Coffee-hockey combo — or breakfast beers? — for bleary-eyed Olympic fans

The Olympics in northern Italy are taking place eight time zones ahead of Alberta and Saskatchewan, and nine hours ahead for folks in B.C., leading to some early mornings for fans.

Coffee and beer were both flowing as bleary-eyed fans in Western Canada tuned in to the breakfast-time Olympic hockey semifinal against Finland.

The Games in northern Italy are taking place eight time zones ahead of Alberta and Saskatchewan, and nine hours ahead for folks in British Columbia.

It’s been a similar situation to other Olympic Games over the past decade, held halfway around the world in Paris, France (2024), Beijing, China (2022), Tokyo, Japan (2020) and Pyeongchang, South Korea (2018).

At the Shark Club Sports Bar and Grill in Vancouver, the 7:40 a.m. puck drop didn’t deter more than 100 fans from soaking up the action and watching Canada win the match 3-2.

There were servings of breakfast tacos, home fries, eggs and bacon, alongside coffee, Guinness and mimosas.

Simon Marshall only arrived in Canada the night before from Australia but managed to pick up a Canada jersey to watch the match.

He was jet-lagged and admitted he was still learning the finer points of the game.

“I watched ‘Mighty Ducks,’ 1, 2 and 3 for the second time recently, just to educate myself,” said Marshall, who noted he typically just follows the Summer Games.