Five things to watch at the Milan Cortina Games on Thursday, Feb. 12

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This article was published 11/02/2026 (215 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

MILAN – From the opening puck-drop for the Canadian men’s hockey team to the women’s squad trying to bounce back from a 5-0 drubbing as well as possible medals on the ski hill, here are five things to look out for at the Milan Cortina Olympics on Thursday, Feb. 12:

BEST ON BEST RETURNS

Canada’s men’s hockey team will begin its play at the Games, as National Hockey League players compete in the highly anticipated event for the first time since the 2014 Sochi Games.

Canada has won the last two golds at the Olympic tournament with NHL participation, and the team will open play against Czechia at the Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena.

Pittsburgh Penguins forward Sidney Crosby and Los Angeles Kings defenceman Drew Doughty won back-to-back golds with Canada at Vancouver 2010 and Sochi. All others on the team, including star Edmonton Oilers centre Connor McDavid and Colorado Avalanche defenceman Cale Makar, are making their Olympic debuts.

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PICKING UP THE PIECES

The Canadian women’s hockey team will look to rebound from a bad loss against their American rivals when they face Finland to wrap up preliminary round play.

Canada was drubbed 5-0 by the United States on Tuesday. The defending champions were outshot 33-20 and managed the puck poorly under pressure from the U.S. team, generating few close-range scoring chances.

The team will be again without captain and star forward Marie-Philip Poulin, who was injured Monday in a win over Czechia. 

Canada will face Germany or undefeated Sweden in the quarterfinals on Saturday.

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LAST JEWEL ON THE CROWN

A Canadian curling side skipped by Rachel Homan will look to cap off its dominant two-year run with the last missing piece — an Olympic medal.

Canada begins women’s curling play with a match against Denmark and is looking for redemption after a team skipped by Jennifer Jones failed to medal at the 2022 Beijing Games.

Homan’s Ottawa-based squad, also featuring Tracy Fleury, Emma Miskew and Sarah Wilkes, have crushed the competition since 2024, winning gold in the last two world championships and back-to-back Scotties in 2024 and 2025.

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MOGULS TO THE PODIUM?

Canadians will be looking to reach the men’s freeski moguls podium after scoring among the top three in qualifying earlier in the week.

Moguls star Mikael Kingsbury of Deux-Montagnes, Que., finished Tuesday’s qualification in third place with a score of 79.11, behind world champion Ikuma Horishima of Japan and Canadian teammate Julien Viel of Quebec City, who placed second with 79.56 points.

Thursday’s final is Kingsbury’s opportunity to add a fourth Olympic medal to his collection after winning gold in Pyeongchang in 2018 and two silvers — one in Sochi in 2014 and the other in Beijing in 2022.

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THIRD TIME’S A CHARM

Eliot Grondin, from Lévis, Que., will be looking for his first Olympic gold in men’s snowboard cross after a double-medal performance in Beijing in 2022.

Grondin, who debuted at the Olympics in Pyeongchang 2018, won silver in the men’s event in Beijing four years later while also securing a bronze in mixed team snowboard cross with Meryeta O’Dine.

Grondin won gold in the men’s event at last year’s world championships in Switzerland and will be one of three Canadians competing Thursday with Evan Bichon of Mackenzie, B.C., and Liam Moffatt of Truro, N.S.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 11, 2026.