02/13/26 17:41
Canada dominates Switzerland 5-1 in men’s hockey round-robin
- Grant Robertson
Connor McDavid was everywhere for Canada in the men's second round-robin win.Hassan Ammar/The Associated Press
Team Canada men’s hockey defeated the Swiss 5-1 in a game that was fast-paced and more physical than the opening 5-0 win over Czechia last night.
Connor McDavid was everywhere for Canada – scoring, playmaking and, to the surprise of his teammates, dishing out a devastating hit.
The Edmonton Oilers captain put Canada on the board just over six minutes into the game, scoring on Swiss goaltender Akira Schmid off a bullet of a pass through the slot from Nathan MacKinnon.
With just over nine minutes to go in the first period, McDavid lifted a saucer pass across the ice to defenceman Thomas Harley who took a few strides toward the net and snapped the puck in to make it 2-0.
The Swiss responded a few minutes later with a power-play goal by Pius Suter off a rebound from Sven Andrighetto’s shot glancing off Thompson’s glove and then the crossbar.
Late in the second period, 19-year-old Macklin Celebrini scored his second goal of the tournament, putting Canada up 3-1 with an assist from MacKinnon
Canada made if 4-1 with 12:32 to go in the third period, when Mitch Marner sent a pass through traffic to Sidney Crosby who tipped it into the net.
Late in the third period, Nathan MacKinnon made it 5-1, on assists from McDavid and Celebrini.
Unbeaten so far, with 10 goals for and just one goal against in two games, Canada next plays France on Sunday.
02/13/26 17:06
Malinin misses men’s figure-skating medal after shocking collapse; Gogolev places 5th
- Robyn Doolittle
Team USA's Ilia Malinin falls during the free skate.Amanda Perobelli/Reuters
America’s Ilia Malinin, the Quad God, showed his mortality tonight, falling numerous times in his free program and popping multiple jumps, including a planned quadruple axel.
At the end of his program he broke down and appeared stunned on the ice, finishing in eighth place.
In an unbelievable outcome, Kazakhstan’s Mikhail Shaidorov emerged the Olympic champion. He entered the free program fifth place about 15 points behind then first-place Malinin. Japan’s Yuma Kagiyama and Sato Shun were silver and bronze.
Meanwhile, Canada’s Stephen Gogolev pulled off Canada’s best showing in Olympic men’s figure skating since Patrick Chan won silver at the 2014 Games. And in fact, had the second highest free program score of the night in an event where a number of the top performers struggled to stay on their feet.
Gogolev produced a season’s best score of 273.78, which was not enough to close a deficit after the short program. He finished fifth, still an incredible result for an Olympic debut.
“I think it’s definitely a special moment that I will cherish for the rest of my life. I’m over joyed with emotions right now,” he said afterwards.
02/13/26 16:51
Celebrini extends Canada’s lead over Switzerland to 3-1 after 2nd period
- Paul Attfield
Macklin Celebrini celebrates after scoring a goal in the second period.Bruce Bennett/Getty Images
Macklin Celebrini scored his second goal in as many Olympic games as Team Canada men restored their two-goal lead in the second period against Switzerland, taking a 3-1 lead into the final 20 minutes.
The 19-year-old winger, the youngest player on Team Canada, one-timed a pass from Nathan MacKinnon past the short side of Swiss goaltender Akira Schmid at the 4:14 mark of the second period. Celebrini, the fourth-leading scorer in the National Hockey League, had opened Canada’s account in the 5-0 win over Czechia on Thursday.
Team Canada really started to lean into its heavy skill advantage in the game’s middle stanza, outshooting the Swiss 14-6 to establish a 27-16 edge over the first 40 minutes.
Early goals from Connor McDavid and Thomas Harley had staked Canada to a 2-0 lead inside 11 minutes, but the Swiss grabbed one back through Pius Suter, who beat Logan Thompson in the Canadian net.
02/13/26 16:28
Gogolev clinches top-8 finish in men’s figure skating
- Globe Staff
Stephen Gogolev competes during the men's free program.Natacha Pisarenko/The Associated Press
Canadian figure-skater Stephen Gogolev will finish in the top-eight in the men’s individual event after his performance in the medal-deciding free program.
The 21-year-old was in 10th place after the short program, but today’s free dance earned a score of 186.37 to put him in fourth place with four skaters left to go.
Reigning two-time world champion Ilia Malinin of the U.S. is the favourite to win the gold, and a more than five-point separates the “Quad God” from Japan’s Yuma Kagiyama in second place.
02/13/26 16:13
Canadian slider Brusic finishes 24th in men’s skeleton
Josip Brusic arrives at the finish of today's third run.Aijaz Rahi/The Associated Press
Skeleton athlete Josip Brusic has completed his Olympic debut, finishing 24th in the men’s event.
Brusic, from Okotoks, Alta., finished roughly nine seconds behind the eventual winner and gold medallist, Matt Weston from Great Britain.
German athletes Axel Jungk and Christopher Grotheer won silver and bronze, respectively.
- The Canadian Press
02/13/26 15:53
Canada up 2-1 over Switzerland after 1st with McDavid, Harley goals
- Paul Attfield
Connor McDavid scores his first Olympic goal.Marton Monus/Reuters
Connor McDavid picked up right where he left off Thursday, scoring the first and setting up the second as Team Canada men established a 2-1 lead over Switzerland after the first period in Milan.
McDavid, who paced the team with three assists against Czechia, found the back of the net less than six minutes into today’s game. With Canada on the power play, Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar worked the puck to an unmarked McDavid, and the Edmonton Oilers captain made no mistake, beating Akira Schmid for his first Olympic goal.
Refusing to take his foot off the gas, McDavid, the NHL’s leading scorer this season, took a pass from linemate Tom Wilson little more than five minutes later, and found Thomas Harley streaking towards goal. The Dallas Stars defenceman then drilled the puck through Schmid’s pads for Canada’s second.
The Swiss, led by former Norris Trophy winner Roman Josi of the Nashville Predators, refused to buckle, despite being outshot 13-10 in the first period. Earning a power play of their own when Bo Horvat took a high-sticking penalty, Team Switzerland beat Logan Thompson in the Canada goal through Pius Suter with just over seven minutes remaining in the period.
02/13/26 15:50
Canadian men’s curlers beat Sweden 8-6 to remain undefeated
- Rachel Brady
Canada downed the reigning Olympic champions to go 3-0 in round-robin.Jennifer Lorenzini/Reuters
Team Brad Jacobs remained undefeated in the men’s Olympic curling bonspiel with a 8-6 win over the reigning gold medalists from Sweden tonight in Cortina.
The Canadian rink, including Jacobs, Ben Hebert, Brett Gallant and Marc Kennedy, improved to a 3-0 record in round robin play.
Canada’s biggest moment of the night came in the eighth end when a double take-out attempt by Swedish skip Niklas Edin was thrown a little thin and left Canada sitting three. Jacobs pounced on the easy draw for a score of four and a three-point lead.
Team Jacobs will be back on Olympic ice Saturday, facing Switzerland in their third of nine round robin games.
02/13/26 15:10
Canada vs. Switzerland men’s hockey game begins; Thompson in net
- Paul Attfield
Logan Thompson makes a save against Switzerland's Nino Niederreiter.Hassan Ammar/The Associated Press
Team Canada’s second game at the Olympics has begun, and as expected, the men’s team has made a change in net. Logan Thompson replaces Jordan Binnington between the pipes for today’s contest against Switzerland.
The short turnaround between games – it’s a little over 24 hours since Team Canada wrapped its 5-0 win over Czechia – meant that head coach Jon Cooper was open to making the switch, opting for a rested netminder.
Thompson, who won a Stanley Cup as a backup with the Vegas Golden Knights three years ago, is ninth amongst qualified NHL goaltenders with a .912 save percentage with the Washington Capitals this season. He backed up Binnington in Thursday’s opener; Los Angeles Kings goaltender Darcy Kuemper will be on the bench this time.
On the blueline, Cooper was forced into a change after defenceman Josh Morrissey left Thursday’s game with injury. He’s been replaced by Shea Theodore alongside Colton Parayko on Team Canada’s second blueline pairing, with Travis Sanheim drawing into the lineup as the seventh defenceman.
Up front, the only change is winger Seth Jarvis making his Olympic debut in place of Brad Marchand. He’ll skate on the fourth line, alongside centre Bo Horvat and right winger Sam Reinhart. Other than that, the rest of the forward lines will be the same as those that so dominated Czechia, with Connor McDavid – who led the way with three assists Thursday - centring Macklin Celebrini and Tom Wilson on the top unit.
Read more about Thompson’s unlikely path to Team Canada.
02/13/26 14:50
Malinin could make figure-skating history with first quadruple axel at Olympics
- Robyn Doolittle
'Quad God' Ilia Malinin of the U.S. is competing last in the medal-deciding men's free program.Ashley Landis/The Associated Press
For many years, people thought the quadruple axel was physically impossible. Tonight, it may be performed on Olympic ice for the first time by American phenom Ilia Malinin, aka the “Quad God.”
Malinin was just 17 years old when he made history in 2022 becoming the first skater to ever land the jump in competition. It’s a feat he’s repeated a number of times in international competition since — including at the last two World Championships, which he won handedly, and at last December’s Grand Prix final, where the now 21-year-old became the first skater in history to land seven quads in one program.
But Malinin has not yet performed the hardest jump in figure skating in Milan, leaving it out of his programs in the team event — where Team USA won gold — or in Tuesday’s short program. After the short program, Malinin said he will be making a game-time decision about whether to attempt the risky jump in his skate scheduled around 4:45 p.m. ET today.
“I’m hoping that I’ll feel good enough to do it,” Malinin said. “But of course I always prioritize health and safety. So I really want to put myself in the right mindset where I’ll feel really confident to go into it.”
Even without the quad axel — in his short, Malinin still performed a quad flip and a quad lutz in combination with a triple toe loop — Malinin is heading into Friday’s free program with a more than five-point lead over Japan’s Yuma Kagiyama and France’s Adam Siao Him Fa, who are neck and neck in the standings.
Malinin has performed his crowd-favourite back-flip, which he lands on one-foot. The move is not a skating element, but it is a trick that was last performed in Olympic competition by Surya Bonaly in 1998 — although it was illegal at the time. The first Olympic backflip was performed in 1976 by American Terry Kubicka. The move was made illegal afterwards.
Meanwhile, Canada’s Stephen Gogolev is sitting in 10th at his first Olympic Games. He is scheduled to perform his free skate at 3:28 p.m. ET.
Figure skaters perform their jumps in the blink of an eye. The Globe’s Robyn Doolittle, herself a skater, gives some tips on how to identify the different moves when watching the Winter Olympics at home.
02/13/26 13:41
How long is an Olympic four-person curling game?
- Sarah Wallace
Ben Hebert, Brad Jacobs and Brett Gallant play against Sweden in a men's round-robin game.TIZIANA FABI/AFP/Getty Images
Olympic four-person curling differs from the mixed-doubles competition in length and format. Four-person has 10 ends, which take around 15 minutes each, with each player throwing two stones. Each team also gets one 60-second timeout per game to consult with their coach.
Typically, four-person games take around two-and-a-half to three hours to complete, but can vary. Curlers can concede in the round robin after six ends have been completed, but in the playoffs, eight ends must be played. The game will also finish early if a team cannot mathematically tie with their remaining rocks.
Curling teams also have 38 minutes of “thinking time,” which is used for strategizing, calling the shot, and throwing the rock. Once an opponent’s stone has come to rest, the team’s thinking time begins to count down. You have to throw all of your stones for the entire game before that thinking time gets down to zero. If a team hits zero, they cannot throw any more rocks, but the opponents can continue to play.
If the game is tied after 10 ends have been played, it will go to extra ends. Teams get an additional four and a half minutes of thinking time per extra end.
02/13/26 13:32
Lindsey Vonn hopes to return home after another surgery in Italy
U.S. downhill great Lindsey Vonn will have another surgery on her broken left leg Saturday at the Treviso hospital treating her “and then I can potentially leave and go back home.”
Vonn posted a video message on Instagram on today following her horrific crash in the Olympic downhill race on Sunday. She was already competing with a torn ACL after crashing the week before the Games.
“It has been quite a hard few days in the hospital here. I’m finally feeling more like myself. I have a long, long way to go. Tomorrow I’ll have another surgery and hopefully that goes well and then I can potentially leave and go back home, at which point I will need another surgery. Still don’t know exactly what that entails yet until I get some better imaging, but it’s kind of where I am right now.”
“And yup, that’s a bruise under my eye,” Vonn added in a written message in her post. “Almost gone though!”
The 41-year-old crashed 13 seconds into her run on Sunday and was airlifted off the course by helicopter. She said on Wednesday that she had a “successful” third surgery on the complex tibia fracture she sustained.
- The Associated Press
02/13/26 13:20
Canadians Channell and Clarke sit 15th and 20th after first two women’s skeleton runs
Jane Channell competes in the second women's skeleton run.Carmen Mandato/Getty Images
Canada’s sliders are in 15th and 20th after two heats in the Olympic skeleton competition.
North Vancouver’s Jane Channell posted the 15th-best score in the first heat and the 17th in the second for 15th overall.
Twenty-one-year-old Hallie Clarke sits 20th in her Olympic debut, well off the form that saw her become the youngest world champion in 2024.
The final two runs of the competition take place Saturday.
- The Canadian Press
02/13/26 13:20
The Olympic hockey schedule and when Team Canada plays next
- Moira Wyton
Canada's Marie-Philip Poulin skates with the women's team ahead of tomorrow's quarterfinal against Germany.Carolyn Kaster/The Associated Press
The men’s and women’s Olympic hockey tournaments are well under way and there’s still lots of international best-on-best hockey ahead.
The Canadian men’s team is playing this afternoon against Switzerland at 3:10 p.m. ET, and will face France in its final round-robin match on Sunday, Feb. 15 at 10:40 a.m.
The quarterfinals begin on Feb. 18, with the men’s bronze-medal game on Saturday, Feb. 21 at 2:40 p.m. ET and the gold-medal game at 8:10 a.m. ET.
The Canadian women’s team faces Germany in the quarterfinal tomorrow, Feb. 14 at 10:40 a.m. ET. If the defending Olympic champions win, they’ll play either Finland or Switzerland in the semifinals on Monday, Feb. 16 at 3: 10 p.m. ET.
The women’s gold-medal game is on Thursday, Feb. 19 at 1:10 p.m. ET, right after the bronze-medal game at 8:40 a.m. ET.
See the full Olympic hockey schedule and brackets here.
02/13/26 12:41
Opinion: Italy’s all-over-the-map Olympics went too far
– Eric Reguly
Forgive me for saying this, but I don’t really feel like I am covering an Olympics at the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics. I feel I am covering a bunch of isolated World Cups.
The Italian edition of the Olympics is the most decentralized Games in history, covering regions spanning some 22,000 square kilometres.
Nice idea to spread the goodies around, but the concept doesn’t work, in my opinion, and the opinion of others – visitors, journalists, national Olympic organizations – who are dealing with the enormous travel times.
It didn’t have to be this way. With more planning and perhaps more investment, the events could have been grouped into three or four sites as opposed to nine. Bormio could have hosted both the men’s and the women’s Alpine events, for instance. Either Bormio or Livigno could have added other sports, from ski jumping to cross-country skiing, to their event portfolios.
Ultimately, the spectators suffer the most, because getting from one Olympic site to another in the same day is, at best, a slog; at worst, impossible. The Olympic organizers wanted armies of paying spectators. What they seem to have assured is that TV coverage is the best option. Let’s hope Milan Cortina’s all-over-the-map format is not repeated.
02/13/26 12:29
Norway’s Klaebo wins record-tying 8th gold at Winter Olympics
Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo could break the record before the 2026 Winter Games are over.Matthias Schrader/The Associated Press
Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo, the 29-year-old Norwegian cross-country star, made his trademark late surge to win the interval-start race. His time of 20 minutes, 36.2 seconds gave him his eighth career gold medal, tying fellow countrymen Marit Bjoergen, Bjoern Daehlie and Ole Einar Bjoerndalen for the most ever at the Winter Olympics.
The all-time mark could soon be Klaebo’s alone. He’s scheduled to compete three more times at Tesero Cross-Country Skiing Stadium.
On a warm day that left some skiers racing only in their bibs, Klaebo paced himself over the first half of the race before pouring it on late. The result was his third gold since arriving in Italy, and a small nod to the toll it’s taking. Klaebo fell into the snow shortly after crossing the finish line.
“It’s a special day,” Klaebo said. “This one means a lot for sure ... I’m lost for words.”
- The Associated Press
02/13/26 12:14
Bloemen finishes 9th in men’s 10000m speed skating; Czechia’s Jílek takes gold
Ted-Jan Bloemen salutes fans after the race.Jamie Squire/Getty Images
Canada’s Ted-Jan Bloemen is wrapping up his storied Olympic long-track speed skating career with a ninth-place finish in the men’s 10,000-metre event.
The 39-year-old crossed the finish line well behind eventual gold-medal winner Metoděj Jílek of Czechia, who was in his pairing, but smiled broadly and accepted congratulations from trackside as his wife and children watched in the stands.
Bloemen captured the gold medal in the event at PyeongChang 2018 and won a silver in the men’s 5,000-metre race. He has won multiple world championship and World Cup medals wearing the Maple Leaf.
Jilek, 19, covered the 25 laps around the 400-meter track in 12 minutes, 33.43 seconds for the gold, adding to his silver in the 5,000 earlier at the Games. Bloemen finished in 13:00.01.
Jilek was more than 5.5 seconds faster than silver-medalist Vladimir Semirunniy of Poland, who clocked 12:39.08. The bronze went to 40-year-old Jorrit Bergsma of the Netherlands in 12:40.48.
- The Canadian Press and The Associated Press
02/13/26 12:01
Disqualified Ukrainian athlete loses appeal over helmet
Ukrainian skeleton athlete Vladyslav Heraskevych lost an appeal of his disqualification from the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics on Friday.
The Court of Arbitration for Sport denied the appeal, agreeing with the International Olympic Committee and the sliding sport’s federation that Heraskevych’s plan to wear a helmet showing the faces of more than 20 Ukrainian coaches and athletes killed since Russia invaded their country four years ago would be in violation of Olympic rules.
– The Associated Press
02/13/26 11:34
Canadians compete in men’s biathlon 10km sprint and 10km interval-start race
Calgary’s Adam Runnalls was the highest-placed Canadian in the men’s biathlon 10 km sprint event at the Milan Cortina Olympics, in 31st.
Ottawa’s Zachary Connelly finished 48th, while Logan Pletz of Regina was 55th and Jasper Fleming of Squamish, B.C. crossed the line in 80th.
France’s Quentin Fillon Maillet topped the podium, while athletes from Norway captured the silver and bronze medals.
Cross-country skier Stephen Thomas was the highest-placed Canadian in the men’s 10km interval-start race, coming in ninth.
But the day belongs to Norway’s Johannes Hosflot Klaebo, who has won an eighth gold medal in cross-country skiing, tying an all‑time Winter Games record. The 29‑year‑old’s victory is his third gold at the 2026 games.
France’s Mathis Desloges won silver, Norway’s Einar Hedegart captured bronze, and Canada’s Remi Drolet landed in 19th spot.
– The Canadian Press
02/13/26 11:13
Women’s curling team falls to U.S.
- Rachel Brady
Rachel Homan in action during the women's curling round robin session against the U.S. on Friday.Misper Apawu/The Associated Press
The United States women’s curling team beat Canada for the first time ever at an Olympic Games on Friday, edging past Rachel Homan’s top-ranked rink 9-8.
The Canadian team, which also includes Emma Miskew, Sarah Wilkes, and Tracy Fleury, fell to 1-1 in round robin play after a topsy-turvy game at the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics.
“Obviously, we wanted to win that game,” said Homan. “But there’s lots of games left, and we’ll just take the lessons from that game.”
Canada’s women return to the Olympic ice on Saturday, with games against Great Britain and Switzerland.
02/13/26 10:28
Poulin returns to practice after injury
Captain Marie-Philip Poulin returned to practice today after missing Canada’s final two preliminary-round games with a lower-body injury.
She sat out a 5-0 loss to the United States — Canada’s worst defeat and first shutout in Olympic women’s hockey.
The superstar centre’s status for her country’s first elimination game of the women’s hockey tournament at the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics remains a question mark.
Canada faces Germany in the quarterfinals Saturday. Poulin said “we’ll see” when asked about her availability.
— The Canadian Press
02/13/26 09:54
Canadian snowboarder doesn’t get desired result but celebrates Olympic journey
Audrey McManiman, pictured competing in women's snowboard cross, and Eliot Grondin will join forces Sunday in the mixed team snowboard cross event.David Ramos/Getty Images
Canadian Audrey McManiman’s Olympic snowboard cross race ended earlier than she wanted Friday, missing out on the quarterfinals.
But the 31-year-old from St-Ambroise-de-Kildare, Que., was still able to celebrate the journey that brought her to the Milan Cortina Games.
“I went through a year off with a second ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) surgery on my left knee,” said McManiman. “In total, my third ACL surgery but second on the left knee. I did my first ACL at 16 years old and the last ACL surgery at 29 years old. It’s not the same thing.”
“It was a lot of work to come back,” she added.
McManiman finished 11th four years ago at the Beijing games “without an ACL.” This time, she timed the latest surgery to be ready for Milan.
McManiman and Eliot Grondin will join forces Sunday in the mixed team snowboard cross event.
- The Canadian Press
02/13/26 09:40
Norwegian biathlete wins another bronze medal, four days after confessing his infidelity
Norway's Sturla Holm Laegreid on the podium of the men's biathlon 10km sprint event.FRANCK FIFE/AFP/Getty Images
Sturla Holm Laegreid of Norway won a bronze medal at the Milan Cortina Olympics on Friday in the men’s sprint biathlon race – three days after making an unexpected confession during a post-race interview.
Laegreid also won bronze in the 20-kilometre individual race on Tuesday, but revealed in a live broadcast that he had been unfaithful to his girlfriend and hoped to win her back.
His tearful confession was criticized by some who said it took the focus away from teammate Johan-Olav Botn, who won the gold medal in that event.
“I deeply regret sharing this personal story on what was a day of celebration for Norwegian biathlon,” Laegreid said in a statement issued by the Norwegian team on Wednesday.
Quentin Fillon Maillet of France won Friday’s sprint race – his second gold of the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics after the mixed relay – and Vetle Sjaastad Christiansen of Norway took silver.
- The Associated Press
02/13/26 09:09
Stellato-Dudek ready to compete after injury
- Robyn Doolittle
Pairs figure skater Deanna Stellato-Dudek, who was forced to pull out of the team event after suffering a head injury just days before she was due to leave for Milan, said the last 10 days have been a “living nightmare that I would not wish on anybody.”
However, she said she now feels fully recovered and is ready to compete in Sunday’s short program.
On Friday morning, Stellato-Dudek appeared for the first time since news broke just before the Games that she had been in an accident while training in Quebec. The 42-year-old, who is set to become the oldest woman to compete in Olympic figure skating in nearly 100 years, skated in a 30-minute practice with her partner Maxime Deschamps.
Read more about Stellato-Dudek’s preparation for Sunday here.
02/13/26 08:21
Brush up on your figure-skating jumps
Is that a loop jump or a Salchow? The Globe’s Robyn Doolittle breaks it down.
Figure skaters perform their jumps in the blink of an eye. The Globe’s Robyn Doolittle, herself a skater, gives some tips on how to identify the different moves when watching the Winter Olympics at home.
02/13/26 08:09
McMorris cleared for slopestyle event after crash
Mark McMorris talks to reporters following men's snowboard slopestyle practice in Livigno on Friday.Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press
Snowboarder Mark McMorris of Canada, a three-time Olympic bronze medalist, said on Friday he had recovered from a recent concussion and received clearance from doctors to compete in the men’s slopestyle event at the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics.
McMorris had to sit out the big air contest after he hit his head during a practice run on Feb. 4. He said he suffered a concussion, bruising at the top of his pelvis and strained abdominal muscles.
After riding in a training round on Friday, McMorris said he was “feeling pretty darn good again” and was grateful that he had had more than a week to recover from the fall.
– Reuters
02/13/26 07:39
Forget the Red Bull – these Canadian curlers get their energy from smelling salts
- Rachel Brady
Curlers on the Canadian men’s team at the Winter Olympics gather around their bench before each game and sniff some smelling salts. Sometimes they do it again at the fifth-end break.
It’s something the team of Brad Jacobs, Ben Hebert, Brett Gallant and Marc Kennedy started doing back in November for a jolt of energy before taking the ice. They felt they were lagging in night games, and they went looking for a solution.
“We’re all dads, we go to bed at 9:30 after putting the kids to bed,” said Hebert, the team’s second.
So they bought some smelling salts – a pungent substance consisting of ammonium carbonate that irritates the airways and improves alertness – after seeing NFL and NHL players use them. They’ve been using them ever since.
“We had to get off the Red Bull at some point, we were getting too old for that,” said Jacobs, the skip.
“It’s almost like a little team dynamic thing now, where we crack the salts, we all smell it together, and we laugh, and we go through the burning pain, but it does wake you up, makes your eyes water a little bit, and gets you going.”
02/13/26 07:39
Logan Thompson’s unlikely journey from Brock University to Team Canada
- Grant Robertson
Logan Thompson, who currently plays for the Washington Capitals, is one of the goalies on Canada’s men's hockey team at the Games.Marton Monus/Reuters
Team Canada goalie Logan Thompson’s season at Brock University helped revive his career, sending him on an improbable hockey journey that has taken him through the minors to the NHL and now to Milan, where he is one of the goalies on Canada’s star-studded team at the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics.
It’s a tale for every hockey player who was never picked, who thought they were done but insisted on never giving up.
“It’s been a weird journey. I obviously I never thought I’d be in the NHL. And being in the Olympics was definitely not even in the question,” Thompson said.
“Just really happy. Really thankful. I wouldn’t want to take my journey any other way.”
Read more about Thompson’s journey here.
02/13/26 07:03
Stellato-Dudek makes first Milan appearance
- Robyn Doolittle
Deanna Stellato-Dudek is making her first appearance in Milan at a morning practice session.
The 42-year-old skater looked strong coming onto the ice, running some edges and landing a double Axel. In a runthrough of her short program with her partner, Maxime Deschamps, she landed a strong throw triple loop, but skipped the assisted backflip.
Stellato-Dudek was forced to pull out of the team event on the first day of the Games after she suffered a head injury while training in Montreal and it was unclear whether she would be ready to compete in the individual pairs event. Three days ago, Skate Canada announced that she had been cleared by medical officials and was feeling well.
Stellato-Dudek is set to become the oldest woman to compete in Olympic figure skating in nearly 100 years. She and Deschamps – who won the World Championships in 2024 – were podium hopefuls heading into these Olympics prior to her injury.
Read more about Stellato-Dudek’s journey here, and listen to The Decibel’s podcast episode today.
02/13/26 06:52
Men’s curling team undefeated after 6-3 win over U.S.
- Rachel Brady
Brett Gallant, Marc Kennedy and Ben Hebert in action during their match against the U.S. in Men's Round Robin Session 3.Issei Kato/Reuters
Behind a memorable highlight-reel deuce from skip Brad Jacobs on Friday intended to quiet his American competitors, the Canadian men’s curling team stayed undefeated at the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics with a 6-3 win over the U.S.
The team of Jacobs, Ben Hebert, Brett Gallant and Marc Kennedy improved to a 2-0 record in round robin play.
The Canadian women’s curling team, skipped by Rachel Homan, will also meet Team USA on Friday (8:05 a.m. ET).
Team Jacobs is back on the ice later Friday (1:05 p.m. ET) against Sweden, the defending Olympic champions led by skip Niklas Edin.
Read more about how Canada fared against the U.S. here.
02/13/26 06:22
Italian biathlete wins doping suspension appeal
The National Court of Appeal of Nado Italia, the country’s anti-doping body, has upheld an appeal of a provisional suspension of Italian biathlete Rebecca Passler, who had tested positive for a banned substance during training last month.
In recognizing “the apparent validity of the involuntary intake or unconscious contamination of the substance in question,” the court decision means she’ll be allowed to compete in the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics next week, according to a press release from the Italian Winter Sports Federation (FISI).
Passler had argued that her positive doping test was because of contamination and she is not to blame.
Read more about Passler’s successful appeal here.
– The Associated Press
02/13/26 05:54
Decision expected in case of disqualified Ukrainian athlete
Ukrainian skeleton athlete Vladyslav Heraskevych speaks to the press after a hearing at the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Milan on Friday.PIERO CRUCIATTI/AFP/Getty Images
The Court of Arbitration for Sport was hearing the appeal surrounding the disqualification of Ukrainian skeleton athlete Vladyslav Heraskevych from the Milan Cortina Games on Friday, though it still isn’t clear how he could compete in these Olympics even if he wins his case.
Heraskevych was in Milan for the hearing Friday, still believing that his plan to wear a helmet displaying the images of more than 20 Ukrainian athletes and coaches who have been killed since Russia invaded their country in 2022 was not in violation of the Olympic Charter.
“I feel the same as the last four days,” Heraskevych said. “I believe I didn’t fail at any rules, so therefore I shouldn’t be suspended, and I should be today part of the Olympic Games, part of the competition, but not part of the hearing. So, we continue to fight for our truth.”
Read more about the hearing here.
– The Associated Press
02/13/26 05:42
Men’s hockey team continues quest for gold
The Canadian men’s hockey team continues its quest for gold with a preliminary-round game against Switzerland in a battle of undefeated teams.
The Canadians opened with a 5-0 win over Czechia as Jordan Binnington stopped 26 shots for the shutout. The Swiss, meanwhile, blanked France 4-0 as Timo Meier scored a pair.
The Canadians could be without defenceman Josh Morrissey, who left Thursday’s game with an undisclosed injury.
– The Canadian Press
02/13/26 05:38
Gogolev gears up for men’s free skate
Canadian figure skater Stephen Gogolev will look to climb the standings when the men’s free program takes place. The 21-year-old from Toronto scored 87.41 points in the short program on Tuesday to sit in 10th place.
Gogolev had his breakthrough moment when he catapulted Canada into the team event final with a personal-best 92.99 points in the short program last week. He’ll be chasing a podium in a field topped by American Ilia Malinin and Japan’s Yuma Kagiyama.
Stephen Gogolev competes during the men's free-skate figure-skating team event on Sunday.DARRYL DYCK/The Canadian Press
Malinin already has a gold medal in the team event. Now he has the chance to make Olympic history. The U.S. skater known as the “Quad God” leads the men’s figure skating competition heading into Friday’s decisive free skate.
Will he finally break out his toughest, highest-scoring jump, the quadruple axel? If he does, he’d be the first to do it at the Olympics.
Yuma Kagiyama of Japan is Malinin’s closest rival, but has to make up a five-point deficit from the short program.
– The Canadian Press and The Associated Press
02/13/26 05:00
Today’s Olympic schedule and event start times
- Globe staff
It’s another packed day in Italy as Canada’s men’s hockey team – fresh off a dominant round-robin win over Finland – look for another against Switzerland, and the women’s hockey quarterfinals begin.
On the ice, the men’s figure skating podium will be decided, with “Quad God” and reigning world champion Ilia Malinin jumping for the gold. Canada’s men’s and women’s curling teams are also playing the United States in round-robin games.
And on the speed skating track, Ted-Jan Bloemen will be racing for Team Canada’s first gold medal of the Games in men’s 10000m.
Ted-Jan Bloemen competes in the men's 5,000-metre speed-skating race in Milan on Sunday.Ben Curtis/The Associated Press
Here are the events to watch for, and you can find the full schedule here.
- 3:05 a.m. ET - Men’s curling round-robin (Canada vs. U.S.)
- 10:40 a.m. ET - Czechia vs. Sweden women’s hockey quarterfinal
- 8:05 a.m. ET - Women’s curling round-robin (Canada vs. U.S.)
- 1:05 p.m. ET – Men’s curling round-robin (Canada vs. Sweden)
- 3:10 p.m. ET - Canada vs. Switzerland men’s hockey round-robin
- 3:10 p.m. ET - United States vs. Italy women’s hockey quarterfinal
Medal events:
- 5:45 a.m. ET - Cross-country men’s 10k freestyle (Canadians Max Hollmann, Rémi Drolet and Thomas Stephen competing)
- 8 a.m. ET - Biathlon men’s 10km sprint (Zachary Connelly among four Canadians competing)
- 8:31 a.m. ET - Women’s snowboard cross
- 10 a.m. ET - Speed skating men’s 10000m (Canada’s Ted-Jan Bloemen competing)
- 1 p.m. ET - Figure skating men’s singles free program (Canada’s Stephen Gogolev competing)
- 1:30 p.m. ET - Snowboard men’s halfpipe
- 3:05 p.m. ET - Skeleton men’s singles run 4
02/13/26 05:00
Where to watch the Olympics in Canada
- Globe staff
CBC is Canada’s official Olympic broadcaster. The 2026 Winter Games will be available to watch on CBC through your TV provider, or to stream for free on the CBC Gem app or at CBCGem.ca.
You can also follow The Globe and Mail’s live coverage of all the latest news and analysis of the Games, on our website or mobile app.
02/13/26 05:00
Your guide to the 2026 Winter Olympics
- Globe staff
The Milan Cortina Winter Olympics have begun and are poised to be historic in more ways than one, as Team Canada and the world’s best athletes converge in northern Italy.
From hockey to figure skating and the debut of ski mountaineering, the competition will be nothing short of thrilling. But at the most geographically widespread edition of the Winter Games ever, international tensions – particularly toward the United States – will also be on full display.
Here’s everything you need to know about the Games.
Team Canada's Courtney Sarault celebrates after winning a bronze medal in the 500-metre short-track speed-skating finals on Thursday.Leah Hennel/The Canadian Press
02/13/26 05:00
Ask us your Olympics questions
- Globe staff
From how Canada is doing so far to what the energy is like in Italy, tell the The Globe’s Olympics team what you want to know about the Games. We’ll do our best to answer them.
Ask us your Olympics questions
What do you want to know about the 2026 Winter Games and Team Canada so far? Send us your questions, and The Globe's journalists on the ground in Italy will try to answer them.