02/08/26 06:40What a message written on a hockey stick means for Canada’s women’s team
– Grant Robertson
Natalie Spooner and Marie-Philip Poulin celebrate a goal for Canada during Saturday’s game against Switzerland.Petr David Josek/The Associated Press
Written in black marker on layers of white tape that are usually hidden by her hockey gloves, Marie-Philip Poulin has inscribed a short message on the handle of her stick.
It is a mission statement and a maxim that sums up Team Canada’s headspace at the Milan Cortina Olympics, particularly as the women’s team looks for gold in a tournament where it may no longer be the favourite against the powerhouse Americans.
“Her first. Your last. Our best.”
It is a nod to the seven Olympic rookies the team has brought to Milan who are playing their first games on the sport’s biggest stage. It is an acknowledgement of the veterans of past gold-medal teams who may not see another Winter Games after this one. And it is a call to action for all of them, for the sum to be greater than its parts.
02/08/26 06:10Lindsey Vonn crashes in women’s downhill final, airlifted off course
– Rachel Brady
U.S. athlete Lindsey Vonn is airlifted after crashing during the women’s downhill.Al Bello/Getty Images
American Lindsey Vonn has crashed out of the women’s Olympic downhill in Cortina d’Ampezzo on Sunday.
The famous American alpine ski racer had insisted her Olympic dream was not over after she ruptured her anterior cruciate ligament on Jan. 30 crashing during a race in St. Moritz. She crashed just seconds into her run on Sunday.
She was in the midst of an inspiring comeback at the age of 41, after being retired for some six years.
The crowd and other skiers fell silent as medics rushed to help the Minnesotan.
Vonn was airlifted off the mountain at the iconic Olympia delle Tofane, where she owns 12 World Cup victories.
Lindsey Vonn moments before her crash.Jacquelyn Martin/The Associated Press
02/08/26 05:50Once a child prodigy, Canada’s Gogolev makes memorable Games debutOpen this photo in gallery:
Figure skater Stephen Gogolev competes in the men’s singles short program on Saturday.ANTONIN THUILLIER/AFP/Getty Images
Canada’s Stephen Gogolev made a memorable Olympic debut with a third-place finish in the men’s short program of the Milano Cortina team event – a moment that once felt far from guaranteed during years of injuries after a major growth spurt.
The 21-year-old, dressed in suit and tie and skating to music from “Mugzy’s Move” by American swing band Royal Crown Revue, landed two gorgeous quadruple jumps to finish third behind Japan’s Yuma Kagiyama and Ilia Malinin of the U.S.
Gogolev’s long-awaited Olympic debut comes after he had considered walking away from the sport.
“There were definitely hard times in the past few seasons where I’d get constantly injured and kind of doubt myself, (questioned) if I’d keep going with competitive skating,” he said. “Ultimately these Olympics were the main goal, and it was what kept me going all throughout the hard times.”
– The Canadian Press
02/08/26 05:00Today’s Olympic schedule and event start times
– Globe staff
After the first medals yesterday, the action is heating up in Italy. The team figure skating medals will be handed out today after the pairs and men’s and women’s free skates, and Canada’s mixed-doubles curling team will play two round-robin matches.
The Canadian biathlon mixed relay team will also race for a medal in the 4x6km.
Here are the events to watch for, and you can find the full schedule here.
Medal events:
5:30 a.m. ET – Women’s downhill alpine skiing 6:30 a.m. ET – Cross-country men’s 10km + 10km skiathlon8:05 a.m. ET – Biathlon 4x6km mixed relay (Canada competing)8:26 a.m. ET – Women’s snowboard parallel giant slalom8:36 a.m. ET – Men’s snowboard parallel giant slalom10 a.m. ET – Men’s 5000m speed-skating12:34 p.m. ET – Men’s singles luge3:55 p.m. ET – Figure skating team event (men’s singles free skate)
Other events:
8:35 a.m. ET – Mixed doubles curling (Canada vs. Sweden)1:05 p.m. ET – Mixed doubles curling (Canada vs. Korea)02/08/26 05:00How to watch the Olympics in Canada
– Globe staff
CBC is Canada’s official Olympic broadcaster. The 2026 Winter Games will be available to watch on CBC through your TV provider, or to stream for free on the CBC Gem app or at CBCGem.ca.
You can also follow The Globe and Mail’s live coverage of all the latest news and analysis of the Games, on our website or mobile app.
02/08/26 05:00Your guide to the 2026 Winter Olympics
– Globe staff
The Milan Cortina Winter Olympics have begun and are poised to be historic in more ways than one, as Team Canada and the world’s best athletes converge in northern Italy.
From hockey to figure skating and the debut of ski mountaineering, the competition will be nothing short of thrilling. But at the most geographically widespread edition of the Winter Games ever, international tensions – particularly toward the United States – will also be on full display.
Here’s everything you need to know about the Games.
02/08/26 05:00Ask us your Olympics questions
– Globe staff
From how Canada is doing so far to what the energy is like in Italy, tell the The Globe’s Olympics team what you want to know about the Games. We’ll do our best to answer them.
Ask us your Olympics questions
What do you want to know about the 2026 Winter Games and Team Canada so far? Send us your questions, and The Globe’s journalists on the ground in Italy will try to answer them.