After a very successful Day 6 that saw Team Canada win three medals, Day 7 of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics Friday proved to be an important day in building towards medal contention in team competitions.
The Canadian men’s hockey team clinched Group A with another powerful performance, while Brad Jacobs and his Canadian rink improved to 3-0 Friday, first needing just nine ends to defeat the United States, then hanging on to best Sweden in men’s curling round robin action. However, the latter fixture did not end without controversy as things got feisty between the two sides after Sweden accused Canada of cheating.
Rachel Homan and the women’s Olympic curling team were also in action Friday, playing their second match of the Games, but lost an absolute nail-biter to the United States.
Lastly, Figure skater Stephen Gogolev ended what was a memorable Olympic debut as a 21-year-old, by finishing ahead of American ‘Quad God’ Ilia Malinin.
McDavid continues to rack up points at historic pace, as men’s hockey team takes control of Group A
Milan, Italy – February 13: Connor McDavid of Canada celebrates after scoring his team’s first goal with teammates during the Ice Hockey – Preliminary Round – Group A match between Canada and Switzerland at Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena on February 13, 2026 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Alex Gottschalk/DeFodi Images/DeFodi via Getty Images)
(DeFodi Images via Getty Images)
Another day, another powerful performance for the Canadian men’s hockey team at the 2026 Winter Olympics.
Five different players scored as Team Canada cruised past Switzerland 5-1 Friday to clinch first place in Group A in the men’s Olympic hockey tournament.
Connor McDavid opened scoring for Canada with a power-play marker 5:45 into the first period. The Edmonton Oilers superstar also added two assists in Friday’s victory, bringing his point total for the tournament to six through two games.
Thomas Harley, Macklin Celebrini, Sidney Crosby and Nathan MacKinnon also potted goals for Canada as the team’s potent offence delighted fans tuning in.
Pius Suter scored Switzerland’s lone goal midway through the the first period, drawing Switzerland to just a 2-1 deficit before the Canadians exploded in the second and third frames and busted the game open.
Logan Thompson got the start in net for Canada, making 24 saves to pick up the win.
Unfortunately for Switzerland, it not only lost the game, but may have lost one of its better players, too.
With 2:50 to play, Swiss forward Kevin Fiala got tangled up with Canada’s Tom Wilson and awkwardly fell to the ice. He remained down and had to be stretchered off.
In a show of solidarity for the health of the Los Angeles Kings winger, Canada didn’t really celebrate its big win.
Canada next plays against France Sunday at 10:40 a.m. EST/7:40 a.m. PST to close their group play.
Brad Jacobs’ Canadian rink improves to 3-0 after wins over USA, Sweden
(LtoR) Canada’s Ben Hebert, Canada’s Brad Jacobs and Canada’s Brett Gallant compete against Sweden at the Cortina Curling Olympic Stadium. (Photo by Tiziana FABI / AFP via Getty Images)
(TIZIANA FABI via Getty Images)
Brad Jacobs and the Canadian men’s curling team held on the beat Niklas Edin and Sweden 8-6 Friday in round-robin play at the 2026 Winter Olympics.
The win improves Jacobs’ record to a sparkling 3-0.
Trailing 4-3 after seven ends, Jacobs, with the hammer, scored four to go up 7-4 to, essentially, put the match away. That didn’t mean the competitive spirit was put to rest, though, as the Swedes accused Canada of cheating to spark some feistiness between Canadian Marc Kennedy and Sweden’s Oskar Eriksson.
The video below captures the exchange, please be warned that there is explicit language used by Kennedy.
“I haven’t done it once, you can f*** off,” Kennedy says. “I haven’t done it once, don’t chirp.”
Eriksson responds with, “I’ll show you a video after the game.”
Earlier on Friday, Jacobs defeated Daniel Casper and Team USA 6-3.
Up next for Jacobs’ Canadian rink is an encounter with Yannick Schwaller and Switzerland in a match between two undefeated sides Saturday at 8:05 a.m. EST/5:05 a.m. PST.
For more on this story, read here from Yahoo Canada.
Rachel Homan-led women’s curling team suffers shock loss to Tabitha Peterson’s American rink
Rachel Homan of Canada reacts during the match against United States in Women’s Round Robin Session 3. REUTERS/Jennifer Lorenzini
(REUTERS / Reuters)
Rachel Homan and the Canadian women’s curling team fell to Tabitha Peterson’s American rink 9-8 Friday at the 2026 Winter Olympics in round-robin play.
A tight affair throughout, a four-point draw in the sixth end by Peterson opened things up for the Americans as they took a 6-3 lead.
From there, Homan was playing catch-up. She did manage to score three with the hammer in the ninth end to go up 8-7, but Peterson made no mistake with hammer in the 10th, scoring two and improving the United States’ record to 2-1.
The win marked the first time since women’s curling was introduced to the Olympics in 1998 that the U.S. women’s team defeated Canada and moves the red and white’s record to 1-1.
Homan is back in action Saturday against Sophie Jackson and Team Great Britain at 3:05 a.m. EST/12:05 a.m. PST.
Stephen Gogolev finishes strong Olympic debut with season’s best free skate to finish ahead of ‘Quad God’ Malinin
Stephen Gogolev of Canada performs the Mens Single Free Program at Milano Ice Skating Arena on February 13, 2026. (Photo by Shunik Denisovich/Anadolu via Getty Images)
(Anadolu via Getty Images)
Stephen Gogolev, the 21-year-old figure skater from Toronto had an Olympic debut to remember.
The Canadian finished fifth in the men’s single figure skating event after posting a season’s best free-skate score of 186.37, bringing his total to 273.78.
Gogolev put in one strong performance after another on the biggest stage possible, allowing Canadians to dream about what might be four years from now in the French Alps.
In a stunning turn of events, American ‘Quad God’ Ilia Malinin, who entered the free skate with the lead and was the heavy favourite to win gold in the men’s single, fell twice during his routine which doomed him to an eighth-place finish.
Kazakhstan’s Mikhail Shaidorov won the event with a free-skate topping score of 198.64 for a combined score of 291.58. Japan’s Yuma Kagiyama and Shun Sato claimed the silver and bronze medals, respectively.
Team Canada captain Marie-Philip Poulin practiced Friday
Captain, Marie-Philip Poulin #29 of Team Canada in action against Team Czech Republic on day three at Milano Rho Ice Hockey Arena. (Photo by Xavier Laine/Getty Images)
(Xavier Laine via Getty Images)
Canadian women’s hockey team captain Marie-Philip Poulin was seen back at practice Friday for the first time since Monday when she sustained a lower-body injury during Canada’s 5-1 victory over Czechia.
Poulin missed Canada’s final two group-stage games, including their historic 5-0 defeat at the hands of the United States Tuesday.
Following Thursday’s 5-0 victory over Finland, Canadian head coach Troy Ryan told TSN’s Claire Hanna that Poulin was on the mend and that “an extra couple days will do her justice.”
The question now is whether or not she’ll be well enough in time for Canada’s quarterfinal match against Germany on Saturday at 10:40 a.m. EST/7:40 a.m. PST.
Poulin has been Canada’s national women’s team’s captain since 2015 and is nicknamed ‘Captain Clutch’ because of the three Olympic gold medal-winning goals she’s scored in the past. The 2026 Games are her fifth Olympic appearance. The 34-year-old stands one goal shy of tying Hayley Wickenheiser’s all-time Olympic record of 18 goals.
Canadian pairs skaters Stellato-Dudek and Deschamps won’t perform backflip
Deanna Stellato-Dudek and Maxime Deschamps perform in the Pairs – Free Skating at the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final 2025. (Photo by Tang Xinyu/VCG via Getty Images)
(VCG via Getty Images)
Giving her first public comments since it was announced she was cleared to compete, Canadian figure skater Deanna Stellato-Dudek described the injury she suffered just mere days before the start of the 2026 Winter Olympics as “a living nightmare.”
As the Canadian Press reported, Stellato-Dudek wouldn’t divulge details of the injury she suffered, but confirmed it wasn’t a concussion.
The injury was bad enough to initially force her and partner Maxime Deschamps to withdraw from the team competition, but the body has seemingly recovered enough to allow them to participate in the the pairs contest beginning Sunday.
Though they performed the element before during the season in the lead-up to the Olympics, Stellato-Dudek said that she and Deschamps took the assisted backflip out of their short program.
At 42, Stellato-Dudek is Canada’s oldest female athlete competing in the Games and the oldest female figure skater in almost a century to compete at the Olympics. She and Deschamps enter the Olympics pairs competition as the fifth-ranked team in the world.
The pairs contest begins Sunday, Feb. 15 with the short program.
More Team Canada news on Day 7
Men’s 10 KM interval free cross-country skiing: Thomas Stephen was the top Canadian in the men’s 10-kilometre interval free cross-country skiing event Friday at the 2026 Winter Olympics, finishing ninth. Fellow Canadians Remi Drolet and Maximillian Hollman finished 19th and 23rd, respectively. Norway’s Johannes Høsflot Klæbo and Einar Hedegart took the gold and bronze medasl while France’s Mathis Desloges won the silver.
Women’s snowboard cross: Lone Canadian in the field Audrey McManiman failed to make it out of the 1/8 finals of the women’s snowboard cross event Friday at the 2026 Winter Olympics. Australia’s Josie Baff ended up winning the event, Eva Adamczyková of Czechia claimed silver and Italy’s Michela Moioli earned bronze.
Men’s 10 KM sprint biathlon: Adam Runnalls was the top Canadian in the men’s 10-kilometre biathlon sprint at the 2026 Winter Olympics, finishing 31st. Zachary Connelly, Logan Pletz and Jasper Fleming came in 48th, 55th and 80th place, respectively. Quentin Fillon Maillet of France captured the gold medal while a pair of Norwegians, Vetle Sjåstad Christiansen and Sturla Holm Lægreid (of admitting his infidelity to the world fame) won the silver and bronze, respectively.
Women’s skeleton: After two heats of the women’s skeleton event Friday at the 2026 Winter Olympics, Canadians Jane Channell and Hallie Clarke sit in 15th and 20th place. The final two heats will run Saturday before medals are awarded.
Men’s skeleton: Lone Canadian men’s skeleton participant Josip Brusic finished the event in 24th (last) place. Great Britain’s Matt Weston took the gold medal ahead of Germans Axel Jungk and Christopher Grotheer, who won the silver and bronze medals, respectively.
Men’s 10000 M speed skating: Thirty-nine-year-old Ted-Jan Bloemen finished in ninth place Friday in the 10,000-metres speed skating event at the 2026 Winter Olympic Games in what was most likely in Olympic swan song in his third Games. The Canadian was Olympic champion at the 10,000-metre distance at the 2018 Games. By contrast, 19-year-old Metoděj Jílek of Czechia won the gold medal in his first Olympics. Vladimir Semirunniy, a Russian athlete representing Poland, won silver while the Netherlands’ Jorrit Bergsma took bronze.