Editor’s Note: USA men’s hockey is currently taking on Sweden in a quarterfinal matchup. Click here to view live updates of the game.
MILAN — It’s Wednesday, Feb. 18 at the 2026 Winter Olympics and we’re underway on another day of competition at the Milano Cortina Games.
In men’s slopestyle snowboarding, American Jake Canter came from far back in the pack to win a bronze medal. In the women’s slopestyle competition, Team USA’s Lily Dhawornvej and Jessica Perlmutter did not make the podium.
All four men’s ice hockey quarterfinals will be played Wednesday. Team USA plays Sweden, a squad loaded with NHL players.
USA TODAY Sports has a team of more than a dozen journalists on the ground in Italy to bring you behind the scenes with Team USA and keep you up to date with every medal win, big moment and triumphant finish. Get our Chasing Gold newsletter in your inbox every morning and join our WhatsApp channel to get the latest updates right in your texts.
USA men’s hockey takes 1-0 lead against Sweden
USA men’s hockey takes a 1-0 lead against Sweden in the second period, thanks to Dylan Larkin tipping in a Jack Hughes shot shortly after a faceoff win. The United States is outshooting Sweden 21-18 in the quarterfinal match.
Click here to view live updates of the USA men’s hockey vs. Sweden quarterfinal matchup.
USA men’s hockey, Sweden scoreless after first period
The USA had a strong start, running up a 6-0 edge in shots as U-S-A cheers reverberated from the stands. But about seven minutes in, the Swedes – who had played the night before – found their legs and gave as good as they got. Shots after 20 minutes were 10-10. – Helene St. James and Mike Brehm
Click here to view live updates of the USA men’s hockey vs. Sweden quarterfinal matchup.
How Sidney Crosby helped Canada rally at Olympics despite injury
MILAN — Even when he couldn’t be in the lineup because his right leg had buckled in ways legs shouldn’t, Sidney Crosby made a difference for Canada.
With the quarterfinal against Czechia tied after two periods, Crosby addressed his teammates. The gist of the message? Go get ’em.
Canada did. Mitch Marner scored 1:22 into overtime to seal a 4-3 victory, sending Canada to the semifinals on Feb. 20 at Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena. Whether the lineup will include Crosby is unknown; Canada coach Jon Cooper did not have an update immediately after the game.
‘He couldn’t come out for the third,’ Cooper said. ‘But he did address the players, and I think that was a big thing coming in is, that we lose this game − we didn’t want this to be Sid’s last game at this Olympics’ – Helene St. James
Mikaela Shiffrin’s Olympic gold was magnificent. Appreciate her greatness
CORTINA D’AMPEZZO, Italy — Mikaela Shiffrin didn’t need this Olympic gold medal.
Her legacy was secured long ago, between her other two Olympic golds, her World Cup wins record and all the other superlatives she’s achieved. But that’s never been good enough for the peanut gallery, which tunes in every four years and doesn’t understand why Shiffrin can’t just conjure gold medals out of snow.
Maybe now they’ll finally get off her back.
“The irony is I’ve cared so much about wanting everybody to know the reality and to not want to answer those questions and to be so sick and tired of it. And I’ve felt that way since (being) fourth in South Korea in the slalom,” Shiffrin said.
“In order to do this today, I kind of needed to accept the possibility that those questions would keep coming,” she said. “It was like, just don’t resist it. Just live in my own moment.”
And that moment? My God, was it magnificent.
Shiffrin obliterated the field in winning the Olympic slalom on Wednesday, Feb. 18, finishing a whopping 1.50 seconds ahead. Silver medalist Camille Rast was closer to 12th-place finisher Laurence St-Germain than she was to Shiffrin. – Nancy Armour
Canada survives scare to advance in Olympic men’s hockey
Canada can breathe a little easier. Its loaded men’s hockey team avoided a monumental upset in the Olympic quarterfinals for the second-straight time with a 4-3 overtime win against Czechia on Tuesday.
Mitch Marner of the Las Vegas Golden Knights was the hero, scoring the deciding goal 1 minute, 22 seconds into the 3-on-3 overtime period, knifing through the Czechia defense before flipping a backhanded shot into the back of the net. Nick Suzuki had tied the score at 3 late in the third period after Czechia took the lead for a second time in Tuesday’s quarterfinal.
The top-seeded Canadians will next face the lowest seed to advance to the Olympic semifinals. Slovakia also advanced to the semifinals in early quarterfinal action.
Canada, Czechia headed to OT in men’s hockey quarterfinals
Canada is still alive in its men’s hockey quarterfinal game against Czechia and a 10-minute, 3-on-3 overtime awaits to determine who makes the semifinals.
Canada tied the score at 3 with a goal from Montreal Canadians captain Nick Suzuki with less than four minutes remaining in regulation. Suzuki tipped a shot by teammate Devon Toews into the back of the net.
In case you’re wondering about Olympic hockey overtime rules, USA TODAY Sports has you covered by clicking here. Live updates from Canada vs. Czechia can be found here.
Sidney Crosby out, Canada on the ropes in men’s hockey quarterfinals
Team Canada men’s hockey captain Sidney Crosby has been ruled out for the rest of Tuesday’s quarterfinal game against Czechia due to a lower-body injury, according to Hockey Canada. But the top-seeded Canadians have bigger issues than that as Czechia has just taken the lead with less than eight minutes to go in the third period.
Ondrej Palat of the New York Islanders gave Czechia a 3-2 lead off a feed from Martin Necas that came as a result of a blocked shot by Tomas Hertl. This would be a huge upset after Canada beat Czechia, 5-0, in the preliminary round-robin games.
Sidney Crosby injured, Canada tied with Czechia in men’s hockey quarterfinals
It has become a tenuous Tuesday for the Canadian men’s hockey team. They’re locked in a tight quarterfinal game against Czechia, knotted at 2-2 after Nathan McKinnon scored on the power play more than halfway through the second period. But Canada might have to pull this one out with its captain, Sidney Crosby.
Crosby left the game shortly before Canada tied it up due to an injury he suffered after taking a hit near the boards. Crosby sat on the bench in pain for a few moments before heading to the locker room.
Canada trails Czechia in men’s hockey quarterfinals
Canada entered the Olympic men’s hockey quarterfinals as the top seed after a dominating run through preliminary round-robin action. But the Canadians are being tested by Czechia on Tuesday in their first elimination game of the 2026 Olympic tournament and they trail Czechia, 2-1, to start the second period.
David Pastrnak’s power-play goal nearly 15 minutes into the first period gave Czechia the lead. Canada quickly jumped out to a 1-0 advantage with a Macklin Celebrini even-strength goal, but a turnover in the neutral zone midway through the period allowed Radko Gudas and Roman Cervenka to set up Lukas Sedlak for an equalizer.
Canada beat Czechia, 5-0, to start off these Winter Olympics, so this is a surprising score despite the presence of plenty of NHL players on both rosters. Canada suffered a stunning in the quarterfinals of the 2022 Beijing Olympics.
Is this best USA women’s hockey team ever?
‘Absolutely,’ Olympic champion Monique Lamoureux told USA TODAY Sports on Tuesday.
Many talented squads have worn USA across their chests. There’s the 1998 team that clinched Olympic gold in the inaugural women’s competition in Nagano. The 2018 team topped the podium following a dramatic shootout in Pyeongchang, made possible by Lamoureux’s game-tying goal and her twin Jocelyne’s shootout winner.
But the 2026 U.S. women’s team could be the most complete squad we’ve seen on the Winter Olympics stage. The U.S. women have been unstoppable in their run to Thursday’s gold medal game against Canada. Depth is their superpower and they are firing on all cylinders, with nearly every player on the roster on the score sheet. Read more here. ‒ Cydney Henderson
USA hockey star Hilary Knight proposes to speed skater Brittany Bowe at Olympics
U.S. women’s hockey captain Hilary Knight is going for gold as the Americans prepare to face off against Canada on Thursday, but that’s not the only bling being dished out in Milan.
Knight proposed to U.S. speed-skater Brittany Bowe on Wednesday, Feb. 18, as both athletes compete at the 2026 Winter Olympics. It marks a full circle moment for the couple, who first met at the 2022 Beijing Winter Games.
‘Olympics brought us together. This one made us forever,’ Knight captioned an Instagram video of the proposal. Read more here. ‒ Cydney Henderson
No USA medal in women’s snowboard slopestyle
Jess Perlmutter had a nice second run that resulted in a 68.18 and momentarily put her in fourth place heading into the final run of the women’s snowboard slopestyle event, but the competition was too stiff for the young Americans. Perlmutter finished in sixth place, while Lily Dhawornvej came in 11th.
Both are 16 years old, so the future is bright for the upstart Americans.
Zoi Sadowski Synnott of New Zealand nearly defended her gold medal with an electric final run, but came up just short behind Japan’s Mari Fukada. Kokomo Murase, also of Japan, took bronze. – Chris Bumbaca
Lindsey Vonn shares heartbreaking update ahead of latest surgery
Skier Lindsey Vonn has had a heartbreaking Winter Olympics already after crashing out and suffering severe leg injuries in the women’s downhill. But that athletic disappointment seems trivial in comparison to what she’s experienced off the slopes.
‘This has been an incredibly hard few days,’ Vonn wrote in a social media post. ‘Probably the hardest of my life.’
On her Instagram account, Vonn revealed that her dog Leo died the day after her crash at the Milano Cortina Games: ‘Heading in for more surgery today. Will be thinking of him when I close my eyes. I will love you forever my big boy.’
Slovakia defeats Germany in men’s hockey quarterfinals
The Germans, confident they were hitting their stride, stumbled instead, losing 6-2 to plucky Slovakia, who went from group winner to Olympic semifinalist. The Slovakians, well-rested from having two days between games, made it 1-0 in the first period on a goal from Pavol Regenda. Slovakia really took over in the second period, with goals from Milos Kelemen and Oliver Okuliar 33 seconds apart early in the second period, prompting Germany to take a timeout.
Dalibor Dvorsky furthered the damage to 4-0 before Lukas Reichel put Germany on the board.
Regenda scored again in the third period, and Frederik Tiffels edged Germany within three goals with 11 minutes to play. Tomas Tatar put his Slovaks back up by four with an empty-net goal with 3:27 to play.
The Germans looked tired from having played the previous day, needing to advance to the quarterfinals by beating France in a qualification game. — Helene St. James
US teens in striking distance after slopestyle opening run
The first run of women’s snowboard slopestyle finals ended with the two American teenagers representing the Stars and Stripes, Jess Perlmutter and Lily Dhawronvej, in sixth and seventh place, respectively.
The defending gold medalist in the event, New Zealand’s Zoi Sadowski-Synnott, was in third. Kokomo Murase of Japan was in first. − Chris Bumbaca
Mikaela Shiffrin is golden again in slalom
As the last skier down the mountain in the women’s slalom, Mikaela Shiffrin delivered when it mattered most.
After winning gold in the event in 2014, but suffering through disappointment the past two Olympics, Shiffrin came through with the run of her life and returned to the top of the podium.
She took a massive lead of 0.82 seconds into the second run. And she put her stamp on the final event of the Alpine skiing competition by posting a combined time of 1:39.10, a full 1.5 seconds ahead of silver medalist Camille Rast of Switzerland.
It’s Shiffrin’s fourth medal in the Winter Olympics − tying her with with Julia Mancuso for most by a U.S. woman in Alpine skiing.
USA stuns with silver in men’s cross-country skiing
Entering the 2026 Winter Olympics, Team USA had only won four cross-country skiing medals in Olympic history. The Americans have nearly matched that in Milano Cortina alone after picking up another medal.
Team USA claimed silver in the men’s team sprint free. Ben Ogden and Gus Schumacher posted a time of 18:30.35 for the U.S. cross-country skiing team’s third podium finish after Jessie Diggins claimed bronze in the women’s 10km and Ogden won bronze in the individual sprint.
Ogden and Schumacher finished 1.37 seconds off the top pace of Norway as Johannes Høsflot Klæbo won his record 10th Olympic Winter Games gold medal. − Cydney Henderson
Freestyle skiing: US duo advance in women’s aerials
Team USA’s Kaila Kuhn produced a clutch triple jump on her second attempt to score a 109.9 and advance to the top-six finals of the women’s aerials.American Winter Vinecki (107.75) advanced as well, giving the U.S. team two medal hopefuls in the final six of finals. — Gentry Estes
Freestyle skiing: Women’s aerials through one round
The Americans have some ground to make up after the first round of two jumps in the women’s aerials final.Winter Vinecki (99.89) is in sixth place, while USA teammates Kaila Kuhn (87.00) is in ninth and Tasia Tanner (85.36) in 11th.The top six finalists will advance to the medal round after two different jumps, with the best one counting.Australia’s Danielle Scott leads with a 117.19. — Gentry Estes
USA’s Jake Canter earns shocking bronze in slopestyle
With a spectacular final run, American snowboarder Jake Canter won bronze in the men’s slopestyle competition.
Canter was in 10th after the first two runs, but went all out for his third and final run of the day. He flipped an extra rotation off the last rail element, stomped his last two jumps and raised both arms in excitement as he went to the finish area.
Awaiting his score, he made the sign for ‘prayer hands.” The shred gods delivered a nice number on his behalf — 79.36.
China’s Su Yiming took gold and was by far the most consistent rider of the day. His best score was 82.41 on his first run. Taiga Hasegawa from Japan took silver with 82.13, also secured in his first run.
Team USA veteran Red Gerard placed sixth with a best score of 76.60. And 17-year-old Ollie Martin came in ninth with a 75.36. − Chris Bumbaca
Winter Vinecki, Tasia Tanner join Kalia Kuhn in freestyle skiing aerials finals
Winter Vinecki and Tasia Tanner of the USA advanced in the second stage of morning qualifying in the women’s freestyle skiing aerials and will join Kalia Kuhn in the afternoon’s finals.Kuhn advanced among the top six jumps in the first stage, and the top six after the second stage advanced, too, making 12 finalists out of the 25 skiers in the field.Vinecki was fourth after the second qualifying (10th overall), and Tanner just made it on the bubble, finishing sixth (12th overall among finalists).The other American in the field, Kyra Dossa, finished 14th overall and did not advance.The finals will start in about 90 minutes. — Gentry Estes
Mikaela Shiffrin takes massive lead into second slalom run
The gold is Mikaela Shiffrin’s to lose.
Shiffrin takes a massive lead into the second run of the slalom, the last Alpine event at the 2026 Milano Cortina Olympics. She is 0.82 seconds ahead of Germany’s Lena Duerr.
Just how commanding is that? There is as much difference between Shiffrin and Duerr as there is between Duerr and Katharina Truppe. Who is 10th.
Shiffrin had said she had a ‘really wonderful’ training session after the team combined and it showed. Aside from a slight bobble in a tricky combination about midway through the course, Shiffrin had a perfect run. She was aggressive and confident, her technique so solid she appeared to flow from one gate into the next.
The start order for the second run is a reverse of the results from the first, meaning Shiffrin will go last. — Nancy Armour
Kalia Kuhn advances to finals for freestyle skiing aerials
American Kalia Kuhn has advanced directly into this afternoon’s finals of the Olympic women’s aerials competition by finishing sixth in the first jumps of morning qualifying.
Other members of the U.S. team – Winter Vinecki (9th), Tasia Tanner (12th) and Kyra Dossa (23rd) – will have opportunity with another jump in the second stage of qualifying. The top 6 in each qualifying round advance to the finals, making 12 total out of a field of 25 competitors.
A long day is underway. Heavy snow in Livigno this week prompted organizers to change the schedule and put the qualifying and finals for women’s aerials on the same day. — Gentry Estes
Where to watch Olympics today
Watch all 2026 Winter Olympics events on NBC and Peacock.
Watch Olympics on Peacock
Olympics schedule today
All times Eastern and accurate as of Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2026, at 5:34 p.m.
- 3 a.m. – Nordic Combined: Large Hill Official Training 4, Predazzo Ski Jumping Stadium (Val di Fiemme)
- 3:05 a.m. – Curling: Women’s Round Robin – CHN vs. DEN, Cortina Curling Olympic Stadium (Cortina d’Ampezzo)
- 3:05 a.m. – Curling: Women’s Round Robin – USA vs. GBR, Cortina Curling Olympic Stadium (Cortina d’Ampezzo)
- 3:05 a.m. – Curling: Women’s Round Robin – SWE vs. KOR, Cortina Curling Olympic Stadium (Cortina d’Ampezzo)
- 3:45 a.m. – Cross-Country Skiing: Women’s Team Sprint Free Qualification, Tesero Cross-Country Skiing Stadium (Val di Fiemme)
- 4 a.m. – Alpine Skiing: Women’s Slalom Run 1, Tofane Alpine Skiing Centre (Cortina d’Ampezzo)
- 4 a.m. – Bobsleigh: 4-man Official Training Heat 1 & 2, Cortina Sliding Centre (Cortina d’Ampezzo)
- 4:15 a.m. – Cross-Country Skiing: Men’s Team Sprint Free Qualification , Tesero Cross-Country Skiing Stadium (Val di Fiemme)
- 5:30 a.m. – Freestyle Skiing: Women’s Aerials Finals – medal event, Livigno Snow Park (Livigno, Valtellina)
- 5:45 a.m – Cross-Country Skiing: Women’s Team Sprint Free Final , Tesero Cross-Country Skiing Stadium (Val di Fiemme)
- 6:10 a.m. – Ice Hockey: Men’s Playoffs Quarterfinals – Slovakia vs. Germany , Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena
- 6:15 a.m. – Cross-Country Skiing: Men’s Team Sprint Free Final , Tesero Cross-Country Skiing Stadium (Val di Fiemme)
- 6:30 a.m. – Snowboard: Men’s Slopestyle Final – medal event, Livigno Snow Park (Livigno, Valtellina)
- 7:30 a.m. – Alpine Skiing: Women’s Slalom Run 2 – medal event, Tofane Alpine Skiing Centre (Cortina d’Ampezzo)
- 8 a.m. – Bobsleigh: 2-Woman Official Training, Cortina Sliding Centre (Cortina d’Ampezzo)
- 8:05 a.m. – Curling: Men’s Round Robin – ITA vs. CAN, Cortina Curling Olympic Stadium (Cortina d’Ampezzo)
- 8:05 a.m. – Curling: Men’s Round Robin – CHN vs. CZA, Cortina Curling Olympic Stadium (Cortina d’Ampezzo)
- 8:05 a.m. – Curling: Men’s Round Robin – NOR vs. SUI, Cortina Curling Olympic Stadium (Cortina d’Ampezzo)
- 8:05 a.m. – Curling: Men’s Round Robin – USA vs. GBR, Cortina Curling Olympic Stadium (Cortina d’Ampezzo)
- 6:30 a.m. – Snowboard: Women’s Slopestyle Final – medal event, Livigno Snow Park (Livigno, Valtellina)
- 8:45 a.m. – Biathlon: Women’s 4 x 6km Relay – medal event, Anterselva Biathlon Arena (Antholz)
- 10:40 a.m. – Ice Hockey: Men’s Playoffs Quarterfinals – Canada vs. Czechia , Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena
- 12:10 p.m. – Ice Hockey: Men’s Playoffs Quarterfinals – Finland vs. Switzerland , Milano Rho Ice Hockey Arena
- 1:05 p.m. – Curling: Women’s Round Robin – GBR vs. JPN, Cortina Curling Olympic Stadium (Cortina d’Ampezzo)
- 1:05 p.m. – Curling: Women’s Round Robin – SUI vs. DEN, Cortina Curling Olympic Stadium (Cortina d’Ampezzo)
- 1:05 p.m. – Curling: Women’s Round Robin – CAN vs. ITA, Cortina Curling Olympic Stadium (Cortina d’Ampezzo)
- 1:05 p.m. – Curling: Women’s Round Robin – CHN vs. SWE, Cortina Curling Olympic Stadium (Cortina d’Ampezzo)
- 2:15 p.m. – Short Track: Men’s 500m Quarterfinals, Milano Ice Skating Arena (Milan)
- 2:45 p.m. – Short Track: Men’s 500m Semifinals, Milano Ice Skating Arena (Milan)
- 2:51 p.m. – Short Track: Women’s 3000m Relay Final B, Milano Ice Skating Arena (Milan)
- 3 p.m. – Short Track: Women’s 3000m Relay Final A – medal event, Milano Ice Skating Arena (Milan)
- 3:10 p.m. – Ice Hockey: Men’s Playoffs Quarterfinals – USA vs. Sweden , Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena
- 3:27 p.m. – Short Track: Men’s 500m Final B, Milano Ice Skating Arena (Milan)
- 3:32 p.m. – Short Track: Men’s 500m Semifinals, Milano Ice Skating Arena (Milan)
Olympics medal count
Following competition on Tuesday, Feb. 17, Norway continues to dominate the medal standings with 31 (14 gold, eight silver and nine bronze). Host nation Italy as the second-most medals with 24, followed by the United States (21), Germany (20) and Japan (19).