2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics
Preliminary Round Game 7: Finland vs. Sweden
How to watch
Start time: 6:10 AM EDT / 12:10 PM CET In Canada: TSN (English) RDS (French) Streaming: CBC Gem, RDS, TSN+
The Finns had a lot of shots in their opening game, but in a familiar story for the nation it had trouble turning those into goals. They outshot Slovakia 40-25, but lost 4-1. Sweden, on the other hand, found plenty of offence on 60 shots versus Italy, originally getting a scar...
Montreal Canadiens news and notes
Canadiens’ Top 25 this century: Ranking the Habs players who stood out, a five-part feature series. Part three covers 11-15. [ Montreal Gazette ]
Which Habs could suit up at the 2030 Winter Olympics? [ The Hockey Writers ]
Juraj Slafkovský has already established himself as an Olympic superstar. [ Daily Faceoff ]
Ivan Demidov sits in the shadow of Matthew Schaefer when it comes to the Calder Trophy. [ RDS ]
The Laval Rocket are looki...
A busy day with five games after Canada and Finland played their postponed game, and four more men’s teams got underway, including Canada and the United States.
Switzerland 4, France 0 (Group A)
Switzerland scored twice in the first 3:06 with goals from Damien Riat and Janis Moser. France recovered after that, but were unable to beat Swiss goaltender Leonardo Genoni. Genoni made 27 saves and became the oldest goaltender in the NHL-at-the-Olympics era to record a shutout.
Timo Me...
In an indication of the heightened level of these games at the Olympics, Connor McDavid threw an early hit in the corner of the offensive zone. Moments later, Czechia dragged McDavid down, and that sent what promises to be a productive power play onto the ice. It did have a few chances in its first two minutes of action in the tournament, but the Czechs did a good job defending to keep Canada off the board.
Canada was the first team to put the puck in the net as Nathan MacKinnon flew into...
There were not nearly the amount of eyes on women’s hockey on February 24, 2019, but it was where my mind went to as soon as I saw Marie-Philip Poulin labouring on the bench at the 2026 Winter Olympics.
On that date, the final regular-season game of the CWHL season, Poulin went down at centre ice. It wasn’t immediately clear what happened, whether she simply got her foot stuck in a rut on the ice or if it was an awkward collision that ended badly. There weren’t cameras, and there weren’t ...
2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics
Preliminary Round Game 3: Switzerland vs. France
How to watch
Start time: 6:10 AM EDT / 12:10 PM CET In Canada: Sportsnet (English) ICI Télé (French) Streaming: CBC Gem, Sportsnet+
It has been almost 80 years since Switzerland won a medal in the men’s Olympic hockey tournament, last claiming bronze in 1948. But the country did claim silver in the most recent World Championship, losing 1-0 in overtime to Team USA on May 25, 2025.
This...
Montreal Canadiens news and notes
Juraj Slafkovský notched two goals as Slovakia upset Finland 4-1 in the Olympic men’s hockey opener on Wednesday. [ CBC ]
Olympic dreams are coming true for Slafkovský, Nick Suzuki, Oliver Kapanen, and Alexandre Texier. [ NHL ]
Looking at the top 25 Canadiens players since 2000, numbers 16-20. [ Montreal Gazette ]
Montreal mayor talks about what the Canadiens mean to Montreal, their outreach to the community and rivalry with the Nordiques...
The men’s tournament got underway on Wednesday, with two games that were very different than many expected heading into the day.
Slovakia 4, Finland 1 (Group B)
Juraj Slafkovský didn’t take long to showcase why he is Slovakia’s hero. He had two elite goals and an assist as the Slovaks get the tournament’s first upset in the very first game.
Finland had no answers for the Slovak’s top line when they were on the ice, and Samuel Hlavaj did the rest went they weren’t. Hlavaj made 39...
2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics
Preliminary Round Game 1: Slovakia vs. Finland
How to watch
Start time: 10:40 AM EDT / 4:40 PM CET In Canada: CBC, TSN (English) ICI Télé (French) Streaming: CBC Gem, TSN
Two of the medallists from the 2022 Olympics start off the 2026 event. The 2022 champion, Finland, will begin its gold-medal defence versus reigning tournament MVP Juraj Slafkovský and Team Slovakia. Finland has a deeper pool of talent to draw upon than today’s opponent,...
Will Shoukri and Patrik Bexell recorded a 35-minute episode that briefly touched upon the Olympics (it’s hard not to, with the women’s tournament underway and the Marie-Philip Poulin injury news hanging over Team Canada) but the point of the show wasn’t the Games, it was Laval. With the AHL All-Star break here, I wanted to use the moment to zoom out to see what this event actually means, how often it turns into NHL opportunity, and why this year’s All-Star group is more prospect-heavy than peo...
Montreal Canadiens news and notes
Juraj Slafkovský is hoping for another magical run at the Olympics with Team Slovakia. [ NHL.com ]
The hopes and pressures of a nation rest on Slafkovský’s shoulders. [ Radio-Canada ]
Canadiens’ Top 25 this century: Ranking the Habs players who stood out, a five-part feature series. Starting with 21-25. [ Montreal Gazette ]
Yes, Lane Hutson is in the Norris Trophy conversation. [ RDS ]
Tomas Plekanec is enjoying a new career path as ...
Four more games took place on Tuesday, and we got some clarity on the standings, especially in Group B which finished play. We know that the United States will face Italy, but other than that, we do not know much, except that Switzerland will finish in the bottom of Group A.
Sweden 4, Japan 0 (Group B)
Sweden scored just 5:25 into the game, and rolled the rest of the way. Japan started their backup goaltender Riko Kawagushu, who was making her first start of the tournament, and she a...
Four games took place on Monday, and while Canada won their game, it wasn’t all good news. Italy qualifies for the next round, and an expected collision course for Canada and the USA for top spot in Group A.
Update: Hockey Canada confirmed that Marie-Philip Poulin is out for Tuesday’s game against the United States and remains day-to-day.
Italy 3, Japan 2 (Group B)
Toronto Sceptres forward Kristin Della Rovere scored 37 seconds into the third period to put Italy up 3-1, and that...
Four games took place on Monday, and while Canada won their game, it wasn’t all good news. Italy qualifies for the next round, and an expected collision course for Canada and the USA for top spot in Group A.
Italy 3, Japan 2 (Group B)
Toronto Sceptres forward Kristin Della Rovere scored 37 seconds into the third period to put Italy up 3-1, and that ended up holding up as the winning goal in a 3-2 win for Italy against Japan in Group B action.
The win moves Italy into the quarter...
Montreal Canadiens News and Notes
Juraj Slafkovsky will line up next to former Hab Tomas Tatar for Slovakia. [ TVA Sports ]
Marie-Philip Poulin did not return to the ice against Czechia after taking a hard hit. [ Montreal Gazette ]
The Habs have made enormous steps since last year. [ La Presse ]
Is Montreal built for playoff success? [ Montreal Gazette | TVA Sports ]
Around the League and Elsewhere
Drew Doughty’s path from Olympic newbie to grizzled veteran....
For the first time since 2014, NHL players will be participating in the Winter Olympics. The last time members of hockey’s top league entered the tournament, the gold medal was claimed by Canada as the nation won every game, backed by the steady presence of Carey Price to allow just three goals in the tournament. This time around, Canada is once again a favourite, but without such stellar goaltending to rely on other teams could take that crown and claim to be the new leader in best-on-best in...
It was another light day of action on Sunday, as the schedule thinned out before two straight days with four games per day before the start of the men’s tournament.
Sweden 4, France 0 (Group B)
Sweden both all-but-clinched top spot in Group B and officially eliminated France with a 4-0 win on Sunday. The scoreline might be a bit surprising in that it wasn’t overwhelming, but this result was as much as a mismatch as Canada’s 4-0 win over Switzerland.
The Swedes got three first pe...
Montreal Canadiens news and notes
Nick Suzuki appears set to start the Olympics on a line with Nathan MacKinnon and Brad Marchand. [ TSN ]
Jon Cooper hopes Suzuki can be the setup man for MacKinnon that he has been for Cole Caufield. [ RDS ]
Suzuki was too humble to compare himself to Sidney Crosby for an assignment as child, and that’s why the comparison is apt. [ Sportsnet ]
It was important for the Laval Rocket players to reassert their home dominance last week and get...
On the third day of women’s hockey action and the first official day of the 2026 Winter Olympics, the two final teams played their first game and we got some clarity in the standings.
Germany 5, Japan 2 (Group B)
In what was a must-win for Germany to keep their quarterfinal hopes alive, they came out strong against Japan. The Germans opened up a 5-0 lead midway through the second period led by four points from Boston Fleet forward Laura Kluge and two goals and an assist from Nicola H...
Montreal Canadiens news and notes
This season is showing the benefits of Montreal having a strong understanding of the character of both Ivan Demidov and Matvei Michkov in their draft years. [ Montreal Gazette ]
Which Canadiens player will benefit most from the Olympic pause? [ Montreal Gazette ]
Another strong game from Joshua Roy helped the Laval Rocket win 4-1 on Saturday to sweep the weekend series with the Cleveland Monsters. [ AHL.com ]
Around the league and elsew...
With the final day of NHL action complete as the league takes a break for three weeks for the Winter Olympics, the Montreal Canadiens’ currently sit on 72 points, with only five teams ranked ahead of them in the overall standings.
As impressive as that performance through 57 games has been, Montreal is only three points clear of fifth place in the division. The Detroit Red Wings required one extra game to reach 72 points and rank third. The Buffalo Sabres hold the first wild-card spot, an...
Montreal Canadiens news and notes
Experience coaching at both the NHL and AHL levels gave Pascal Vincent plenty of lessons to bring into his current role with the Laval Rocket. [ AHL.com ]
The Laval Rocket hired Ilia Ejov as their new goaltending coach. [ La Presse ]
Joshua Roy had two goals and Florian Xhekaj recorded three points as the Rocket came back to beat the Cleveland Monsters on Friday night. [ AHL.com ]
Samuel Montembeault is the player the Canadiens need to se...
Through two days and five games at the 2026 Winter Olympics, Montreal Victoire players and staff have made their impact felt in Italy.
Sweden 4, Germany 1 (Group B)
Montreal Victoire forward Lina Ljungblom scored Sweden’s first two goals, including the game-winner as Sweden won their opener and solidified their status as favourites in Group B.
Ljungblom has had a tough couple of years. She came into the PWHL with high expectations, but had just three goals and three assists in 2...
Montreal Canadiens news and notes
The surging Canadiens roll into the Olympic break on a high note. [ Montreal Gazette | RDS | The Athletic ]
Seven observations about the Habs at the break. [ La Presse ]
Martin St-Louis has the youngest team in the NHL playing a grown-up game. [ Montreal Gazette ]
Jeff Gorton is exploring all possibilities ahead of the NHL trade deadline. [ Sportsnet ]
Winnipeg Jets head coach Scott Arniel was not happy at the amount of bleu-blanc-et...
With a three-week layoff for the Olympics looming, the Montreal Canadiens were in Manitoba on Wednesday night to meet the Winnipeg Jets. There was a problem, however, as most of the roster looked to have already checked out for that layoff. The lowly Jets were in full control of the game from the opening puck drop, and the Habs looked flustered for the better part of the first two periods. But they pulled another rabbit out of their hat, finding the scoring they needed to take a 5-1 win that p...