Underdog Canada faces U.S. for Olympic hockey gold; curling semifinals also on tap

By Canadian Press on February 19, 2026.

MILAN — Defending Olympic champion Canada enters today’s women’s hockey gold-medal game against the United States as a significant underdog on Day 13 of the Milan Cortina Olympics.

The Canadians have lost seven straight to the United States, including a 5-0 preliminary-round defeat last week.

Captain Marie-Philip Poulin leads Canada into the matchup after scoring twice in a 2-1 semifinal win over Switzerland, becoming the all-time Olympic women’s hockey goals leader.

It will be the eighth Olympic final between the two countries.

Rachel Homan’s Canadian rink closes out its women’s curling round robin against South Korea, tied for third at 5-3 and fighting for one of the final semifinal spots. Brad Jacobs’ men’s team, at 7-1, has already earned a spot in today’s semifinal.

At the oval in Milan, Daniel Hall and David La Rue chase an Olympic medal in the men’s 1,500-metre long-track speedskating final.