Posted: Feb 22, 2026
Milano‑Cortina delivered a mix of exhilaration and heartbreak for Canada. Across two and a half weeks in northern Italy, Canadian athletes produced memorable peaks—veteran farewells, breakout moments and gritty performances—but the country left with fewer golds than recent Games and a men’s hockey final that still stings. Below is a tighter look at the decisive moments, the medal picture and what it means for the future of Canadian winter sport.
The headline moment
Canada’s story at these Games wasn’t dominated by one sweeping triumph but by many sharp, attention-grabbing performances. Short-track speed and selective freestyle success grabbed headlines, reflecting years of focused funding and coaching. Yet the men’s hockey final overshadowed much else: a razor-tight contest decided by a single sudden-death strike became the image people remember.
How experts read the results
Coaches and performance directors pointed to depth, experience and meticulous preparation as the core drivers of Canada’s best finishes. Where medals were won, small advantages in coaching, recovery and race-day decisions made the difference. Where Canada fell short, margins were tiny—often a fraction of a second or one tactical choice away from a podium. Analysts will be dissecting those fine margins in the months ahead.
The hockey final: heartbreak in sudden death
The men’s gold-medal game boiled down to endurance, split-second thinking and a single, brilliant moment. Canada pressed hard through overtime, controlling a lot of zone time and creating high-danger chances, but a sudden 3-on-3 transition let the U.S. break free. Jack Hughes finished a neat play off a Zach Werenski pass to settle the match 2–1. Goaltenders kept the scoreline tight—Connor Hellebuyck made several highlight-reel saves—and special-teams execution ultimately decided the outcome. It was the sort of loss that leaves coaches and players asking what one small change might have produced a different ending.
Medal table and shifting balance
This edition reshuffled the winter-sport hierarchy. Italy, buoyed by home crowds and familiar venues, had a breakout Games—30 medals, 10 golds—its best winter performance to date. Norway and the United States also finished ahead of Canada on the official table. Canada earned 21 medals (5 gold, 7 silver, 9 bronze), its lightest Winter Olympic haul since 2002 and a reminder that global parity is tightening. Emerging programs posted surprising podiums, underlining the effect of targeted investments and data-led development across many federations.
Standout Canadians: breadth over dominance
Rather than a few athletes hoarding gold, Canada’s strength came from a spread of high-level performances. Short-track skater Courtney Sarault grabbed four medals (two silver, two bronze), while Steven Dubois added an individual gold to reach five Olympic medals across his career. On the long track, the veteran trio—Valerie Maltais, Ivanie Blondin and Isabelle Weidemann—defended their women’s team pursuit title, showing the payoff of cohesion and race craft. Freestyle icon Mikaël Kingsbury closed out his Olympic career with gold and silver; Megan Oldham, 24, took big air gold and slopestyle bronze. These results point to resilience: Canada can contend across events, even if the number of top steps was smaller than hoped.
Veterans, newcomers and key moments
The Games were a stage for goodbyes and for young contenders staking claims. Ice dancers Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier finished with bronze in their final Olympic appearance. Stephen Gogolev, still young in senior competition, signalled promise in men’s figure skating with a strong top-five. In curling, Brad Jacobs captured a second Olympic gold while Rachel Homan added bronze after beating the United States. Those moments—late goals, clutch saves, calm race finishes—will feed into the next selection conversations and training priorities.
What this means for Canada going forward
Expect frank internal reviews. Federations will look at where concentrated investment worked and where broader depth-building is needed. The likely path: keep funding pipelines that produced podiums, tighten support around events where margins were narrow and double down on sports science, recovery and individualized coaching. National bodies now face choices between putting more resources behind guaranteed returns or spreading support to cultivate future generations.
Immediate priorities and policy implications
Coaches and performance teams flagged several short-term levers: sharpening competition exposure for young athletes, refining special-teams tactics in hockey, and using richer analytics—shot quality, expected goals, training-load metrics—to convert near-misses into medals. Federations will also weigh how NHL commitments and an expanding international calendar (including an eight-team World Cup of Hockey) affect preparation windows and selection policies.
Paralympics and the broader cycle
The Paralympic Winter Games (opening March 6) offer the next major test of Canada’s winter program depth. Strong para performances can spark grassroots momentum and justify continued investment. Further out, preparations for Los Angeles 2028 and the 2030 Winter Games in the French Alps will shape long-term calendars and athlete transitions; federations must craft strategies that bridge short-term results and sustainable program growth.
The headline moment
Canada’s story at these Games wasn’t dominated by one sweeping triumph but by many sharp, attention-grabbing performances. Short-track speed and selective freestyle success grabbed headlines, reflecting years of focused funding and coaching. Yet the men’s hockey final overshadowed much else: a razor-tight contest decided by a single sudden-death strike became the image people remember.0
The headline moment
Canada’s story at these Games wasn’t dominated by one sweeping triumph but by many sharp, attention-grabbing performances. Short-track speed and selective freestyle success grabbed headlines, reflecting years of focused funding and coaching. Yet the men’s hockey final overshadowed much else: a razor-tight contest decided by a single sudden-death strike became the image people remember.1