Sweden secured their World Cup spot with a thrilling 3-2 victory over Poland, thanks to Viktor Gyokeres' late goal, following earlier strikes from Anthony Elanga and Gustaf Lagerbielke.
When you have guys like Connor McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon, Sidney Crosby, and Cale Makar all combining on a line of their own it is hard to imagine having anything better, and with a lot of fans already talking about this Canadian team being the best of all time, it is almost impossible to believe it could get any better, but it can.
Brad Marchand, Macklin Celebrini and Thomas Wilson of Canada celebrate with fans after winning the quarterfinal match in overtime. (Mike Segar/Reuters) Canada's flag-bearer Marielle Thompson is competing in women's ski cross this morning, with the final taking place at 7:10 a.m. ET. Canada's men's hockey team plays its semifinal game against Finland at 10:40 a.m. ET but could be without captain Sidney Crosby. Canada has two more shots at gold in short-track speed skating.
Toronto Maple Leafs prospect Ben Danford and Team Canada were halted in the semi finals of the 2025-26 World Junior Tournament at the hands of Team Czechia, falling 6-4 to miss the gold medal game for a third-straight year. It also marked the third year in a row that Canada has been eliminated by Czechia, losing out in the quarter finals in both 2024 and 2025 and the semi final in 2026.
Entering Saturday's action, Sweden needed to win by three goals or greater to secure the top place in Group B. Slovakia won its previous two games, and held a commanding divisional lead. Dalibor Dvorsky scored for Slovakia with 39 seconds left, to preserve its entry into the quarterfinal. If Finland defeats Italy in regulation, Slovakia will capture Group B. Any other result, and Sweden will win the group.
Thursday marks the second day of the men's ice hockey tournament at the 2026 Olympics in Milan Cortina. On Wednesday, Slovakia stunned the hockey world by defeating Finland 4-1 in the first game of the tournament. Then, Sweden survived a spirited effort from the host Italians, winning 5-2 after allowing the opening goal in the first period. With four games on the schedule on Thursday, that means eight teams are in action, consisting of all four from Groups A and C.
The women's tournament is already underway, and the buzz in the Olympic village is the norovirus that appears to be making its way through the teams. Finland had to postpone the start of its games, as several of its players went into isolation to start the tournament. The Finns opened the games against the U.S. women on Feb. 7 and promptly lost 5-0, potentially feeling some of the after effects of the illness.
It's a rivalry as old as time itself. More like a 250 year rivalry? Longer? I don't know. Despite winning gold in women's hockey back in the 2018 Winter Olympics, the United States would once again find themselves in Canada's shadow by the end of the 2022 tournament. To make things even more intense, the United States has had the upper hand against Canada in recent years, dominating the recent four-game Rivalry Series with multi-goal wins in all four games.
