Three members of the Montreal Canadiens will have a shot to win a medal at the 2026 Winter Olympic Games, taking place in Milano-Cortina, Italy.
Gold Medal Game, Team Canada Versus Team USA, Sunday, February 22, 8:10 am ET/ 5:10 am PT
Nick Suzuki and Team Canada will face the Americans in the gold medal game, a repeat of the final that took place at the 4 Nations Faceoff tournament. Canada hasn’t breezed through the elimination games by any means, requiring heroics from Suzuki and Mitch Marner to beat Czechia in the quarterfinals.
In the semifinals, it appeared that Finland, a team that always does great in international games, was about to ruin Canada’s gold medal aspirations, but a late-game push that resulted in goals from Nathan MacKinnon, Shea Theodore, and Sam Reinhart was enough to secure a 3-2 win for the Canadians.
As for the Americans, they flirted with disaster in their semifinal matchup, however, superstar Quinn Hughes secured a 2-1 overtime win versus the Swedes. This led to a relatively easy semifinal matchup, in which the Americans easily dispatched Team Slovakia.
Bronze Medal Game, Team Slovakia Versus Team Finland, Saturday, February 21, 2:40 pm ET/ 11:40 am PT
While most predicted Canada and USA to meet in the final, few expected Slovakia to challenge for another Olympic medal. Yes, they won a bronze medal at the last Olympic Games, but that tournament did not include NHL players.
This time around, Slovakia is impressing against the best players in the world, and Montreal Canadiens star forward Juraj Slafkovsky is the one leading the charge.
Like most of the Slovaks, Slafkovsky had a difficult time in the semifinal versus the United States, a team flush with NHL superstars. And yet, he still managed to score versus the Americans, a testament to his impressive evolution in recent years. In the grand scheme of things, Slafkovsky has clearly emerged as one of the most dominant players at the Olympics, with four goals and four assists to his name.
HOCKEY 🏒 Slafkovsky marque! C'est maintenant 5-1 pour les États-Unis.@LNH_FR #MilanoCortina2026 #rcsports #jeuxolympiques #hockey pic.twitter.com/ClMrNR0Qyo
— Radio-Canada Sports (@RC_Sports) February 20, 2026
It remains to be seen if Oliver Kapanen is in uniform for the Finns, and if so, whether he will actually be given a shift. As one of the youngest players at the Olympics, Kapanen has spent much more time watching hockey than playing hockey, and though he did dress in the semifinal versus Canada, Antti Pennanen glued him to the bench.
Regardless, it has surely been a unique experience for Montreal’s second-line centre.
