The United States men’s hockey team will face Canada in the gold medal final of the 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Milan, Italy, on Sunday, February 22nd, marking a highly anticipated showdown between the two North American rivals.
This will be the third time in 24 years the two nations have contested for Olympic gold in men’s hockey, according to reporting from The New York Times. The game is scheduled to begin at 8:10 a.m. Eastern Time and will be broadcast live on NBC in the United States and CBC in Canada. Streaming options include Peacock and NBCOlympics.com for U.S. Viewers, and CBC Gem for Canadian audiences. A replay will air on USA Network at 4:30 p.m. ET.
Team USA advanced to the final after a 6-2 victory over Slovakia in the semi-finals, following a 2-1 overtime win against Sweden in the quarterfinal round. Canada secured its place in the championship game with a come-from-behind victory over Finland in the semi-finals, after needing overtime to defeat Czechia in the quarterfinal.
The stakes are particularly high for the U.S. Team, which has not won a gold medal in men’s hockey since the 1980 Winter Olympics – the famed “Miracle on Ice” – when they defeated the Soviet Union. The U.S. Has since earned silver medals in 2002 and 2010, both times losing to Canada.
The current U.S. Roster features Auston Matthews and Connor Hellebuyck, players identified as key to the team’s strategy for competing with Canada, according to reports. Canada’s team was without captain Sidney Crosby for their semi-final match against Finland.
The gold medal game will be played at the Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena in Milan.
