2026 Winter Olympics Day 14 recap: U.S. men's hockey advances to gold medal game - Los Angeles Times (original) (raw)
Milan-Cortina Olympics: Day 14
Updated
2026 Winter Olympics Day 14 recap: Results, medal count and schedule
Recapping what happened on Day 14 of the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics, with the U.S. men’s hockey team defeating Slovakia to set up a gold-medal showdown with Canada.
- Feb. 20, 9:05 PM PT U.S. men rout Slovakia, will play Canada for hockey gold medal
- Feb. 20, 9:03 PM PT Medal count for Day 14 of the Milan-Cortina Games
- Feb. 20, 3 PM PT Winter Olympics TV schedule: Saturday's listings
(Michael Reaves / Getty Images)
U.S. men rout Slovakia, will play Canada for hockey gold medal
American Jack Eichel celebrates his second-period goal during a semifinal game against Slovakia at the Winter Olympics on Friday in Milan.
(Robert Gautheir / Los Angeles Times)
MILAN — The U.S. and Canada faced off in the men’s and women’s hockey finals in the same Olympics twice before the Milan-Cortina Games. Both times Canada took home all the gold.
Now the Americans have a chance at a sweep of their own after the men’s team routed Slovakia 6-2 on Friday to advance to the gold-medal game Sunday, when they will face — you guessed it —- Canada. The U.S. women have already done their part, beating Canada in overtime in their final Thursday.
“They wore our colors proudly. Couldn’t be more proud of them,” Winnepeg Jets’ goaltender Connor Hellebuyck said of the women’s team. “Now it’s our turn.”
Medal count for Day 14 of the Milan-Cortina Games
Players on the U.S. women’s hockey team celebrate their gold-medal victory over Canada at the Milan-Cortina Olympic Games on Thursday.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
Here’s where the medal count stands Friday at the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympic Games:
Winter Olympics TV schedule: Saturday’s listings
(Gabriele Facciotti / Associated Press)
By Los Angeles Times staff
Saturday’s live TV and streaming broadcasts for the Milan-Cortina Olympics unless noted (subject to change). All events stream live on Peacock or NBCOlympics.com with a streaming or cable login. All times Pacific. 🏅 — medal event for live broadcasts.
MULTIPLE SPORTS
8 p.m. — “Primetime in Milan” (delay): Cross-country skiing, bobsled, figure skating, freestyle skiing and more. | NBC
BIATHLON
5:15 a.m. — 🏅Women’s 12.5-kilometer mass start | USA
10:30 a.m. — 🏅Women’s 12.5-kilometer mass start (re-air) | USA
Canada rallies to defeat Finland and advance to men’s hockey gold medal game
(Carolyn Kaster / Associated Press)
MILAN — Nathan MacKinnon scored the go-ahead goal with 35.2 seconds left after Shea Theodore tied it midway through the third period and Canada survived another scare at the Olympics, rallying to beat Finland 3-2 in the semifinals on Friday night and advance to the men’s gold-medal game.
Theodore’s shot through traffic beating Juuse Saros with 9:26 left in regulation brought the bench and a crowd full of red and white back to life after going quiet when Mikko Rantanen scored first for Finland, which then went up by two on Erik Haula’s shorthanded goal. MacKinnon’s power play goal set off a celebration as the team from the birthplace of the sport will look to win its third consecutive title at the Games when NHL players participate.
The Canadians had tilted the ice toward Saros since Haula scored. They outshot Finland 14-3 in the second period when Sam Reinhart got them on the board with a tip of Cale Makar’s shot, and Theodore scored on their ninth shot of the third, seconds after Brad Marchand was on top of Saros following a shove from Haula.
Connor McDavid, wearing the “C” in the absence of injured captain Sidney Crosby, made a perfect saucer pass over Finland penalty killer Roope Hintz’s stick to MacKinnon for another memorable goal for Canada in Milan.
It held up on video review after Finland challenged that the play was offside.
Moments before MacKinnon scored, Saros made a nifty blocker save to deny the Colorado Avalanche star, who was high-sticked by Niko Mikkola to put Canada on the power play. Saros also made several more big stops before MacKinnon tucked the puck in short side with Macklin Celebrini setting a screen by jumping.
Canada’s stacked lineup, even missing Crosby, eventually broke through the Finnish trap that slows players down and intercepts the puck before an opponent can go deep into the offensive zone. Instead of getting frustrated, some of the best players on the roster led the way, with Celebrini shooting just about every chance he had.
Whyno writes for the Associated Press.
U.S. women fall to Switzerland in curling, will play for bronze
(Fatima Shbair / Associated Press)
CORTINA D’AMPEZZO, Italy — Silvana Tirinzoni’s Switzerland beat the United States 7-4 and will be aiming for their first women’s gold at the Olympics.
The Swiss took silver behind Canada at the last two world championships after four straight golds in the biggest curling competition outside of the Olympics.
Canada will play the U.S. for bronze on Saturday.
With Canada already shut out of the mixed team event medals, the country’s top-ranked women were upset by Anna Hasselborg’s Sweden in Friday’s semifinals.
Sweden, which has won the women’s competition three times since curling returned to the Olympic program in 1998, beat Canada 6-3.
In the men’s competition, Canada faces Britain for gold on Saturday, while Norway was playing Switzerland for bronze later.
Pau Gasol to represent Olympic athletes on IOC board through 2028 L.A. Olympics
(Mark J. Terrill / Associated Press)
MILAN — Two-time NBA champion Pau Gasol was picked by Olympic athletes Friday to represent them on the IOC executive board through the 2028 Los Angeles Summer Games.
Gasol won his NBA titles in L.A. with the Lakers and has been a member of a key Olympic panel overseeing the games since he was elected by athletes as an International Olympic Committee member at the Tokyo Summer Games held in 2021.
His No. 16 jersey is retired and hangs in Crypto.com Arena, which will host gymnastics and boxing at the Games. He was elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2023.
Gasol’s rise in Olympic politics to join the influential 15-member IOC board came at a meeting of the governing body’s athletes commission.
“This is a big moment to be able to take on the responsibility of leading our commission,” he said in a statement published by the IOC.
Gasol is a five-time Olympian helping Spain win silver medals in men’s basketball at the 2008 Beijing Summer Games and London in 2012, and bronze in Rio de Janeiro in 2016.
He is the first male athlete to take the IOC board seat for 14 years. He follows ice hockey players Emma Terho of Finland and Angela Ruggiero of the United States, German fencer Claudia Bokel and Kirsty Coventry, who was still competing for Zimbabwe in swimming when she joined the IOC as an athlete member in 2013.
Coventry’s term as the athlete delegate on the IOC board from 2018-21 helped build her platform to be elected last year as the Olympic body’s first female president.
Four Americans reach Olympic freeski halfpipe final
(Michael Reaves / Getty Images)
LIVIGNO, Italy — American freeskier Hunter Hess and three of his teammates have qualified for Friday’s 12-man halfpipe Olympic final, when they will have a shot at delivering the first gold medal in nearly two weeks of freeskiing or snowboarding at the Livigno snow park.
Hess was thrust into the spotlight at the Milan-Cortina Games when President Trump called him a “loser” after the athlete had said that “just because I’m wearing the flag doesn’t mean I represent everything that’s going on in the U.S.”
Hess made a “L” sign with his hand, with L meaning “loser,” against his helmet after his first qualifying run on Friday. He then told reporters that he stands by the statement that had drawn Trump’s ire, while also reiterating that he loves his country.
Hess will be joined by fellow Americans Alex Ferreira, Nick Goepper and Birk Irving in the final.
Brendan MacKay of Canada topped qualifying, when skiers got two runs down the halfpipe, with their best score counting. Two other Canadians also advanced.
Reigning world champion Finley Melville Ives of New Zealand missed the cut after crashing on both of his qualifying runs.
Elizabeth Lemley won gold in women’s moguls freeskiing at the Winter Games, but the moguls events are held at a separate venue in Livigno. The Livigno snow park hosts the halfpipe, slopestyle and big air events for freeski and snowboarding.
Norway breaks record for most gold medals at a single Winter Olympics
(Andrew Medichini / Associated Press)
ANTERSELVA, Italy — Johannes Dale-Skjevdal of Norway was the only biathlete to hit all 20 of his targets in the 15-kilometer mass start race Friday and skied his way to gold — Norway’s 17th gold medal of the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics — breaking the record for the most gold medals won by a nation at a single Winter Olympics.
Norway had set the record at the 2022 Beijing Olympics with 16 gold medals.
Dale-Skjevdal had taken the lead after the first standing bout with clean shooting and completed the five laps on newly packed snow and gusty winds in 39 minutes, 17.1 seconds. His teammate Sturla Holm Laegreid only missed one target and finished 10.5 seconds back for silver — his fifth medal of these Olympic Games.
Philipp Horn of Germany only missed one target on his last shooting bout and left the range in third place, but Quentin Fillon Maillet of France, who missed four on the day, chased Horn and passed him on a big hill, taking him to the finish for a bronze, 25.6 seconds behind Dale-Skjevdal.
Fillon Maillet, who was on the gold-medal winning team in the mixed relay and men’s relay, also won gold in the sprint.
Only the top 30 biathletes compete in the mass start race — based on World Cup rankings and Olympic performance. They ski five, three-kilometer loops, shooting twice in the prone position and twice standing.
Bellisle writes for the Associated Press.
Sidney Crosby will not play for Canada in semifinal against Finland
(Hassan Ammar / Associated Press)
MILAN — Sidney Crosby is not playing for Canada against Finland in the semifinals at the Olympics on Friday because of injury.
Crosby appeared to injure his right knee in the second period of the quarterfinals against Czechia on Wednesday night. The 38-year-old captain did not practice Thursday, when coach Jon Cooper said Crosby was still being evaluated.
Sam Bennett, who was sick but now is good to go, took Crosby’s spot in the lineup. It was not immediately clear if Crosby would be available if Canada advances to the gold-medal game Sunday.
Connor McDavid will wear the “C” because international rules require a player to be designated captain for each game. Nathan MacKinnon joins Cale Makar as the alternates.
Crosby is a two-time Olympic gold medalist, with wins in 2010 and ‘14, and a three-time Stanley Cup champion with the NHL’s Pittsburgh Penguins.
Defenseman Josh Morrissey, who has not played since getting injured in Canada’s tournament opener on Feb. 12, is also out.
Finland made a change with its forwards, bringing in Oliver Kapanen and scratching Eeli Tolvanen. Kapanen missed the preliminary round finale against Italy on Sunday while being isolated because roommate Anton Lundell contracted norovirus.
Lundell returned in the quarterfinals and assisted on the overtime goal to beat Switzerland.
Whyno writes for the Associated Press.
Snoop Dogg sends Winter Olympics tickets to restaurant owners after his credit card was declined
Snoop Dogg gave Olympics tickets to the owners of a local restaurant after they covered his dinner.
(Andreas Rentz / Getty Images)
Snoop Dogg is dropping Olympics tickets like it’s hot.
The hip-hop icon has been busy at the Milan-Cortina Games as a special correspondent for NBC as well as an honorary coach for the U.S. team. According to recent reports by NBC and Reuters, he’s also been spreading the Olympics joy to the locals.
Lindsey Vonn undergoes a six-hour surgery
(Fatima Shbair / Associated Press)
Skier Lindsey Vonn is back in the U.S. after sustaining a complex tibia fracture in the Olympic women’s downhill last week and undergoing multiple surgeries in Italy.
Vonn underwent surgery again stateside, and she posted an update about her health on Friday morning.
Vonn, 41, was looking to medal in multiple Alpine skiing events at the Milan-Cortina Olympics, but she crashed out just 13 seconds into the downhill. She had to be airlifted off the mountain in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, and was eventually transferred to a hospital in Treviso.
Vonn was skiing with a ruptured left anterior cruciate ligament, but experts said the injury was not a factor in her crash.
In addition to the crash, surgeries and pain, Vonn revealed earlier this week that her dog, Leo, died a day after she crashed.
Swiss bobsledder’s courageous cancer fight a reminder of how quickly life can change
Michelle Gloor, an aspiring Olympic bobsledder, is attending the Milan-Cortina Games to support her fiancé, a driver for a two-man Swiss bobsled team. Gloor’s hopes of competing in the Olympics were put on hold when she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer.
(Sam Farmer / Los Angeles Times)
CORTINA D'AMPEZZO, Italy — World-class athletes, thrilling events, stirring medal ceremonies, I will remember all of those from the Winter Olympics. But what I experienced Sunday on my 45-minute bus ride from my hotel to Cortina will stay with me longer.
There was a young woman sitting across the aisle. She looked to be in her mid-20s, about the age of my daughter, and was wearing a knit cap with a Switzerland logo. Her dark hair was in long, thin braids and framed her friendly face.
Daniela Maier of Germany wins gold in women’s skicross
Daniela Maier of Germany celebrates after winning the women’s skicross final to secure a gold medal at the Milan-Cortina Olympic Games on Friday.
(Rebecca Blackwell / Associated Press)
LIVIGNO, Italy — Daniela Maier of Germany won the gold medal in women’s skicross ahead of Swiss freeskier Fanny Smith at the Winter Olympics on Friday.
The 29-year-old Maier, competing in her second Olympics, took an early lead in the four-woman race and protected her racing line to the bottom of the course in Livigno. She added her gold to a bronze from 2022.
Smith, 33, added her silver to two bronzes from the past two Games.
Defending champion Sandra Naeslund of Sweden collected the bronze after she had a slow start and then let Smith pass her midway down the course of banks, rollers and jumps.
The final featured the top four women in the World Cup skicross points standings this season.
Marielle Berger Sabbatel of France finished fourth.
Maier and Smith were at the center of a judging controversy during the 2022 final when Smith crossed the finish line third, ahead of Maier in fourth. But the race jury flipped that result after deciding that Smith had interfered with Maier. Smith appealed that decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, which overruled the officials’ decision and deemed that bronze medals should be awarded to both skiers.
Hunter Hess flashes an ‘L’ sign during Olympic freeski qualifying
Hunter Hess of the United States reacts after a run in freeski halfpipe qualifying Friday at the Olympics.
(Julia Demaree Nikhinson / Associated Press)
LIVIGNO, Italy — American freeskier Hunter Hess got to the end of his successful run in Olympic halfpipe qualifying, then leaned into the camera. He bent his left thumb and forefinger into the shape of an “L,” lifted it to his forehead and pointed at it with the other hand.
“Apparently,” he explained, “I’m a loser.”
The 27-year-old who received that label from President Trump at the start of the Olympics — leading to threats to his family and setting off the first major political imbroglio of the Games — finally got in the starting gate Friday. Fired up after nailing his first run, he flashed the “L” sign, then explained he has used the entire episode as motivation.
“I worked so hard to be here. I sacrificed my entire life to make this happen,” Hess said. “I’m not going to let controversy like that get in my way. I love the United States of America. I cannot say that enough. My original statement, I felt like I said that, but apparently people didn’t take it that way. I’m so happy to be here, so happy to represent Team USA.”
Hess was one of four Americans to qualify for the 12-man final, all of whom have a chance to give the U.S. team its first gold medal over nearly two weeks of skiing and snowboarding at the Livigno Snow Park.
During a news conference at the start of the Games, skiers were asked how they felt representing the country during the Trump administration’s heightened immigration enforcement actions back home.
Hess’ response: “If it aligns with my moral values, I feel like I’m representing it. Just because I’m wearing the flag doesn’t mean I represent everything that’s going on in the U.S.”
That caught Trump’s attention.
“Hess, a real Loser, says he doesn’t represent his Country in the current Winter Olympics. If that’s the case, he shouldn’t have tried out for the Team, and it’s too bad he’s on it,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social account.
After a few days, that died down. The freeskiers, placed on the back end of the Olympic schedule, retreated to Laax, Switzerland, for a week of training. Hess conceded it wasn’t the easiest time.
“I had a week that was pretty challenging,” he said. “Luckily, my family was there to support me and help me get through it. There was a lot of noise and I’ve never been subject to that kind of criticism. Skiing has saved my life time and time again and it seems to have done so again.”
He said, “There’s been a lot of hate out there. All those people are super entitled to their opinion, and I respect it.”
Ultimately, though, he said he had no second thoughts about what he said in that fateful Feb. 6 news conference. The message, he insisted, was really a message of support.
“I stand with what I said. I love the United States of America. I cannot reiterate that enough. It means the absolute world to me to be able to represent Team USA here. I worked so, so hard to get here. I stick with what I said.”
Pells writes for the Associated Press.
IOC moves closer to reinstating Russia by LA28, but backlash may put its return on ice
Ukraine athletes wave their national flag and wave to fans during the Winter Olympics opening ceremony on Feb. 6 in Milan.
(Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times)
MILAN — Leaders of the International Olympic Committee appear ready to lift suspensions of Russia and Belarus, clearing the way for athletes from those countries to return to major international competitions perhaps as early as the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
But those plans may have hit a snag last week with the international show of support for Ukrainian skeleton slider Vladyslav Heraskevych, who was disqualified from the Milan-Cortina Games for refusing to compete without a helmet featuring images of people killed following the Russian invasion of his country.
Pressure mounts on Wasserman to resign as head of LA28 Olympics
Casey Wasserman, LA28 chairman and president, is facing growing pressure to step down from his role.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
Casey Wasserman faced more calls Wednesday to resign from his position leading the 2028 L.A. Olympics — the latest push to oust the embattled mogul in the aftermath of the recent Jeffrey Epstein files release.
During a gubernatorial forum in Sacramento, candidates were asked whether Wasserman should step down. Former Assemblymember Ian Calderon, former state Controller Betty Yee, San José Mayor Matt Mahan and former Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra all replied “yes.”
Olympic curling scandal threatens to forever alter the sport’s culture of trust
Canada’s Marc Kennedy releases a stone during a match against Czechia at the Milan-Cortina Olympic Games on Monday.
(Misper Apawu / Associated Press)
MILAN — Cheating has been part of the Olympics since the ancient games, when violators were punished with fines, public flogging or lifetime bans.
This month’s Milan-Cortina Games have hardly been an exception.
Before the competition had even begun, a German magazine said unnamed ski jumpers were injecting hyaluronic acid into their penises in an effort to fly further. Officials dismissed that as a wild rumor but the World Anti-Doping Agency said it was willing to look into the matter just the same.
U.S. bobsledder Azaria Hill adding to her family’s rich Olympic Games legacy
U.S. bobsledders Azaria Hill, right, and Elana Meyers Taylor speak at a World Cup race in February 2024. Hill is looking to win gold as a bobsled brakewoman at the Milan-Cortina Olympics.
(Oksana Dzadan / Associated Press)
CORTINA D'AMPEZZO, Italy — In some families, children are expected to attend the same college as their parents or root for mom or dad’s favorite team.
In Azaria Hill’s family, the children were encouraged to go to the Olympics. Not to watch, but to compete.
Hill’s father, Virgil, a boxer, earned a silver medal at the 1984 Summer Games. Hill’s mother, Denean Howard, met Virgil at the 1984 Games and won Olympic gold that year running with her sister, Sherri Howard, in the 4x400-meter relay. The sisters won silver medals in the 4x400 at the 1988 Olympics before Denean earned another silver at the 1992 Games.
‘A magical moment.’ Hilary Knight caps off U.S. women’s hockey career with Olympic gold
Megan Keller of the U.S. celebrates after scoring the game-winning goal to beat Canada, 2-1, in overtime in the gold-medal match on Thursday.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
MILAN — Hilary Knight was a little more than two minutes away from taking home another consolation prize as a retirement gift from her final Olympic game.
In four previous Olympics, Knight lost to Canada in the gold-medal game three times. On Thursday, in the Milan-Cortina Games, the U.S. team she captains was 124 seconds from doing it again.
That’s when Knight added a bold-faced exclamation point to her spectacular career, deflecting a Laila Edwards slap shot from the high slot through her legs and past Canadian goalie Ann-Renee Desbiens to send the game to overtime, and the U.S. won 2-1 on Megan Keller’s goal 4 minutes 7 seconds into the extra period.
After shedding pressure, American Alysa Liu rides wave of joy to Olympic gold medal
American Alysa Liu acknowledges applause after completing her figure skating free program at the Winter Olympics in Milan on Thursday.
(Natacha Pisarenko / Associated Press)
MILAN — She flipped her hair. She shrugged. She dusted her hands off.
Alysa Liu makes winning an Olympic gold medal look easy.
The 20-year-old became the first U.S. woman to win the Olympic singles title since 2002, electrifying the crowd at Milano Ice Skating Arena with her “MacArthur Park” program Thursday and overtaking Japanese rivals Kaori Sakamoto and Ami Nakai, who won second and third, respectively.
Winter Olympics TV schedule: Friday’s listings
U.S. biathlete Margie Freed competes in the women’s 4x6-kilometer relay at the Milan-Cortina Olympic Games on Wednesday.
(Michael Steele / Getty Images)
By Los Angeles Times staff
Friday’s live TV and streaming broadcasts for the Milan-Cortina Olympics unless noted (subject to change). All events stream live on Peacock or NBCOlympics.com with a streaming or cable login. All times Pacific. 🏅 — medal event for live broadcasts.
MULTIPLE SPORTS
8 p.m. — “Primetime in Milan” (delay): Bobsled, speedskating, curling, hockey and more. | NBC
BIATHLON
5:15 a.m. — 🏅Men’s 15-kilometer mass start | USA
9:15 a.m. — Men’s 15-kilometer mass start (re-air) | NBC
Looking back at first 13 days of the Milan-Cortina Olympics
Figure skating medalists (from left) Kaori Sakamoto of Japan, Alysa Liu of the United States and Ami Nakai of Japan bite their medals after the women’s free skate on Thursday.
(Natacha Pisarenko / Associated Press)
The first 13 days of the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympic Games offered plenty of memorable moments.
Check out The Times’ daily recaps from the 2026 Winter Games ahead of Friday’s events: