Hello from Milan and Cortina, where we’re all counting down to tomorrow’s men’s hockey gold-medal showdown between the U.S. and Canada.
As the Games wind down, American speedskater Jordan Stolz missed his chance at making history, while Norwegian cross-country skier Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo seized his.
Our correspondents have it all covered below and at NBC News. Catch it all streaming on Peacock.
Live from Milan Cortina
Jordan Stolz, the 21-year-old from Wisconsin, was chasing history today in the mass start final. If he won gold, he’d have become the first American long-track speedskater in more than 30 years to win three golds in a single Games.
But as the mass start got underway, Stolz found himself bunched up in a pack, as Dutch speedskater Jorrit Bergsma and Denmark’s Viktor Hald Thorup built a huge lead.
Stolz tried to pick up the pace. But he knew if he did all the work leading the pack, the others would just blow by him. “Everybody settled for third, honestly,” Stolz said on the NBC telecast after.
Stolz made a break toward the end, but he came up short, coming in fourth place. Bergsma won by such a wide margin, he encouraged the crowd to cheer as he crossed the finish line.
Stolz now leaves the Olympics with three medals — two gold and one silver. “Pretty good — I’m happy with it, yeah,” he said with a laugh. (For more on Stolz, read Tim Layden’s NBC Olympics dispatch.)
Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo, the Norwegian cross-country skier, did make history today by winning his sixth gold medal, now the most for any athlete at a single Winter Olympics. He took first in the 50-kilometer mass start race. American speedskater Eric Heiden had set the previous record (five) at the 1980 Olympics.
With Klaebo’s help, Norway has now won 18 gold medals, which is also the most by any country at a single Winter Olympics.
Meanwhile, Canada defeated Great Britain today to claim the men’s curling gold medal, capping an Olympic run during which the Canadians were accused of cheating. In women’s curling, Canada beat the U.S. for the bronze medal, too.
In the men’s hockey bronze-medal game, Finland downed Slovakia 6-1.
Hockey Preview
The heated rivalry between the United States and Canada will be renewed tomorrow as the two teams fight for Olympic gold in men’s hockey. Amid the simmering political conflict between the two countries, the battle on the ice has taken on a new level of intensity.
Canada has the upper hand after winning the 4 Nations Face-Off tournament in February 2025. That was a close contest, with Canada white-knuckling a 3-2 win in overtime. During the same tournament, Canadian fans booed “The Star-Spangled Banner.”
Canada also defeated the U.S. in the gold-medal games in 2002 and 2010, the latter of which was another 3-2 Canadian overtime win.
In addition to revenge, the U.S. is also looking for an elusive gold, as the States haven’t won the top prize at the Winter Games since the “Miracle on Ice” team in 1980. On Thursday, the U.S. women made a legendary comeback against Canada to win gold in their hockey final.
Photo of the Day
When to Watch
We’ve reached the end. After more than two glorious weeks here in Italy, tomorrow is the final day of the Milan Cortina Games and we couldn’t ask for a better way to go out: USA vs. Canada for gold in men’s hockey. Then stick around for the closing ceremony, taking place in Verona.
All times are in Eastern, and an asterisk signifies a medal event:
Sunday, Feb. 22
- 4 a.m.: Bobsled, four-man, heat 3
- 4 a.m.: Cross-country skiing, women’s 50km mass start classic*
- 4:40 a.m.: Freestyle skiing, women’s freeski halfpipe final*
- 5:05 a.m.: Curling, women’s gold-medal game, Sweden vs. Switzerland*
- 6:15 a.m.: Bobsled, four-man, heat 4*
- 8:10 a.m.: Men’s hockey, gold medal, USA vs. Canada*
- 2:30 p.m.: Closing ceremony
That’s it for now! We’ll be back tomorrow.
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