Olympics Edition — Day 14: The end of an era
From The GIST (hi@thegistsports.com)
Leveling The Playing Field
It’s the grand finale!
That’s right, the last weekend of the Milano Cortina Olympics has arrived (*sniffs*), but there’s still a whole lot of hardware to be awarded before the Games come to a close on Sunday. And while you scroll the latest headlines, send us your favorite Olympic moment from the last two weeks. We’re all in this together, after all.
Country | 🥇 | 🥈 | 🥉 | Total |
| 🇳🇴 Norway | 16 | 8 | 10 | 34 |
| 🇺🇲 USA | 9 | 12 | 6 | 27 |
| 🇮🇹 Italy | 9 | 5 | 12 | 26 |
| 🇨🇦 Canada (11th) | 4 | 5 | 6 | 15 |
Women’s hockey
🥈🏒 Crying in the club
The GIST: Hearts shattered across the Great White North yesterday as Team Canada women’s hockey fell 2–1 to Team USA in overtime of the gold medal game. It certainly wasn’t the outcome Canadians wanted, but still a thrilling battle despite the odds. Always proud.
💔 Gritty showing from the underdogs: After suffering a 5–0 rout to the Americans in the group stage — Canada’s seventh straight loss to the U.S. — hockey pundits anticipated more of the same. Instead, a shorthanded goal from forward Kristin O’Neill, a gutty outing from the embattled Marie-Philip Poulin and Claire Thompson, and an aggressive Canadian attack set the tone early.
- It was nearly enough…until American icon Hilary Knight buried the game-tying goal with just two minutes left in regulation to force overtime, where Megan Keller netted the golden goal. Canada’s latest loss to their archnemesis stings, but we’re in awe of their tenacity in the face of doubt.
🥹 The end of an era: The story of this fierce rivalry cannot be told without the aforementioned MPP and Knight. They’ve been the faces of women’s hockey for the better part of two decades. Poulin — Canada’s Captain Clutch — is the Olympics’ all-time leading scorer; Knight has the most points at the world championship level. Together, they’ve transformed the game.
- Sixteen years after the duo made their respective Olympic debuts in Vancouver, their final chapter was written yesterday: Though 34-year-old Poulin hasn’t discussed her Olympic future just yet, this was Knight’s final Games. Forever grateful to two of the GOATs.
TOGETHER WITH RBC Training Ground
👋 Say hello to Canadian bobsleigh athlete Eden Wilson, RBC Olympian, master of the Irish goodbye, and supporter of RBC Training Ground. Let’s get to know this speedster:
🐴 She’s a bona fide horse girl: Before she was sliding down icy tracks, Wilson competed in equestrian for over two decades. Talk about range.
😤 She’s a trailblazer: As a Black and Indigenous athlete, Wilson is a passionate advocate for diversity and inclusivity in bobsleigh and beyond.
⚡ She brings the vibes: Wilson carries her signature smile to every run, training session, and team huddle, transforming the ice-cold pressure into infectious positive energy.
Now, with RBC in her corner, she’s getting the support she needs to chase her dreams.
In partnership with RBC Training Ground, we’re spotlighting RBC Olympians and RBC Training Ground alumni during the Milano-Cortina 2026 Olympic Games.🏒 Canada’s next shot at hockey gold could come on Sunday, but first the star-studded men’s team will need to beat a gritty Finnish squad today at 10:40 a.m. ET — and they might have to do it without injured captain Sidney Crosby. Say it ain’t so.
🥉🏒 Switzerland rounded out the women’s hockey podium, securing bronze after sharpshooting forward Alina Müller lit the lamp in overtime — her second career Olympic medal-clinching goal — to seal the 2–1 win over Sweden. So clutch.
🥌 Canadian curling is so back: The women rattled off five straight wins, including yesterday’s 10–7 victory over Korea, to punch their ticket to today’s 8:05 a.m. ET semifinal against Sweden.
- Rachel Homan’s rink will aim to follow in the footsteps of the Canadian men, who’ll face Great Britain for gold tomorrow at 1:05 p.m. ET. Ready to take it to the, ahem, house.
⛷️ Three Canadians qualified for tomorrow’s women’s halfpipe final, but a scary crash for top-three finisher Cassie Sharpe could sideline the podium hopeful for the medal runs. Wishing her all the best.
🥇⛸️ American figure skater Alysa Liu brought joy, presence, and precision to the ice yesterday, beating out Japan’s veteran Kaori Sakamoto and teen breakout star Ami Nakai to win gold. Not bad for a gal who retired from the sport in 2022.
⛷️ Ten-time Olympic gold medalist Johannes Høsflot Klæbo of Norway can complete the cross-country skiing sweep if he wins his sixth gold of the Milano Cortina Olympics in the 50km mass start tomorrow at 5 a.m. ET.
- Just how impressive has Klæbo been? Well, only one other Olympian — Winter or Summer — has won 10 or more gold medals in their career: American swimmer Michael Phelps. Pretty good company.
🎿 The inaugural Skimo medals were awarded yesterday, with Switzerland’s Marianne Fatton and Spain’s Oriol Cardona Coll taking home women’s and men’s gold, respectively. It was an extra special moment for Cardona Coll, Spain’s first Winter gold medalist since 1972.
Country | ⏰ ET | 👀 |
| 🥇💨⛸️ Women’s short track speedskating 1500m | Today at 2:15 p.m. | 🇨🇦 Courtney Sarault, Kim Boutin, Danaé Blais |
| 🥇💨⛸️ Men’s speedskating 5000m relay | Today at 3:18 p.m. | 🇨🇦 Canada |
| 🥇🎿 Freestyle skiing mixed team aerials | Tomorrow at 4:45 a.m. | 🇨🇦 Canada |
| ⛷️ Men’s ski cross | Tomorrow at 6 a.m. | 🇨🇦 Reece Howden, Kevin Drury, Gavin Rowell, Jared Schmidt |
🍁 Welcome to my palazzo
You’ve likely heard of countries’ Olympic “houses,” where athletes and their families can gather for chill vibes and a taste of home…but have you heard of the Ice Palazzo? Because these Games are spread across several cities, the hockey players, figure skaters, and speed skaters are the only Team Canada athletes based in Milan, so Hockey Canada decided to do it big and treat them right.
- The Ice Palazzo (Italian for palace, BTW) is the most Canadian thing you’ve ever seen, but with a Milanese flair. Think Italian-style mosaics of red maple leaves, the Tragically Hip playing as guests study portraits of Team Canada Olympic heroes like Mario Lemieux and Marie-Philip Poulin, and Tim Horton’s served alongside gelato. Eh-xquisite.
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