Canada forward Macklin Celebrini (17) tries to take the puck from Finland defenceman Niko Mikkola (77) during first period Men's Olympic semi final ice hockey action at the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics in Milan, Friday, Feb. 20, 2026. (Image Credit: THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette)

By The Canadian Press

Olympics

MacKinnon lifts Canada into gold-medal game; Maltais wins third medal in Milan

Feb 20, 2026 | 1:54 PM

Canada’s men’s hockey team advanced to Sunday’s gold-medal game with a 3-2 win over Finland, while long-track speedskater Valérie Maltais captured her third medal of the Milan Cortina Olympics.

Team Canada trailed 2-0 before goals from Sam Reinhart and Shea Theodore tied it, and Nathan MacKinnon scored the power-play winner late in the third period.

“We had a lot of good opportunities, a lot of good battles to get the puck back,” MacKinnon said. “They were a little tired, and in the second, we took over the game.

“Their goalie (Juuse Saros) played really well, but I thought we deserved to win.”

Canada played without captain Sidney Crosby, who sustained a lower-body injury in Wednesday’s 4-3 overtime win over Czechia to reach the semifinal. 

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The Pittsburgh Penguins superstar was scratched Friday morning, and Connor McDavid served as captain in his absence, recording two assists, including setting up the winner.

“Just a slow grind. Slowly but surely, we found a way. Going two down is never ideal, especially against such a team like Finland,” said McDavid, whose 13 points are a record for most points in a single Olympic tournament involving NHL players.

“It took all 40 minutes, 60 minutes, to get it done.”

Valerie Maltais of Canada competes to the a bronze medal in the women’s 1500 meters speedskating race at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Friday, Feb. 20, 2026. (Image Credit: AP Photo/Ben Curtis)

Over at the long-track oval, Maltais picked up medal No. 3 in Milan, rescuing what was shaping up to be a disappointing Day 14 for Canada at the Games.

The veteran skater from La Baie, Que., finished third in the women’s 1,500 metres in a stacked field.

Maltais took the lead with a time of one minute 54.4 seconds with several pairs left to go.

She was eventually passed by gold medallist Antoinette Rijpma-de Jong of the powerhouse Dutch and Ragne Wiklund of Norway, but she clinched an unlikely spot on the podium when world record holder Miho Takagi, skating in the last pair, came apart on her final lap and finished sixth.

“It feels great,” said Maltais, who had never stepped on the podium in a World Cup 1,500 race. “It feels like a surprise. This is my first medal ever in the 1,500 metre, and to do it at the Games, at the Olympics, this is where I need to do it.”

Maltais won Canada’s first medal of the Milan Cortina Games with a bronze in the 3,000 on Day 1. She also teamed with Ivanie Blondin and Isabelle Weidemann to defend Canada’s Olympic women’s pursuit title.

Her Olympic medals in the individual events are the first of her career.

The 35-year-old will compete in Saturday’s mass start in what could be her final Olympic race.

At the short-track in Milan, medals will be handed out in the men’s 5,000-metre relay and the women’s 1,500-metre event, with Canadian speedskaters in contention for the podium in both competitions. 

The women’s event will see Moncton’s Courtney Sarault go for her fifth medal of the Games while Kim Boutin, of Sherbrooke, Que., looks to add her third.

The men’s relay team competing in the A final will feature Steven Dubois, of Terrebone, Que., who won gold on Wednesday in the men’s 500 metres, and Montreal’s William Dandjinou.

Canada’s Rachel Homan reacts during a women’s curling semifinal match against Sweden, at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, Friday, Feb. 20, 2026. (Image Credit: AP Photo/Misper Apawu)

In women’s curling, Rachel Homan’s Ottawa-based team lost 6-3 to Sweden in the semifinal and will face the United States for bronze on Saturday.

The game was tied 2-2 at the halfway point before Sweden scored a deuce in the sixth end and added a steal of one in the seventh. 

Down by three with hammer in the 10th end, the Canadians were run out of rocks.

Sweden will face Switzerland for gold on Sunday.

Earlier, Canada was held off the Olympic podium in women’s ski cross for the first time.

Marielle Thompson of Whistler, B.C., Brittany Phelan of Mont-Tremblant, Que., and Ottawa’s Hannah Schmidt were all eliminated in the quarterfinals. 

Thompson finished fourth in her race, while Schmidt and Phelan finished third and fourth in theirs.

Thompson, Canada’s co-flag-bearer for the Milan Cortina opening ceremony, won ski cross gold in 2014 and silver in 2022.

Canada had won at least one medal in the event at every previous Olympics since its debut at the 2010 Vancouver Games, when Ashleigh McIvor captured gold.

Canada now has 16 medals at the Milan Cortina Olympics.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 20, 2026.