Paralympic viewing guide: A Canadian legend says goodbye

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Canada had a big Friday in Beijing, winning five medals and guaranteeing another. Alpine skier Mollie Jepsen and nordic skier Mark Arendz each won a silver, Nordic skier Brittany Hudak and snowboarder Tyler Turner grabbed bronze, and the Canadian wheelchair curling team bounced back from its semifinal loss to China to beat Slovakia in the bronze-medal game. Canada's Para hockey team assured itself of a medal (colour TBD) by pounding South Korea 11-0 in the semifinals to set up a rematch for gold with the United States.

Today's medals brought Canada's total to 21 — the third-highest at these Games. Host China has 47, while Ukraine's athletes have won a remarkable 25 as their country is being attacked by Russia.

Along with the hockey gold-medal game, the final two days of competition will feature the last races in the incredible career of Canada's most decorated Winter Paralympian. Here's what to watch from Friday night through the closing ceremony on Sunday morning, in chronological order:

It's Brian McKeever's last dance. Since his Paralympic debut in 2002, the visually impaired cross-country skier from Canmore, Alta., has won 15 Paralympic gold medals and 19 overall. He hasn't lost an individual race at the Paralympics since 2006, going 11-for-11 over the last four Winter Games. That includes a pair of golds so far in Beijing, where the 42-year-old is competing in his final Paralympics. McKeever's last solo race is tonight at 9 p.m. ET, when he and guide Graham Nishikawa ski in the men's middle-distance event. McKeever is also expected to compete in a relay on Saturday night. Read more about how he's approaching his farewell races here. 

Arendz goes for his 12th Paralympic medal. The 32-year-old skier has already won a biathlon medal of each colour in Beijing. He'll try to reach his first cross-country podium of these Games when he competes in the men's standing middle-distance race tonight at 9:15 p.m. ET. Though he's stronger in biathlon, Arendz won three cross-country medals at the 2018 Paralympics.

Someone half McKeever's age tries for her third gold of the Games. Twenty-one-year-old cross-country skier Natalie Wilkie has already won the women's standing sprint and long-distance events in Beijing. She'll go for the sweep when she competes in the middle-distance race tonight at 10:35 p.m. ET. In the same event, Brittany Hudak will try for her third medal of the Games after picking up a bronze in both cross country and biathlon. Also going for his third podium in Beijing is Collin Cameron, who owns five Paralympic bronze medals in the men's sitting category. His middle-distance race is tonight at 11:30 p.m. ET.

A young alpine skier can win her seventh Paralympic medal. After racking up four medals — including gold in the super-combined — as an 18-year-old at the 2018 Games, Mollie Jepsen has added a gold in the women's standing downhill and silver in the giant slalom in Beijing. She can add to her haul tonight in the slalom, which she took silver in four years ago. The final runs in the various categories begin at 10:45 p.m. ET. Competing against Jepsen in the standing event is Alana Ramsay, whose four Paralympic bronze medals include a pair in Beijing.

It's Canada vs. the United States again for Para hockey gold. The 2018 final ended in heartbreak for the Canadians, who were up by a goal with less than 40 seconds left before the Americans tied it and then scored in overtime to win their fourth consecutive Paralympic title. Their meeting in the group stage in Beijing also didn't go so well for Canada, which was trounced 5-0. Canadian players to watch in the gold-medal rematch include captain Tyler McGregor, who leads the team with five goals and eight points in three games, and 38-year-old Billy Bridges, who's second with six points. American star Declan Farmer leads the tournament with a whopping 15 points (including five goals) in three games. The puck drops Saturday at 11:05 p.m. ET.

The closing ceremony is Sunday morning. Live coverage begins at 6 a.m. ET on the CBC TV network, CBC Gem, CBCSports.ca and the CBC Sports app.

More on the Paralympics

Catch up on everything you may have missed from Day 7 here. Read about how guides help visually impaired athletes both on and off the course here. 

Did you know that every Canadian who won a medal at the Tokyo and Beijing Olympics received a cash bonus — $20,000 for gold, $15,000 for silver and $10,000 for bronze? And that the Canadians who won a medal at the corresponding Paralympic Games got nothing? Read about why this happened and how it might change here.

How to watch live events