Usa Canada Hockey Game Could Drive Huge U.S. Audience as Closing Day Tests Team Depth

Emerson Raymont

Published: February 22, 2026 8:51 AM ET

Usa Canada Hockey Game Could Drive Huge U.S. Audience as Closing Day Tests Team Depth

The Usa Canada Hockey Game lands on the final day of the Milan Cortina Olympics at a moment when roster questions and legacy farewells matter most — fans and athletes will feel the impact first. The United States, coming off a 6-2 win over Slovakia in the semifinals, faces a tougher challenge; Canada is coping with defensive absences and an injured captain whose status remained unclear on Saturday afternoon.

Who feels the pressure and why it matters now

Here’s the part that matters: the matchup pits the U. S. against a Canadian side missing defenseman Josh Morrissey, and with Captain Sidney Crosby injured in the quarterfinals and not yet ruled out as of Saturday afternoon. That combination shifts immediate pressure onto American depth while leaving Canadian lineups in flux. The United States’ comparatively easy 6-2 semifinal win over Slovakia does not guarantee a simple path forward.

What’s easy to miss is how an injury note — “hadn’t been ruled out as of Saturday afternoon” — can change game plans and bench usage within hours of puck drop.

Usa Canada Hockey Game: schedule, viewing and audience signals

Times for the men’s hockey final are listed at 4: 40 a. m. ET, 10: 40 a. m. in Italy; TV coverage is listed with the event’s rights-holder. The women’s hockey gold medal game between these same two nations recorded the largest U. S. TV audience for a women’s hockey game on record, averaging 5. 3 million viewers. The men’s game is expected to draw even larger numbers — probably safe to expect a tally topping the 9. 3 million who watched the 4 Nations final last year — meaning viewing figures will be a major storyline alongside the result.

Eileen Gu and the postponed halfpipe final

Snow in Livigno led to the postponement of the final that had been scheduled for Saturday night. Eileen Gu, the 22-year-old who was born in San Francisco, attends Stanford and competes for China, is the defending gold medalist and qualified fifth for the final; Great Britain’s Zoe Atkin is the top qualifier. Gu has taken silver in slopestyle and big air and is seeking to medal in all three freestyle skiing events for the second successive Olympics.

Event timing for the halfpipe final is listed at 4 a. m. ET, 10 a. m. in Italy; TV coverage is listed with the event’s rights-holder. Details remain subject to change because of weather-driven postponement.

Historic firsts and final appearances in cross-country

This games’ cross-country schedule includes the first Olympic women’s 50km, a distance that converts to a little more than 31 miles — longer than a marathon (26. 2 miles). Based on results from 50km classic World Cup races, top finishers in Tesero, Italy, are expected to take a little more than two hours and 10 minutes to complete the race. The race is the final Olympic appearance for the United States’ Jessie Diggins, who earned silver in 2022 in the 30km freestyle (then the longest women’s race) and earned bronze in the 10km this month, the fourth Olympic medal of her career.

Sweden’s Ebba Andersson, who earned two individual silvers in these Games, is among the favorites. Her teammate Frida Karlsson withdrew due to illness.

Relays, German form, and the closing-day mix of oddities

Relay heats list Heat 3 at 4 a. m. ET (10 a. m. in Italy) and Heat 4 at 6: 15 a. m. ET (12: 15 p. m. in Italy); TV is listed with the event’s rights-holder. German teams have the three fastest combined times through two heats; historically Germany has claimed gold and silver in each of the last two Olympics and won the event at every Olympics from 1994 to 2006, signaling continued strength in the discipline.

Across the final day the Milan Cortina Olympics wrap up Sunday with five events, all of which determine gold medals, followed by the closing ceremony. Among the Games’ more distinctive moments have been a dog loping down the homestretch during the women’s cross-country skiing team sprint qualifying, a biathlete who confessed on television to cheating on his girlfriend, and a skier who walked off into the woods after missing a gate on his final run.

Closing ceremony: 8: 10 a. m. ET, 2: 10 p. m. in Italy; TV: listed with event rights-holder.
Men’s hockey final: 4: 40 a. m. ET, 10: 40 a. m. in Italy.
Halfpipe final (postponed): 4 a. m. ET, 10 a. m. in Italy.
Relay heats: Heat 3 — 4 a. m. ET / 10 a. m. in Italy; Heat 4 — 6: 15 a. m. ET / 12: 15 p. m. in Italy.

Timeline subject to change because of weather and late adjustments.

The real question now is how roster uncertainty and weather will reshape the narratives viewers tune in for: legacy medals, record audiences, or last Olympic rides. A single injury note or a postponed final can shift priorities for fans and teams within hours.

The bigger signal here is that the final day compresses competitive risk, broadcast interest and career bookends into a few hours — an unusually high-stakes finish for hosts, athletes and viewers alike.