Charlie McAvoy brings Long Beach to Italy as friends and family watch him win gold for U.S. hockey

Jack Hughes’ overtime goal against Canada delivered the U.S. men’s hockey team its first gold medal since 1980 on Sunday, igniting celebrations across the country.

The sense of American pride especially was felt in Long Beach, the hometown of U.S. defenseman and alternate captain Charlie McAvoy.

But about 4,000 miles away in Milan, a contingent of Long Beach residents made the trip to the Olympics to root for McAvoy and the U.S. Their experience was priceless.

“We love the McAvoys. We're pretty close with them and their family,” said Mike Mechow, 46, who attended Team USA’s last four games with his 21-year-old son, Patrick. “But me and my son were just on a mission to support the team and the country, and I never cheered as loud and as hard and got so excited as this tournament.

“And to be at the gold medal game — after the game, I'm just getting all these messages. People congratulating me like I won something and just being so excited and everyone saying, ‘What a moment. You’ll remember this for the rest of your life.’

“We were present in the moment, though. We knew this was something so special, to be able to be there at the biggest game ever.”

Nancy Black, who is friends with the Mechows, went to the Americans’ overtime win over Sweden in the quarterfinals last Wednesday and their victory over Slovakia in the semifinals last Friday. She made a last-minute decision to hop on a flight to Italy because she “knew that this was going to be a historic moment.”

“The atmosphere was thrilling,” Black said. “It was engaging. It was a proud moment. It was overwhelming. … It made you feel proud. Proud to be an American and proud to be from Long Beach watching Charlie McAvoy.”

Patrick Mechow received a call from his father around Christmas about the possibility of going to the Olympics. At first, he thought it was a joke.

“Obviously you dream about playing in the Olympics, you dream about going to the Olympics,” said Patrick, who played hockey for Long Beach High School. “But when my dad told me, I really thought he was kidding. I really had no expectations of coming to this. And then as it got closer and closer, I was like, ‘All right, I guess we really are doing this.’

“And now that we're here, it didn't feel real. While we were at the game, it didn't. I see a lot of support for the USA on social media. At home, back in Long Beach, everyone rooted for Charlie. You could really get a sense of the community about how we had his back.”

Outside of the McAvoy family, others from Long Beach who were in Milan included two of McAvoy’s friends, Mike Mechow said. Mike also said that three of his own friends were with their wives in Switzerland, and they jumped on the train for a day trip to Milan to watch the semifinals.

The Mechows estimated Sunday’s crowd was about 70% Canada fans. Patrick described it as “a sea of red,” but the U.S. fans were “probably louder somehow.” He added that the Canada fans were very respectful and congratulated them after the game.

“At the end of the game when they raised that [American] flag, that was the best national anthem I ever sang in my entire life,” Patrick said. “And we wouldn't have been able to have done it — the team, anyone — wouldn't have been able to do it without the troops, without our veterans.”

Black returned to Long Beach on Saturday. She said there is a banner on Beach Street with McAvoy’s name on it, and a lot of people went to take pictures there after the win.

“We are Long Beach proud,” she said. “We are Long Beach strong. We are a tight-knit community.”

The blizzard on Long Island meant the Mechows could not fly back as scheduled Monday morning. They plan to fly to Finland on Wednesday, then back to New York from there. But under the circumstances, being stuck abroad could not be much better.

“If we lost, I would definitely try to escape from here,” Patrick said. “But whatever, if they told me I was trapped here for a week and with a gold medal, I would take it.”

By Ben Dickson

benjamin.dickson@newsday.com@bendickson__

Ben Dickson is Newsday Sports' general assignment reporter. He joined Newsday’s high school sports staff in 2023 after graduating from Maryland, where he covered several of the Terrapins' teams.