Final midday shot of Olympic espresso 🤌

American players hold up the late Johnny Gaudreau’s jersey moments after winning Olympic gold

As a tribute to the late Johnny Gaudreau, United States players skate his number thirteen jersey around rink after winning Olympic gold at Milano Cortina 2026.

Here we go… on our way to deliver you one last Olympic recap to close out the Milano-Cortina competition.

The closing ceremony is all that remains. That kicks off at 2:30 p.m. ET at the historic Arena di Verona. You can join our live coverage here. 

Canada goes home with 21 medals 🇨🇦

Canada won 21 medals ( five 🥇, seven 🥈, nine 🥉) at these Winter Games.

It’s not our best performance — that still goes to the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics where we won 29 medals — but our athletes set some records. 

Mikaël Kingsbury is the most decorated male freestyle skier of all time. He captured his fourth and fifth career Olympic medals (silver in men’s single moguls and gold in the men’s dual). 

Marc Kennedy also became the first person to win three Olympic curling medals. When his team won gold, skip Brad Jacobs also became the first skip to ever win two gold medals.

U.S. wins 1st Olympic men’s hockey gold in 46 years 🇺🇸

Things didn’t necessarily go our way. 

Canada experienced a cluster of hockey heartbreaks this week. Both the women’s and men’s teams took home silver after losing to the U.S. in overtime.

But here’s something to take the edge off.  

Team USA were thinking of their late teammate Johnny Gaudreau when Jack Hughes sunk one past Canada’s Jordan Binnington less than two minutes into sudden-death overtime today to win the U.S.’s first Olympic gold medal in men’s hockey in 46 years. 

Gaudreau’s No. 13 jersey was hanging in the dressing room and players paraded it around the ice after their victory.

Gaudreau’s son, Johnny Jr., is also celebrating his second birthday today with his family at the game. The team brought him and his sister out onto the ice for a photo with their gold medals. 

Gaudreau was 31 when he was killed by an alleged drunk driver while cycling with his brother near their New Jersey homes in August 2024.

Gaudreau has a Canadian connection. He played his first eight NHL seasons with the Calgary Flames before being traded to the Columbus Blue Jackets for two more.

Canada’s captain steps aside in ‘selfless’ decision 🥹 

The decision for Sidney Crosby to not start Canada’s gold-medal game against the U.S. was his alone.

“He felt it was best for the team to give that opportunity to somebody else,” Canadian general manager Doug Armstrong said ahead of the game.

“Total bummer, but this is why he’s the selfless leader.”

Crosby, 38, suffered a lower-body injury in Canada’s quarterfinal win over Czechia and has been on the bench since. 

“It’s a lot easier playing than watching,” Crosby said after today’s gold-medal game. 

“But [I’m] really proud of the group and the way we competed and the way we played.”

Eileen Gu wins women’s halfpipe gold to defend Olympic title 🎿

The sun came out in Livigno, Italy, after days of weather delays and Chinese freeskier Elieen Gu defended her Olympic title in the women’s halfpipe.

After a difficult first run, Gu went on to score 94.00 and 94.75 in her second and third runs to comfortably secure the gold medal with her signature Buick grabs.

Gu, 22, also won two silver medals in big air and slopestyle.

She is the most decorated female freeskier of all time with six Olympic medals to her name.

Earlier this week, the American-born skier who competes for her mother’s homeland of China went viral on social media after a clip was posted of her defending why those silver medals are still a big deal for her. 

“Winning a medal at the Olympics is a life-changing experience for every athlete. Doing it five times is exponentially harder because every medal is equally hard for me, but everybody else’s expectations rise,” Gu said in response to a reporter’s question after finishing second in the women’s big air on Feb. 16.

“And so, the ‘two [gold] medals lost’ situation, to be quite frank with you, I think is kind of a ridiculous perspective to take.” 

Canadian Amy Fraser just missed the podium today, finishing in fourth, and her teammate Rachael Karker ended the day in seventh.

The pair dropped into the pipe wearing “Sarah pins” — a poignant tribute to the late Sarah Burke, the pioneer of women’s halfpipe. 

Canadian coach Trennon Paynter handed out 200 “Sarah pins” at the competition. 

Burke, who grew up in Midland, Ont., died at age 29 in a training accident in 2012 — two years before halfpipe debuted at the 2014 Sochi Olympics. 

Skiers carry on her legacy today. Â