski and Laila Edwards (10) celebrate after beating Canada in the women’s ice hockey gold medal game at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
“We hadn’t been able to really chat with him after. We had a lot of media and everything, but we’re grateful for him. He’s a guy that deserves the world because he believed in all of us and gave all these young girls a chance to show up and I think he picked the right 23 girls to be here.”
Wroblewski played in the ECHL and the American Hockey League (AHL) and coached for the Team USA Developmental Program and the AHL’s Ontario Reign before taking over the Olympic women’s team in 2022.
Heise, who will continue to play in the Professional Women’s Hockey League for the Minnesota Frost, is now something that only a few can become – a gold medalist.
United States’ Grace Zumwinkle, left, and Taylor Heise celebrate after victory ceremony for women’s ice hockey at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)
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“It’s awesome,” she said. “It’s definitely a goal of mine that I’ve had for a very long time and to now have it come true, it was definitely one of the last things on my list I wanted to check off. It’s just an unbelievable experience and the team that I got to do it with is extremely special and one of the most talented teams I’ve ever seen.”
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