From our special envoy in Milan-Cortina,
Ontario Premier Doug Ford has a sense of priorities. Following Canada’s qualification for the ice hockey Olympic tournament final, after an intense finish against Finland (from 0-2 to 3-2), he posted a message on social media announcing: “To celebrate the Canadian team, Ontario will allow bars and restaurants across the province to sell alcohol starting from 6 am.”
Due to the time difference, the clash between Canada and the USA, scheduled for Sunday at 14:10 in Milan, will take place at 8:10 for the eastern time zone (and 5:10 on the west coast). Hockey enthusiasts have been dreaming of this matchup since the agreement between the IOC and the NHL to release all players from the best league in the world was announced.
The Blues were hit hard by the “Dream Team”
A first since the 2014 Sochi Olympics, contributing to a global popularity surge around these two real “Dream Teams”. “We realized during these Games that people came primarily to the rink to see the Canadian superstars, without necessarily being supporters,” says Nicolas Ritz, who played with the French team eliminated by Germany (5-1) in the playoffs.
Angers forward recalls his four first Olympic matches vividly: “Playing against this Canada, it means facing superstars from several generations. I think of Sidney Crosby, Connor McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon, three attackers who are sport aliens, plus the young Macklin Celebrini. It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for us to face the best in hockey history.”
The Blues unfortunately suffered a tough 10-2 loss in the Milan-Cortina 2026 Olympic pool match against the Canadian powerhouse. “On the ice, I understood why no one can stop these guys,” notes Nicolas Ritz. They find passing angles in mouse holes.”
Three fights in nine seconds, who can top that?
While there was an improbable brawl between Pierre Crinon and Tom Wilson in a match, the atmosphere won’t be any less friendly on Sunday in Milan. History recalls that Canadian fans have been reminding their neighbors since Friday that their track record speaks for itself, with 37 gold medals in major tournaments compared to Team USA’s four. Including a cult classic shocker at the 2010 Games, ending with Crosby’s game-winning goal (3-2).
The American response? High-energy video clips on social media, featuring Lynyrd Skynyrd and AC/DC tracks, to motivate a country hunting for a third Olympic crown (only) since 1960 and 1980 (Canada aims for its 10th gold medal in hockey). With a major highlight being what happened on February 15, 2025 in Montreal during the 4 Nations Face-Off organized by the NHL.
Three mega brawls launched in the first nine seconds, with players willingly dropping their gloves to exchange blows. “I’ve been covering hockey news for 27 years and I had never experienced a game like that,” says Jeremy Filosa, a journalist for Canadian radio 98.5 Sports. There hadn’t been any action yet, so the spectators were all in shock.”
Donald Trump in the center of this animosity
With fights being tolerated (even encouraged) in the NHL and at the 4 Nations, and only penalized with a temporary five-minute expulsion, the long sequence delighted viewers, including those across the border. “No hockey match had managed to capture the attention of American media like this, especially with the NBA All-Star Game in the same weekend,” notes Jeremy Filosa. Leading the charge to drop the gloves at lightning speed was the Tkachuk brothers, Matthew and Brady.
Aside from the historic sports rivalry, they did not appreciate hearing their anthem booed by the Montreal crowd. “In hockey, you can’t always have choir boys on the ice,” smiles the Quebecois journalist. They love playing the role of villains above all. Plus, they had publicly announced their support for Donald Trump, and this geopolitical context played a role in these fights.” Elected a month earlier in Washington, the American president kept repeating his desire to make Canada the 51st state, while also increasing tariffs.
Explosive tensions seized by the Tkachuk brothers to orchestrate the event. Is the storm really over a year later? Canadian Connor McDavid tried on Saturday to avoid turning the match into a diplomatic affair: “I’m not going to get into that, it’s a hockey game.”
Thrown gloves and ejections to come?
“It’s a bit more than that, especially when listening to the inevitable Brady Tkachuk: “Many players can say that this will be the most important match they’ve ever played. Personally, I don’t want to go through what we went through losing the 4 Nations last year (2-3 in the second match in Boston). There is hatred between us.” Genuine “hate” then, THE word was dropped by the player who is the captain of the NHL’s Ottawa Senators throughout the year! Now that we know the deep feeling of the ultimate “bad guy” in the lineup, what are the chances of witnessing a brawl like a year ago?
“I don’t think players will drop gloves, which would inevitably lead to a permanent expulsion as international regulations dictate,” whispers Nicolas Ritz. “But in the heat of the action, emotions and their NHL habits, blows could be triggered. In each contact, it’s likely to hit hard in the first ten minutes.” The iconic Sidney Crosby, injured since the treatment from the Czech Republic in the quarterfinals, will still be absent from this final showdown.
American Chad Langlais, a professional player for the Gap Raptors, is paradoxically the most disappointed by this absence: “I really wish Crosby could play so that no team has an advantage. In fact, it was funny for the semis: my son was supporting Finland against Canada. I explained to him that I absolutely wanted a USA-Canada final, the most beautiful match that could exist. I’m so excited.” Chad Langlais has a Ligue Magnus match to play in Grenoble this Sunday (6 pm), but he’ll manage to watch this grand final on the bus with his teammates, “for sure.”
Enter the “steroid hockey”
Jeremy Filosa updates the context around this fierce rivalry: “The geopolitical situation is very different from February 2025 when Trump’s statements were fresh. But with all these “big men,” if there is a big check, it could be impossible to control the violence behind it. These guys will settle scores, even with the risk of expulsion.” In the match eve press conference, Canadian coach Jon Cooper was generous with punchlines to highlight the unique dimension of this meeting.
“« NHL players have not been able to participate in the Olympics for twelve years. Some of these young ones were still in diapers at the time! The 4 Nations taught us how intense our sport is, and that was just the appetizer. The main course arrives this Sunday. It will be steroid hockey!” »
After a tied score from the 4 Nations, this exciting one-year sequence with almost identical rosters excites everyone. Especially given the intense USA – Sweden (2-1) and Canada-Finland (3-2) clashes, which reached new heights this week.
Wayne Gretzky steps up
“It will be hockey of rare intensity, probably never seen before. Two of the best teams of all time clash, and it will be an epic match,” concludes Brady Tkachuk, whose father lost the Olympic gold in 2002 in Salt Lake City against Canada (2-5).
In the face of all these emotional elements potentially sparking players, who “represent the pride of an entire nation,” Canada-American Wayne Gretzky dares to offer a balanced perspective: “In the end, Canada and the United States are like brothers and sisters: they will argue and fight, but they will eventually reconcile.” Not sure if this scenario is in store for our Milanese Sunday.
Our coverage on the 2026 Winter Olympics
