{"id":487604,"date":"2026-02-20T12:16:55","date_gmt":"2026-02-20T12:16:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/487604\/"},"modified":"2026-02-20T12:16:55","modified_gmt":"2026-02-20T12:16:55","slug":"montreal-fans-gather-to-watch-team-canada-face-usa-in-olympic-womens-hockey-gold-medal-game","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/487604\/","title":{"rendered":"Montreal fans gather to watch Team Canada face USA in Olympic women\u2019s hockey gold medal game"},"content":{"rendered":"

As Team Canada\u2019s women\u2019s ice hockey team takes to the ice for the gold medal game against the United States at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, Montrealers are eager to watch the action unfold.<\/p>\n

From living rooms to sports bars, the city\u2019s passion for the sport is on full display.<\/p>\n

Le Nadia becomes a gathering point for fans<\/p>\n

One of the spots drawing fans is Le Nadia \u2013 Guinguette sportive on Ontario E. Street in Hochelaga-Maisonneuve. The recently opened sports bar has quickly become a popular spot to watch the game, offering a festive, inclusive atmosphere for those supporting the Canadian women\u2019s ice hockey team.<\/p>\n

Le Nadia\u2019s connection to the Olympics runs deep. Named in tribute to Nadia Com\u0103neci, the gymnast whose perfect 10 performance at the 1976 Montreal Olympic Games became a global sensation, the bar embodies her legacy. It provides a space where fans can come together, celebrate the achievements of women athletes, and experience the Olympics in a communal setting.<\/p>\n

Catherine D. Lapointe, co-founder of Le Nadia, reflected on the bar\u2019s mission.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think there\u2019s really a continuity there. I wasn\u2019t born in \u201976, but I still have the memory of it because I\u2019ve been told so many times what happened with Nadia there. So I think it just makes sense to continue that legacy over here\u2026 It\u2019s like we\u2019re having an Olympics in Montreal again,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\"\"Catherine D. Lapointe, co-founder of Le Nadia \u2013 Guinguette sportive. Feb. 19, 2026. (Adriana Gentile, CityNews)<\/p>\n

She added that the bar was created to be a space for the community to gather.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think that was the main point of doing that project, just to have a place to gather together. Because for someone who was so hard to just not watch sport alone in your bed, under your sheets. So just having that place to be together, whatever, the ending of that is just so precious for us.\u201d<\/p>\n

She also described the vibrant atmosphere.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe vibe is super great. People are happy. They\u2019re super involved in the game. I think they feel like they belong there. So just the fact that everybody belongs is super cool. And it\u2019s like the super diverse as well. So we\u2019re super proud of that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Game day excitement<\/p>\n

On game day, the energy inside Le Nadia is electric. Fans decked out in jerseys, hats, and team colours pack the bar, waving flags and cheering loudly for Team Canada.<\/p>\n

Members of the Montreal Roses, the city\u2019s professional women\u2019s soccer team, were also on hand to support the Canadian women\u2019s hockey team, adding to the sense of camaraderie and local pride.<\/p>\n

Anna Karpenko, goalkeeper for the Montreal Roses, described the experience of watching the game with her teammates.<\/p>\n

\u201cJust to have the support from the community to be able to watch a women\u2019s sport somewhere other than from home is such an honour. And honestly, it should have been a thing a long time ago, but we\u2019re going to take what we can get. And this is honestly, it\u2019s awesome. It\u2019s a weekday and it\u2019s so lively in here,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\"\"Anna Karpenko, goalkeeper for the Montreal Roses, at Le Nadia bar in Montreal to watch Team Canada take on the USA in the women\u2019s ice hockey Olympic gold medal game on Feb 19, 2026. (Emily Pasquarelli, CityNews)<\/p>\n

Karpenko also reflected on the impact of seeing so many fans gathered together.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt really shows how, you know, progress women\u2019s sports have gotten and how many fans are. You look around the room, you see men, women, you see everyone around here of all ages. So it\u2019s just honestly awesome for everyone to get together in the same atmosphere and share for women\u2019s sports.\u201d<\/p>\n

She added that being there with her team and supporting her country made the moment even more meaningful.<\/p>\n

\u201cHonestly, to be with my team and also to be able to support my country in such a big event and the finals as well is so surreal, and I\u2019m just excited to watch some women\u2019s hockey and some Olympics,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

She also praised Le Nadia for giving fans a dedicated space to celebrate women\u2019s sports.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s honestly something that we should have had way longer before, but it\u2019s just nice to have the recognition and the support and to be able to have that outlet to come support other women\u2019s sports.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fans reflect on the matchup<\/p>\n

Elena Costante, originally from the U.K. and living in Montreal for a year-and-a-half, explained why she chose Le Nadia to watch the big game.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think it\u2019s incredibly important to support women\u2019s sports, and this is exactly what the bar does. For me, it didn\u2019t make sense to go anywhere else \u2014 it was just the obvious choice, really.\u201d<\/p>\n

She added her expectations for the matchup.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think we\u2019re going to see a lot of passion. There\u2019s obviously a gold medal on the line. I think everyone here believes in the Canadian team, but we\u2019ve also seen what the U.S. have been able to do over the past few weeks, so I think we have to be a little bit realistic. But I\u2019m excited to see what the Canadian women can do,\u201d she expressed.<\/p>\n

\"\"Fans Caroline Cauhape (left), Elena Costante (middle) and Salom\u00e9 Villemin (right) at Le Nadia bar in Montreal to watch Team Canada take on the USA in the women\u2019s ice hockey Olympic gold medal game on Feb 19, 2026. (Emily Pasquarelli, CityNews)<\/p>\n

Anne-Marie Pellerin, a Montrealer, also shared her thoughts ahead of puck drop.<\/p>\n

\u201cI expect very good hockey. Anything can happen at the Olympics. I know the U.S. has given us a hard time in the past months over the rivalry series, the first game we played at the Olympics, but anything can happen. I don\u2019t know \u2014 I am hoping for good hockey. I think it\u2019s going to be a historical game.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"People gather at Le Nadia bar in Montreal to watch Team Canada take on the USA in the women\u2019s ice hockey Olympic gold medal game on Feb 19, 2026. (Emily Pasquarelli, CityNews)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"As Team Canada\u2019s women\u2019s ice hockey team takes to the ice for the gold medal game against the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":487605,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[194292],"tags":[49,48,2338],"class_list":["post-487604","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-montreal","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-montreal"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/487604","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=487604"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/487604\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/487605"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=487604"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=487604"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=487604"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}