United States, Canada set for gold medal game showdown
It will be the United States vs. Canada for the gold in the 2026 Winter Olympics.
Feb 20, 2026; Milan, Italy; The United States celebrate a goal scored by Jack Hughes (86) of the United States during the second period against Slovakia in a men’s ice hockey semifinal during the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games at Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images
The Olympic men's hockey tournament will end the way just the way North Americans wanted it, with the top-seeded Canada and the United States of America set for a gold medal game showdown on Sunday morning.
Canada punched their ticket to the gold medal game with a 3-2 comeback win over Finland, while the U.S. dominated Slovakia for a 6-2 win hours later.
Down 2-0 in the second period following an Erik Haula shorthanded marker, Canada sliced their deficit in half by the end of the middle frame thanks to a Sam Reinhart power-play goal, knotted things up early in the third, and took home the win with a last-minute power-play goal from Nathan MacKinnon.
The Americans, meanwhile, wasted no time in taking it to an upstart Slovakian club, and held a 5-0 lead through 40 minutes of action.
This will be the first gold medal game between the United States and Canada since the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver. The sides got a brief taste of what best-on-best, Canada vs. United States hockey looks like during last year's NHL-hosted 4 Nations Face-Off, which was ultimately won by Canada in overtime.
The biggest question for each side coming into action will be health.
For the Canadians, the health of captain Sidney Crosby (lower body) remains up in the air. With Crosby out for Friday's semifinals showdown with the Finns, the Canadians put the 'C' on Connor McDavid's sweater, and ultimately opted for a physically overpowering line that featured Sam Bennett between Tom Wilson and Brad Marchand during their comeback over Finland.
The U.S., meanwhile, lost Tage Thompson (three goals during this tournament) to an undisclosed injury after two periods in their win over Slovakia. The Americans were calling Thompson's exit "precautionary," though that won't be proven or disproven until Sunday's lineup is posted.
The Canadians have not captured gold at the Olympics since 2014 in Sochi, while the United States is looking for their first gold in men's hockey since the 1980 'Miracle on Ice' squad that won it all at Lake Placid.
The gold medal game will have an 8:10 puck drop on Sunday.
