Editor’s note: Getlive updates from the closing ceremony of the2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics.
MILAN — It’s Sunday, Feb. 22 at the 2026 Winter Olympics, the final day at the Milano Cortina Games.
Jessie Diggins finished her Olympics career and the USA men’s hockey team won gold in a thrilling overtime victory against Canada. The closing ceremony wraps it all up.
USA TODAY has a team of more than a dozen journalists on the ground in Italy bringing you behind the scenes and keeping you up to date.
Here are the highlights from the final day of the Olympics on Sunday:
The International Ice Hockey Federation names Canada standout Connor McDavid as the MVP of the Olympic tournament, although Team USA won gold. The IIHF also named Team USA’s Quinn Hughes and Connor Hellebuyck were also named best players of the tournament alongside McDavid. – Austin Curtright
MILAN — The USA’s Olympics gold medal drought is over, and the U.S. men’s hockey team did it on the anniversary of another watershed moment.
Team USA defeated Canada 2-1 on Sunday, Feb. 22 when Jack Hughes scored in overtime.
The win happened 46 years to the day after the USA upset the Soviet Union at the 1980 Olympics on the way to the Americans’ last gold medal.
Team USA and Canada played to a 1-1 tie in regulation. The gold medal game is heading to sudden death overtime.
Canada tied the score at 1-1 on a goal from Cale Makar at the 1:44 mark of the second period. Brock Faber had a shot go off both posts as the period came to an end with Canada outshooting USA 19-8 in the period.
USA leads Canada 1-0 after the first period.
Matt Boldy splits the defense with a great move between Cale Makar and Devon Toews, then beats Jordan Binnington of the USA’s first shot of the game. USA 1, Canada 0
MILAN — Canada will not have captain Sidney Crosby available for the gold medal game against the USA.
He wasn’t on the lineup sheet posted by Hockey Canada posted less than an hour before the puck was to drop at Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena between the two hockey rivals.
Crosby was injured four days earlier. He skated on Feb. 21, and coach Jon Cooper said the team would decide what was best for Canada and Crosby.
In international hockey, teams can dress 13 forwards and seven defensemen. Sweden, for example, had injured Victor Hedman sit on the bench in full gear and watch them lose to the USA in the quarterfinal.
But Cooper ruled that out for Crosby, saying on Feb. 21 that, “no that wouldn’t happen,” because it’s better to have a healthy player available on the bench should there be an injury. — Helene St. James, Detroit Free Press
Sweden edged Switzerland, 6-5, in the gold medal game in women’s curling. Switzerland will take home the silver medal and Canada brings home the bronze after beating the United States on Saturday, Feb. 21.
A mistake at the start of the third run likely cost the United States a top-10 finish in four-man bobsled.
Kris Horn’s sled finished 11th with a combined, four-run time of 3:39.94, which was 0.22 seconds behind Jekabs Kalenda of Latvia. Frankie del Duca’s sled was 12th, 0.12 seconds behind Horn, Caleb Furnell, Hunter Powell and Carsten Vissering.
Johannes Lochner of Germany won gold in 3:37.57, with teammate Francesco Friedrich 0.57 seconds behind. In an upset, Michael Vogt of Switzerland leapfrogged the third German sled, piloted by Adam Ammour, in the final run for bronze.
Horn was ninth after the second run and is, typically, a fast starter. But he hit one wall and caromed into the opposite wall at the start of the third run. Though he made up time at the bottom of the run, it dropped him to 11thand he couldn’t make the time back up in the final run. — Nancy Armour
MILAN — The most decorated American cross-country skier has finished her Olympics career.
Jessie Diggins finished fifth in the 50km mass start on Sunday, and wrapped the 2026 Winter Olympics with one medal, a bronze in the 10km freestyle. She finishes her storied career with four Olympic medals.
In the 50km mass start, Ebba Andersson of Sweden won gold in the event, Heidi Weng of Norway won silver, and Switzerland’s Nadja Kaelin won bronze.
LIVIGNO, Italy — Eileen Gu competed here, over three separate events, for more than two weeks.
On the final day of the 2026 Winter Olympics, the Chinese freestyle skier won gold.
The American-born, Stanford-educated Gu won the women’s halfpipe competition Sunday, Feb. 22, hours before the closing ceremony began.
Gu’s second run clearly pleased the judges, who rewarded her with a 94.00 and improved in her third run to a 94.75.Gu took silver in the big air and slopestyle competitions and was the lone woman to compete in all three events, something she did four years ago at the Beijing Winter Olympics, where she made history by winning two gold and a silver.
With six medals in six events now, the 22-year-old is the most-decorated women’s free skier of all time. — Chris Bumbaca
Watch all 2026 Winter Olympics events on NBC and Peacock.
All times Eastern and accurate as of Saturday, Feb. 21 at 2:02 p.m.
The USA-Canada matchup in the 2026 Winter Olympics gold-medal game is the same one as the final of last year’s 4 Nations Face-Off.
Canada won that game 3-2 in overtime. But will that happen this time? How will it all shake out when the puck drops at 8:10 a.m. ET (NBC, Peacock)?
USA TODAY Network staffers offer their predictions.
MILAN – Coach Mike Sullivan wanted his players to know what a select group they can join if they win their next game. His players emphasized the importance of enjoying the moment and not overthinking the magnitude.
It is with a blend of those two focal points as the USA hockey team enters the last game of the 2026 Winter Olympics men’s tournament on Feb. 22, facing off against rival Canada for the biggest prize in international hockey.
Players don’t reach the pinnacle of their sport without being mentally tough, but for all 25 NHLers on Team USA, these Games are their Olympic debut. Now here they are, playing for gold, playing for history. — Helene St. James, Detroit Free Press
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All times Eastern
Following competition on Satuday, Feb. 21, Norway continues to lead the medal standings with 40 (18 gold, 11 silver, 11 bronze). The United States has the second-most medals with 32 (11 gold, 12 silver, nine bronze), followed by host nation Italy (30), and Germany and Japan (24 apiece).
➤ Complete medal standings
➤ Full Milano Cortina Games schedule
➤ 2026 Winter Olympics medal count
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