2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics
Preliminary Round Game 1: Slovakia vs. Finland
How to watch
Start time: 10:40 AM EDT / 4:40 PM CET
In Canada: CBC, TSN (English) ICI Télé (French)
Streaming: CBC Gem, TSN
Two of the medallists from the 2022 Olympics start off the 2026 event. The 2022 champion, Finland, will begin its gold-medal defence versus reigning tournament MVP Juraj Slafkovský and Team Slovakia. Finland has a deeper pool of talent to draw upon than today’s opponent, but given the way Slafkovský has gone into the tournament with his play for the Montreal Canadiens in the NHL, he could help his country pull off an upset in the very first game.
Preliminary Round Game 2: Sweden vs. Italy
How to watch
Start time: 3:10 PM EDT / 9:10 PM CET
In Canada: Sportsnet (English) RDS (French)
Streaming: CBC Gem, RDS, Sportsnet
An upset in the second and final game of the day would send as big a shock wave through the hockey world as it would the host nation of Italy. Sweden has dealt with a multitude of injuries leading up to the Olympics that have significantly altered the roster from its original construction, but it still shouldn’t face a big challenge from what is currently the 18th-place team in the IIHF rankings. The crowd will no doubt be heavily behind the Italians to help boost the home side.
