The men’s ice hockey gold medal game in the 2026 Milan Winter Olympics will take place on Sunday, Feb. 22, at 8:00 a.m. ET between the USA national team and the Canadian national team. These two teams were many fans’ picks to make it this far in the tournament, and while neither one of them has a loss in the Olympics, both have had fluctuations in their play.
The Journey
The USA faced Latvia, Denmark, and Germany in the preliminaries, and they showed near total dominance, winning 5-1 vs. Latvia, 6-3 vs. Denmark, and 5-1 vs. Germany.
However, they faced a major test in the quarterfinals against Sweden. The Swedish team played them close, with New York Rangers center Mika Zibanejad knocking in a one-timer with 1:31 left to go in the third to send the game to overtime, but Minnesota Wild defenseman Quinn Hughes took over, carrying the puck towards the slot and firing a wrist shot into the crease to win 2-1 in overtime. The USA ousted Slovakia 6-2 in the semifinal to reach the gold medal game.
Canada’s road has been even more storybook. At first, they showed even stronger dominance in the preliminaries, defeating Czechia 5-0, Switzerland 5-1, and France 10-1.
However, the Czech team played them close in their rematch in the quarterfinals. Canada was losing 2-1 in the first period and 3-2 in the third when Montreal Canadiens center Nick Suzuki found the back of the net at 16:33 in the third period. In overtime, it was Vegas Golden Knights winger Mitch Marner who donned the Superman cape, scoring the game-winner at 1:22 in overtime.
Finland also played Canada close in the semifinal, leading 2-1 going into the third period. However, they came back in amazing fashion, with Golden Knights defenseman Shea Theodore knocking a goal in at 10:34 in the third and Colorado Avalanche superstar center Nathan MacKinnon scoring the game-winner at 19:24 to send the Canadians to the gold medal game.
Both the USA and Canadian teams are loaded with talent, but there are a couple of X-factor players who can make or break the game for them.
USA: Auston Matthews
The captain for Team USA has lived up to the billing so far. Matthews is tied for second on Team USA in points behind both of the Hughes brothers (Quinn and Jack). He has three goals and three assists through the USA’s five games.
However, there have been many times when the captain has disappeared in big games, especially in international play. In the 2025 4 Nations Face-Off Final against Canada, Matthews narrowly missed the overtime game-winner, allowing Connor McDavid the chance to score the golden goal.
It’s also evident in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, where he has 59 points through 68 career playoff games with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Those aren’t bad numbers, but they’re far from what you’d expect from the captain with high goal-scoring prowess. Matthews’ performance, especially against Team Canada’s centers, will make or break the USA’s chance to take home the gold.
Canada: Mitch Marner
Matthews’ former teammate Mitch Marner also makes this list. The Canadian team was loaded at center this season, with four legitimate superstar centers (Connor McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon, Sidney Crosby, and Macklin Celebrini) on the roster. However, Crosby suffered a leg injury in the quarterfinal against Czechia, and it’s unknown if he’ll be playing in the gold medal game. Even if he is, it’s doubtful he’ll play the same way.
That’s where a guy like Marner comes in. Marner has shown superstar ability in the past, but he’s been quiet in big games. However, he’s been solid in these Olympics, with a goal and four assists through five games.
He also tends to show up in the clutch every now and then. He scored the overtime winner against Czechia in the quarterfinals, and in the 2025 4 Nations Face-Off, he scored the overtime winner against Sweden to start the tournament. He could be asked to show up in the clutch again, and he’ll need to deliver, especially with Crosby potentially out of the lineup.
There are a lot of wingers on Team Canada that could afford to step up their game, such as Brad Marchand, Sam Reinhart, Sam Bennett, and Brandon Hagel. However, Marner has shown more offensive upside than them, so I believe he’s the most likely to absorb the offensive responsibilities from Crosby.
USA: Connor Hellebuyck
Nobody’s going to doubt how fantastic Connor Hellebuyck has been in the Olympics so far. The Winnipeg Jets goaltender leads Olympic goaltenders in save percentage (.947), goals-against average (1.23), and fewest goals allowed (five) through his four starts.
However, it’s still worth questioning his performance in big games, especially against Team Canada. In the 2025 4 Nations Face-Off Final, Hellebuyck stopped 24 of 27 shots for a .889 save percentage, but he gave up the golden goal to McDavid in overtime.
Related: Jets’ Connor Hellebuyck’s Olympic Moment: A Legacy Test on Hockey’s Biggest Stage
He’s also not looked like himself in the Stanley Cup Playoffs as of late. In his last three trips to the Stanley Cup Playoffs with Winnipeg (2023, 2024, and 2025), Hellebuyck has a combined .870 save percentage and 3.60 goals-against average. Safe to say Hellebuyck will have pressure on him to perform at his best in this game.
Canada: Thomas Harley
Going to the blue line for Canada, there have been a lot of question marks. Canada will not have Jets defenseman Josh Morrissey in the lineup for the gold medal game, and the USA has a clear advantage on defense, with superstars Quinn Hughes and Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Zach Werenski showing their prowess during the Olympics.
For Canada, Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar has been fantastic, with a goal and four points through five games, but he’ll need more support. Any one of Harley, Drew Doughty, or Colton Parayko needs to step up so that Canada looks more balanced on the blue line.
My pick would be Harley to step up. He has the speed to close out the balanced forward core of the USA and the offensive output to be a factor on the power play in this game. He has a goal and three assists through four games while having a plus-1 plus/minus, so he’s been solid in the Olympics (from ‘Canada’s Thomas Harley silencing critics at Olympics: ‘Everyone is going to realize it,’ The Athletic, 2/14/2026).
Plus, he has experience scoring off of Hellebuyck in a do-or-die game, knocking in the series-winning goal to send his Dallas Stars to the Western Conference Final over the Jets last season.
Conclusion
There are many honorable mentions anyone can add to this list. People will be expecting St. Louis Blues goaltender Jordan Binnington to step up for Canada as he did in the 2025 4 Nations Face-Off. Meanwhile, there are several skaters on Team USA who have shown off in spurts, like Avalanche center Brock Nelson and New York Rangers center J.T. Miller, but have yet to find consistency. There have also been players like Jets winger Kyle Connor, who has shown almost nothing in the tournament but is still a threat to score.
Regardless, it’s another legendary matchup between Team USA and Team Canada in the gold medal game that reminds people why hockey is an incredible sport. Anybody can step up in this game, and it could be just a matter of who has the puck on their stick in the final minute.
