02/19/26 07:38Who is on the Canadian women’s Olympic hockey roster?
– Paul Attfield
Team Canada celebrates after a semifinal match against Switzerland.Marton Monus/Reuters
As it has been ever since she scored the winning goal in the 2010 gold-medal game, the Canadian women’s team will be headlined by Marie-Philip Poulin. Nicknamed Captain Clutch, after she also scored the clinching goals in 2014 and 2022, Poulin will be looking for her fourth gold medal in her fifth Olympics.
She will be joined by some of the biggest and brightest stars in the Professional Women’s Hockey League, which wasn’t even in existence four years ago when the Beijing Olympics were being held. Many of those players, such as Brianne Jenner and Sarah Fillier, need little introduction, as both were part of the 2022 team that won Olympic gold in Beijing.
And on the back end, Canada will be backstopped by one of the world’s best goaltenders, in Ann-Renée Desbiens, who played for Canada at each of the past two Olympics. She is in fine form too, currently tied for the PWHL lead in wins with nine, and second in both save percentage (.953) and goals-against average (1.15).
Here is Canada’s full women’s hockey roster:
Forwards: Marie-Philip Poulin, Laura Stacey, Sarah Nurse, Natalie Spooner, Emma Maltais, Sarah Fillier, Brianne Jenner, Emily Clark, Blayre Turnbull, Kristin O’Neill, Julia Gosling, Jenn Gardiner and Daryl WattsDefence: Sophie Jacques, Jocelyne Larocque, Renata Fast, Erin Ambrose, Claire Thompson, Kati Tabin and Ella SheltonGoaltenders: Ann-Renée Desbiens, Emerance Maschmeyer and Kayla Osborne 02/19/26 06:59Coach Troy Ryan knows a thing or two about an unlikely win
– Jamie Ross
Canada head coach Troy Ryan, top centre, watches a replay during the second period of a women’s hockey semifinal match against Switzerland.Carolyn Kaster/The Associated Press
Long before he was an Olympic gold-medal winning hockey coach, Troy Ryan was mucking his way through junior hockey in the Maritimes.
In that era, back in the late nineties and early 2000s, line brawls, sucker punches and suspensions were commonplace. It was not unusual for a head coach to tap one of his players on the shoulder and nod toward an opponent with an obvious implication.
“There could be books written about it,” said Ryan, the head coach of Canada’s women’s Olympic team. “It was crazy.”
Beyond running hockey operations on and off the ice, Ryan was ripping tickets and selling sponsorships. Being a GM and coach of a Maritime Jr. A Hockey League (MJAHL) team in those days meant doing it all.
Now on the doorstep of an Olympic gold-medal game for the second time as a head coach, Ryan, who comes from Spryfield, N.S., on the outskirts of Halifax, can’t help but smirk when he thinks about how far he’s come: From managing rosters made up of no-hopers and goons to one that is laden with Ivy Leaguers and pros.
02/19/26 06:33‘Skimo’ kicks off in heavy snowOpen this photo in gallery:
Poland’s Jan Elantkowski competes during a ski mountaineering men’s sprint heat.Gabriele Facciotti/The Associated Press
In heavy snowfall, the sport of ski mountaineering made its long-awaited Olympic debut Thursday with the men’s and women’s sprint events.
A perfectly fitting backdrop for a niche Alpine sport that goes by “skimo” and combines racing uphill on skis with a downhill sprint to the finish line.
This particular gold medal carries a lot of weight given the stakes. They all want that coveted title of “first-ever” to earn one in their sport.
It’s going to take enduring three rounds that last about three or so lung-searing minutes each (a little less on the men’s side). The leaders after the opening heats were all the favorites — Emily Harrop of France and Marianne Fatton of Switzerland on the women’s side, Oriol Cardona Coll of Spain in the men’s race. The semifinal and final are set for later Thursday.
– The Associated Press
02/19/26 06:15Weather affects Olympic schedule
The weather continues to wreak havoc with the Olympic schedule in Livigno.
Men’s freestyle skiing aerials qualifying, originally scheduled for Tuesday and then pushed back to Thursday, as well as the final, will now both take place on Friday at the Livigno Aerials and Moguls Park.
The men’s halfpipe qualifying has been rescheduled from Thursday to Friday morning, ahead of the originally scheduled final Friday afternoon.
– The Canadian Press
02/19/26 06:09With the Games drawing to a close, it’s time for hijinks
– Cathal Kelly
After you’ve done a couple of them, you begin to see the great pattern that forms an Olympics.
There is the initial wave of excitement. There is the initial, always baroque, always bizarre, scandal. And then, near the end, there’s the drunken hijinks.
You can’t have drunken hijinks at the beginning. It would be unseemly. But in the final days? Absolutely fine. Completely understandable.
This time around, the winning ticket was pulled by Australian TV presenter Danika Mason. She did a live hit from the mountains wherein she slurred her way through a word jumble about the price of coffee and iguanas.
My professional medical diagnosis – somewhere well north of tipsy, but I’d still trust her to watch my purse.
Australians being Australians, they loved it.
02/19/26 06:03Men’s curlers to face Norway in semifinals
– Rachel Brady
Canada’s Brad Jacobs in the men’s curling round-robin match against Norway.Fatima Shbair/The Associated Press
Team Brad Jacobs will face the Norwegian team skipped by Magnus Ramsfjell on Thursday in the semifinals of the Olympic men’s curling bonspiel at Milan Cortina.
It will be the second meeting between Canada (7-2) and Norway (5-4) in the same day.
The two teams squared off Thursday morning in the final game of round robin action in Cortina. While Canada had already secured its playoff spot, Norway’s 8-6 victory in that one catapulted them into Thursday night’s semifinals in Italy.
Switzerland (9-0) will face Great Britain (5-4) in the other semi. The two semifinal winners will play for gold on Saturday, while the losers will meet Friday for bronze.
Czechia, China, Germany, the U.S, host nation Italy and the 2022 Olympic gold medalists from Sweden are eliminated.
Over in the women’s Olympic bonspiel, Canada’s Team Rachel Homan must win their final round robin game Thursday (8 a.m. ET) to make Friday’s women’s semifinals in Cortina. They will face Republic of Korea in a battle of two 5-3 teams who need the victory to advance.
02/19/26 05:263 things to watch from the Winter Olympics todayOpen this photo in gallery:
Marie-Philip Poulin skates in the third period during the semifinal between Canada and Switzerland.Bruce Bennett/Getty Images
Canada’s underdog women’s hockey team goes for gold against the U.S.— here are three things to watch Thursday at the Milan Cortina Olympics.
Underdogs on ice
Canada will vie for women’s hockey gold for the eighth Games in a row on Thursday. The team will face off against its longtime U.S. rival, which has played against Canada in every Olympic final save one going back to 1998.
Long track, long shot?
Canada will feature two Olympic newcomers for the men’s 1,500-metre long-track speedskating showdown. Daniel Hall of Salmon Arm, B.C., and David La Rue of Saint-Lambert, Que., are poised to push off in a field with more prominent skaters, including American Jordan Stolz and reigning Dutch champion Kjeld Nuis.
A star is born?
All eyes will be on Alysa Liu as she tries to end a 24-year U.S. drought in women’s figure skating. No American has won Olympic gold since Sarah Hughes in 2002.
– The Canadian Press
02/19/26 05:00What time is the Canada vs. U.S. women’s hockey gold-medal game?
– Globe Staff
The defending Olympic champions will face off with their arch rivals for the women’s hockey gold medal at 1:10 p.m. ET. This is the eighth time in a row Canada has played for the women’s hockey gold at the Olympics.
Switzerland and Sweden are playing for the bronze medal just before at 8:40 a.m. ET.
02/19/26 05:00Today’s Olympic schedule and event start times
– Globe staff
It’s a big day for Canada as the defending Olympic women’s hockey champions face-off against arch rivals the United States for gold.
Elsewhere in Milan, speed skaters Daniel Hall and David La Rue are aiming for the podium in men’s 1,500m, and on the ice in Cortina, the men’s curling team will play its first semifinal match.
Here are the events to watch for, and you can find the full schedule here.
3:05 a.m. ET – Canada vs. Norway men’s curling round-robinTime to be confirmed – Freestyle skiing men’s halfpipe qualification (Dylan Marineau among Canadians)From 4:30 a.m. ET – Freestyle skiing men’s aerials qualification (Miha Fontaine among Canadians)8:05 a.m. ET – Canada vs. South Korea women’s curling round-robin1:05 p.m. ET – Curling men’s semifinal (Canada vs. TBD)1:30 p.m. ET – Freestyle skiing women’s halfpipe qualification (Rachael Karker and Cassie Sharpe among Canadians)
Medal events:
7:55 a.m. ET – Ski mountaineering women’s sprint8 a.m. ET – Cross-country Nordic combined men’s team sprint8:40 a.m. ET – Sweden vs. Switzerland women’s hockey bronze-medal game8:15 a.m. ET – Ski mountaineering men’s sprintRescheduled – Freestyle skiing men’s aerials 10:30 a.m. ET – Speed skating men’s 1,500m (Canada’s Daniel Hall and David La Rue)1 p.m. ET – Figure skating women’s free program1:10 p.m. ET – Canada vs. United States women’s hockey gold-medal game02/19/26 05:00Where to watch the Olympics in Canada
– Globe staff
CBC is Canada’s official Olympic broadcaster. The 2026 Winter Games are 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.
02/19/26 05:00Your guide to the 2026 Winter Olympics
– Globe staff
A spectator wears Olympic ring glasses at Milano Ice Skating Arena.Elsa/Getty Images
The Milan Cortina Winter Olympics are nearing their end and have made history in more ways than one, as Team Canada and the world’s best athletes continue to compete in northern Italy.
From hockey to figure skating and the debut of ski mountaineering, the competition has been nothing short of thrilling. But at the most geographically widespread edition of the Winter Games ever, international tensions – particularly toward the United States – is also be on full display.
Here’s everything you need to know about the Games.
02/19/26 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.