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This is an excerpt from The Buzzer, CBC Sports’ daily email newsletter. Get up to speed on what’s happening at the Olympics by subscribing here.
Well, that was not quite the Olympics we hoped for. And definitely not the ending we dreamed of.
After 2½ weeks of triumphs and tears for Canada at the Milano-Cortina Games, the men’s hockey team did everything in their power to deliver the victory that mattered most to their country. But, despite Canada’s NHL stars outplaying the United States’ for most of another classic Olympic final between the rival nations, American Jack Hughes scored the golden goal in 3-on-3 overtime to give the U.S. a thrilling 2-1 win and its first Olympic men’s hockey title since 1980.
As it happens, today is the 46th anniversary of the United States’ Miracle On Ice upset of the Soviet Union in Lake Placid. And it was borderline miraculous that the Americans won this game.
Even without injured captain Sidney Crosby, Canada outshot the U.S. 42-28 and had several golden opportunities to pot the go-ahead goal in the third period after American Matt Boldy opened the scoring in the first and Cale Makar tied it midway through the second. But U.S. goalie Connor Hellebuyck absolutely robbed Devon Toews in front of a wide-open net with a desperate paddle save and, later, Canadian star Nathan MacKinnon inexplicably missed another yawning cage from point-blank range.
In OT, Hughes — his front teeth shattered from a high stick by Sam Bennett that drew a four-minute penalty in the third — made the play of his life. The 24-year-old forward poked the puck past a pinching Makar to create an odd-man situation, found open space in the slot and converted a feed from Zach Werenski to become the modern-day Mike Eruzione. During their post-game celebrations, the Americans held up a USA jersey bearing the number and last name of Johnny Gaudreau, who was set to be part of this team until he and his brother were killed by a suspected drunk driver two summers ago.
For Canada, there’s no two ways around it: that was a heartbreaker. And a tough one to swallow. Especially when coupled with the Canadian women’s hockey team’s overtime loss to the Americans in their gold-medal game on Thursday. And especially at this particular moment in Canada-U.S. “relations.”
The silver lining (apart from the actual silver medals) is we won’t have to wait another 12 years for a game like this. The NHL, after passing on the last two Olympics, has committed to sending players to the 2030 Games in the French Alps, and an eight-team World Cup of Hockey is coming in just two years.
Some final thoughts on Milano-Cortina
Like Paris did for the Summer Olympics two years ago, northern Italy brought the joy back to the Winter Games.
Coming off the Covid-dampened 2022 event in Beijing, the stands were once again filled with enthusiastic fans, the old-world scenery provided a charming backdrop, and the host country’s athletes were an electrifying force. Italy won 30 medals and 10 golds to smash its previous records and finish third in the standings behind perennial leader Norway (41 medals, 18 golds) and the U.S., which picked up 33 medals and national-record 12 golds.
But, to be honest, this was not a great Olympics for Canada. Our 21 medals were our lowest total in a Winter Games since 2002 — the last one before the Own the Podium era — and well below the national record of 29 in 2018.
With five golds, seven silvers and nine bronze, Canada finished 11th in the official standings, which prioritize gold, for the second straight time after three consecutive top-three showings —including a first-place finish in 2010 in Vancouver. And Canada’s nine gold medals over the last two Winter Olympics are fewer than it won in each of 2010, 2014 and 2018 alone.
But there might be a silver lining here too. As Canada has slipped a bit as a winter-sports power, its summer star is on the rise. In 2024 in Paris, Canadians won 27 total medals and nine golds — both national records for a non-boycotted Summer Olympics. The Great White North is now a country for all seasons.
And let’s not forget some of the wonderful moments Canadian athletes gave us over the last 16 days.
Short track speed skater Courtney Sarault racked up four medals (two silver, two bronze), just one short of the national record for a Winter Olympics. Fellow short tracker Steven Dubois won his fifth career medal and first individual gold.
On the long track oval, the greying but still formidable “Madames” — 35-year-olds Valerie Maltais and Ivanie Blondin and 30-year-old Isabelle Weidemann — won their second straight Olympic gold in the women’s team pursuit. Maltais also earned a pair of individual bronze medals and Blondin a silver in the final Olympics for those two.
In freestyle skiing, Mikaël Kingsbury won a gold and a silver, sending the moguls GOAT out on top in his last Olympics, while 24-year-old Megan Oldham grabbed a gold in the big air and bronze in the slopestyle.
Canada returned to the figure skating podium as longtime ice dance partners Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier delivered a flawless performance in their final Olympic skate, winning bronze for their first medal in three tries. And Olympic rookie Stephen Gogolev could be a contender next time after finishing a surprising fifth in a men’s competition that will be remembered for American star Ilia Malinin’s stunning collapse.
And, while the hockey didn’t quite work out, Canada got back on top in another quintessentially Canadian sport as Brad Jacobs captured his second Olympic curling gold and the country’s first in the four-player game since 2014. Rachel Homan’s women’s team didn’t get the gold they wanted, but the three-time world champion skip went home with her first medal in three attempts after beating the U.S. in the bronze game.
So, yeah, Canada had its ups and downs. But, as always, it was an exciting ride. I’ve really enjoyed watching our athletes perform so fearlessly on their sports’ biggest stage over the last couple weeks, and helping you follow along at home. I hope this newsletter made it all a little easier and more fun to watch.
Now, me and all my hard-working colleagues at CBC Sports need some time off! And maybe a grappa or two.
The Buzzer will return next week — just in time for the Paralympic Winter Games, which open on March 6. If you’re a new subscriber, I hope you’ll stick around to follow Canada’s Olympic athletes year-round. The next Games, in the summer of 2028 in Los Angeles, will be here before you know it.
Ciao for now. Talk to you soon.
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