Notable quotes from the Milan Cortina Olympics: Feb. 19, 2026

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This article was published 19/02/2026 (210 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

MILAN – Here are some notable quotes from the Milan Cortina Olympics on Feb. 19, 2026:

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“The guy is an animal. Brad Jacobs is a killer. This week, he’s been an unbelievable player, one of the best players in the world… So proud to be his teammate. Awesome leader. Love that guy.”

— Canadian men’s curling team member Ben Hebert on skip Brad Jacobs

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“We lost the Olympics in 2018. We got fourth place, my hip was a mess, and I was exhausted. I was ready to step away from the game… Then an opportunity came up to play with Brad Jacobs the following year. Working a real job wasn’t as much fun as I thought, so it was time to get back on the ice.”

— Canadian men’s curling team member Marc Kennedy on reaching the gold-medal game despite being semi-retired

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“It’s better than the shootout in 2018 (when the U.S. beat Canada at the Pyeongchang Games). Any way of losing is tough when you’re on the losing side.”

— Canadian women’s hockey forward Natalie Spooner on the three-on-three overtime format where the U.S. scored the 2-1 winner.

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“It sucks, we were two minutes and 20 seconds away from being gold medallists. Sports and hockey are not easy, and it is heartbreaking, but I could not be more proud of this group.”

— Canadian women’s hockey forward Laura Stacey on U.S.’s game-tying goal in the waning moments of regulation that led to the 2-1 win by the Americans.

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“Canada versus Scotland in the Olympic final. I hope Canada plays the U.S. in the men’s hockey final and we just all bring home gold and just drink maple syrup together.”

— Canadian men’s curling coach Paul Webster on advancing to play Scotland’s Bruce Mouat, who’s representing Great Britain at the Games.

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“We’ve been in basically continuous sudden-death games since (that) third loss. To be able to win all those games in a row – with some of them being quite tight and coming down to the last rock – I’m just really proud of my teammates for battling so hard and getting ourselves here.”

— Canadian curler Emma Miskew, on her team winning five in a row to secure a playoff spot.

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“Sid is by no means ruled out of the tournament. I can speak on (defenceman Josh) Morrissey, the same boat. And we are not going to put anybody in harm’s way, but if he (Crosby) can play he will, and we will know more in 24 hours. He’s not been ruled out.”

— Canadian men’s hockey coach Jon Cooper, on the status of captain Sidney Crosby’s injury and his chances of playing in Friday’s semifinal.

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“It’s an honour for me to bring a gold medal back home after 54 years without one. That’s incredible and I feel amazed about how it all went.”

Oriol Cardona Coll, who finished first in the debut of the ski mountaineering men’s sprint for Spain’s first Winter Olympic gold since 1972.

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“I always saw him as a mountain in front of me, and I just could not get past him. But today, in the Olympic 1,500 metres, I finally climbed over that mountain. I did it. The view from the top of the mountain is just beautiful.”

— Chinese speedskater Ning Zhongyan on finally overcoming American star Jordan Stolz.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 19, 2026.