Five things to watch on Thursday, Feb. 19
Global News
Canada's underdog women's hockey team goes for gold against the U.S., and the men's curling crew plays its last round-robin game ahead of the semifinals — here are five things to watch Thursday at the Milan Cortina Olympics.
MILAN – Canada’s underdog women’s hockey team goes for gold against the U.S., and the men’s curling crew plays its last round-robin game ahead of the semifinals — here are five things to watch Thursday at the Milan Cortina Olympics.
UNDERDOGS ON ICE
Canada will vie for women’s hockey gold for the eighth Games in a row on Thursday. The team will face off against its longtime U.S. rival, which has played against Canada in every Olympic final save one going back to 1998. The Americans have dominated the Games this year, but on Monday Canadian captain Marie-Philip Poulin showed her chops yet again by netting both goals in a 2-1 semifinal victory over Switzerland, topping Hayley Wickenheiser for the most Olympic goals by a Canadian with 20.
THROWING STONES
After a round-robin campaign peppered with expletives and controversy, the men’s curling squad is heading to the semifinals. Already guaranteed a spot with its 7-1 record, the team will face off against Norway’s Magnus Ramsfjell in its final round-robin game Thursday morning before entering the playoff round later in the day. Skip Brad Jacobs, whose team was the subject of cheating allegations from a now-eliminated Sweden, hopes to reclaim the gold medal 12 years after winning the Olympic title at the Sochi Games.
SETTING UP THE SEMIS
Rachel Homan’s Canadian rink finishes off its women’s curling round-robin with a game against South Korea. The last day of preliminary-round competition will determine Friday’s semifinalists. Canada’s last medal in women’s curling was a gold at the 2014 Games in Sochi, Russia.
BIG AERIAL
The four-legged interloper was close to running ahead of the athletes before stopping to sniff the competitor from Argentina at the finish line.
Canada's Brad Jacobs tuned up for the playoffs Wednesday with an 8-3 victory over Joel Retornaz of host Italy at the Winter Olympics.
An emotional Mark McMorris exited the Milan Cortina Olympics on his shield Wednesday, falling on his third and final run in snowboard slopestyle in a bid to reach the medal podium for the fourth straight games.
It's Day 12 of competition at the Milan Cortina Olympics, where Canadians are competing in medal events in slopestyle, aerials, speed skating and more.
Having won a bronze medal four years ago in Beijing, Canadian halfpipe skier Rachael Karker is feeling freer at the Milan Cortina Olympics.
Natalie Spooner isn't just at the Milan Cortina Olympics to bring home another medal.
When Canadian curling coach Scott Pfeifer was a member of the Ferbey Four, the curling team would use the large group of reporters at big bonspiels to fuel rivalries and hype the players and the sport.
Here are some notable quotes from the Milan Cortina Olympics on Feb. 15, 2026:
Canadian champions Lia Pereira and Trennt Michaud finished third in the pairs short program, while Deanna Stellato-Dudek and Maxime Deschamps sit 14th after a costly fall Sunday at the Milan Cortina Games.
Nathan MacKinnon was looking back for the puck behind France's net with less than nine minutes remaining in a game long out of reach.
Calgary ski jumper Abigail Strate finished 11th in the women's large hill competition on Sunday at the Milan Cortina Olympics.
World Curling adjusted its umpire setup at the Winter Games again Sunday night after a contentious weekend at Cortina Curling Olympic Stadium.
Connor McDavid, Sidney Crosby and Mark Stone had a goal and two assists each as Canada thumped France 10-2 on Sunday to finish with a perfect record in the preliminary round of the men's hockey tournament at the Milan Cortina Olympics.