Team USA can thank the Minnesota Wild for its gold medal in Milan

For only the third time in Olympic hockey history, Team USA watched as the American flag was raised into the rafters above all others. A gold medal is coming home to the United States exactly 46 years to the day after the Miracle on Ice team pulled off the same feat, and once again the state of Minnesota deserves its fair share of the credit.

While this victory won't usurp the 1980 team's defeat of the Soviet Union as a load bearing moment in American sports history, the win over Canada in these Olympics ranks not far behind. It's an echo is that game, as the gold medal in Italy is the culmination of the rise of hockey in the States to the powerful brotherhood of talent we saw on the ice in Milan.

Jack Hughes scored the game-winning goal, and Connor Hellebuyck carried the team on his back with a heroic performance, but Team USA doesn't get in the position for those guys to have their moment without Minnesota Hockey leading the way.

USA Hockey's journey to a gold medal began in the State of Hockey

The Hughes brothers are runaway stars from these Olympic Games, but Jack's goal against Canada wasn't the only signature moment of the tournament. If Quinn Hughes hadn't scored a game-winning goal in overtime against Sweden a few days earlier, the Americans would have gone home empty-handed.

Quinn was all over the ice the entire tournament, from the qualifying round right through the final game. He finished his first Olympics by becoming the first American player to record a six-game pointstreak, breaking a tie with former Wild Zach Parise. He also finished as the leading defensive scorer among all players in Milan and ranked third in assists.

It's safe to say that Quinnesota has gone global.

Lest we forget how the gold medal game started. Matt Boldy scored the first of two USA goals, and without his play in the first period, the Americans wouldn't have been in a position to walk off Canada in overtime.

While he was one of the more unassuming players at the Olympics, considering the spotlight on the Hughes and Tkachuk brothers, Boldy was electric on offense. He finished the tournament among the Top 10 players in Shots on Goal, energy that Wild fans will be happy to see him being back to Minnesota when he returns.

Hughes and Boldy were essential to Team USA not just winning gold in Milan, but reaching that final game. So was Brock Faber, who was a defensive menace and had a few key breakups on Conor McDavid that helped save the day.

Of course the biggest credit goes to the man upstairs: Bill Gurein. He drew his fair share of heat leading into the Olympics for some of his controversial roster decisions, but every move he made ended up being the right choice.

The fact that Dallas Stars fans are peeved over the exclusion of Jason Robertson adds a little extra for Wild fans.

Guerin was validated more than any other member of Team USA. If this wouldn't have worked and the Americans went home without a medal, let alone gold, it would rank among one of the biggest disasters we've seen.

That didn't happen, though, and the incredible year he's having -- from trading for Quinn Hughes to constructing a gold medal roster -- continues.

What won't continue is the Americans' journey at the Olympics, but it ended in a place not many were giving the team credit for potentially reaching. There were heroes all over the roster, and images such as the iconic Hellebuyck save or Jack's bloody and toothless smile after his golden goal will be etched into our memories forever.

So too will the fact that America's latest great Olympic triumph on ice leads back to the State of Hockey.