Olympics – Winnipeg Free Press

CAROLYN KASTER / THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Switzerland’s head coach Patrick Fischer talks his players during practice on Sunday in Milan. Fischer shone on the high school hockey team’s Carman Cougars roster in his youth.

Carman holds special place in Swiss head coach Fischer’s heart

Mike McIntyre 6 minute read 6:09 PM CST

MILAN — Patrick Fischer’s long and winding road to the Winter Olympics included a most memorable detour through southern Manitoba.

The head coach of Switzerland’s men’s hockey team said his brief stint in the Pembina Valley — and the incredible people he met there — will always hold a special place in his heart.

“Great times. One of the best years of my life,” Fischer told the Free Press on Wednesday following his team’s practice in Milan. “It left a mark. Very beautiful memories. It gave me a lot.”

Thirty-five years ago, Fischer was a wide-eyed 16-year-old who moved to Carman to attend high school and experience Canadian hockey firsthand. His parents had been transferred from Switzerland to Tennessee for a one-year work assignment and wanted to give him the best opportunity to reach the professional level.

SUPPLIED
Seth Jarvis’ buddies from Winnipeg will be landing in Milan on Sunday to cheer on the Canadian men’s hockey team. The group made a 30-hour trek to Boston last February for the 4 Nations Face-Off. Back row, from left: Bryan Hanna, Sloan Tremblay, Lucas Fry and Matt McLeod; Lucas Humble (middle left); and Seth’s brother Kayden (front left).

The boys will be back in town

Buddies of Winnipeg’s Jarvis on their way to Milan

Mike McIntyre 5 minute read Updated: 6:12 PM CST

Carolyn Kaster / The Associated Press
Team Canada’s men’s Olympic hockey team opted to move to a nearby hotel in Milan after spending just one night in the athletes’ village on Sunday.

May the most comfortable country win?

Canadian men’s hockey team opts for hotel over athletes’ village

Mike McIntyre 5 minute read Yesterday at 2:27 PM CST

Olympic hockey a ‘dream come true’ for defender Tabin

Mike McIntyre 5 minute read Preview

Olympic hockey a ‘dream come true’ for defender Tabin

Mike McIntyre 5 minute read Monday, Feb. 9, 2026

MILAN — It’s not every you day get a “good luck” greeting from Connor McDavid on the way to your hockey game.

Then again, these are not exactly ordinary days for Winnipegger Kati Tabin, who can now officially say she is an Olympian.

The 28-year-old defender — who twice walked away from the sport only to be pulled back — made her debut on Saturday here in Milan in a 4-0 victory over Switzerland. That was followed up with a 5-1 triumph on Monday night over Czechia, a few hours after the NHL’s biggest star wished her well as they crossed paths in the athlete’s village.

Enjoying the Olympic experience so far?

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Monday, Feb. 9, 2026

Darryl Dyck / THE CANADIAN PRESS
Canada’s Julia Gosling (88) celebrates her goal against Czechia on Monday. Gosling netted two of Canada’s five goals in the game.

‘I had trained so hard for this day’: Quebec speed skater Maltais captures bronze

Mike McIntyre 5 minute read Preview

‘I had trained so hard for this day’: Quebec speed skater Maltais captures bronze

Mike McIntyre 5 minute read Saturday, Feb. 7, 2026

MILAN — Well, that sure didn’t take long, eh?

Team Canada’s Winter Olympics got off to a shiny start Saturday, as Quebec speedskater Valérie Maltais captured bronze in the women’s 3,000 metres in Milano-Cortina.

“Yesterday I was really nervous. Then I slept like nine-and-a-half hours last night. Like, I slept so good. And as I woke up, I was just ready. I had trained so hard for this day,” said Maltais.

Twenty skaters qualified for the event, racing against the clock in pairs. Maltais skated in the third-last group alongside Italy’s Francesca Lollobrigida, who electrified the jam-packed, partisan crowd with a gold medal–winning time of 3:54.28, which is an Olympic record.

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Saturday, Feb. 7, 2026

‘I had trained so hard for this day’: Quebec speed skater Maltais captures bronze

Medal-worthy drinks to enjoy during Olympics

Ben Sigurdson 5 minute read Preview

Medal-worthy drinks to enjoy during Olympics

Ben Sigurdson 5 minute read Saturday, Feb. 7, 2026

Every fourth winter, the water-cooler chatter at offices everywhere suddenly turns to lesser-unknown athletes in relatively obscure sports:

“Did you catch that Belarusian biathlete who just missed the podium in the men’s 20-kilometre individual?”

“I can’t believe what happened to that Spanish skeleton-er!” (Skeleton drivers? What are they called?)

“The Icelandic pairs figure-skating short program was so compelling — it was heartbreaking when they botched that double lutz…”

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Saturday, Feb. 7, 2026

Darryl Dyck / the Canadian Press
Volunteers perform during the opening ceremony at the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics Friday in Milan.

‘I have chills just thinking about it’

Mike McIntyre 6 minute read Preview

‘I have chills just thinking about it’

Mike McIntyre 6 minute read Friday, Feb. 6, 2026

MILAN — You’ll likely remember the Jamaican bobsled team that dropped jaws and turned heads at the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary, eventually inspiring the movie Cool Runnings.

Well, there may be a new contender for a Hollywood sequel at the Milan Cortina Games here in Italy — and, go figure, a Winnipegger is front and centre. He’s even got a title picked out, just in case.

David Greaves, executive director of the Jewish National Fund of Manitoba and Saskatchewan, is also president of the Israeli Olympic Bobsleigh Skeleton Federation. And for the first time, Israel has defied long odds and qualified a team to compete in Olympic bobsled.

“The Yiddish word for synagogue is shul. So this is becoming the ‘Shul Runnings,’” Greaves told the Free Press on Friday with a hearty laugh.

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Friday, Feb. 6, 2026

SUPPLIED
David Greaves takes a selfie at the 2026 Milan Cortina Games bobsled track. A former bobsledder, Greaves is currently the executive director of the Jewish National Fund of Manitoba and Saskatchewan and president of the Israeli Olympic Bobsleigh Skeleton Federation.

Last minute changes to Canada’s Olympic hockey quests

Mike McIntyre 5 minute read Preview

Last minute changes to Canada’s Olympic hockey quests

Mike McIntyre 5 minute read Thursday, Feb. 5, 2026

MILAN — The winds of change were blowing hard Thursday around the Canadian Olympic hockey teams.

The culprit: illness and injury.

It began with word that Canada’s women’s team would have to wait an extra 48 hours to hit the ice for its opening round-robin game. Their scheduled opponents, Finland, had been decimated by norovirus, which is commonly referred to as a stomach flu.

The first case was reported Tuesday night, but the nasty bug spread quickly. By Thursday morning’s scheduled skate, only 10 Finnish skaters had been cleared to play, with the remaining 13 either confirmed sick or quarantining due to symptoms.

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Thursday, Feb. 5, 2026

FRANK GUNN / THE CANADIAN PRESS FILES
Ste. Anne’s Jocelyne Larocque (left) is suiting up for her fourth Olympic games. Saturday’s matchup will serve as the round-robin opener for Team Canada after illness in Finland’s locker room postponed the Thursday clash until Feb. 12.

Silver linings aplenty for Langelaar after missing Olympic berth

Joshua Frey-Sam 6 minute read Preview

Silver linings aplenty for Langelaar after missing Olympic berth

Joshua Frey-Sam 6 minute read Friday, Jan. 16, 2026

Tyson Langelaar was a fan of James Bond movies growing up. The spy series a staple for him on plane rides.

This 007, however, did not capture the Winnipeg-born speed skaters’ heart — it broke it.

One of the most agonizing results of Langelaar’s career came recently at the Canadian Olympic speed skating trials in Quebec City, where he saw his dream of representing Canada at next month’s Olympic Games in Italy instantly melt away.

Langelaar, who needed a top-two finish in the men’s 1,500-metre event, finished in third with a time of 1:46:883. The difference between him and second-place Daniel Hall was a fraction of a skate blade or, more accurately, seven hundredths of a second.

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Friday, Jan. 16, 2026

FRANCOIS GUAY PHOTO
Long track speed skater Tyson Langelaar had a career 2025 following a 2024 campaign that was derailed by a partially torn hip flexor.

The unsung playmakers of Olympic hockey magic

Joshua Frey-Sam 7 minute read Preview

The unsung playmakers of Olympic hockey magic

Joshua Frey-Sam 7 minute read Friday, Jan. 9, 2026

As the country’s top hockey talents celebrated their selection to the Canadian men’s national team that will play at next month’s Olympic Games in Milan, a pair of Manitobans knew their spots with the team were already secure.

Darren Granger and Kurt Keats aren’t household names like the players and coaches who make up Team Canada: Sidney Crosby, Connor McDavid, Josh Morrissey, or head coach Jon Cooper, to name a few.

That’s because Granger and Keats’ work is done away from the cameras and the spotlight, in locker rooms and offices. Make no mistake, though, they have become equally important to Team Canada’s quest for gold.

Granger is the team’s head equipment manager, while Keats is one of two managers of hockey operations.

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Friday, Jan. 9, 2026

Colin Corneau / BRANDON SUN FILES
Brandon native Darren Granger, along with his son Chase, carries the Stanley Cup into the Wheat Kings Hockey School barbeque back in 2014. The Los Angeles Kings equipment manager had the Cup for the day and let the locals have a look.

High-stakes tourney promises to thrill as skaters battle for Olympic berths

Laurie Nealin 6 minute read Preview

High-stakes tourney promises to thrill as skaters battle for Olympic berths

Laurie Nealin 6 minute read Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2026

Ava Kemp and Yohnatan Elizarov won’t be cautiously dipping their toe-picks into senior competition waters at the 2026 Canadian figure skating championships this week in Gatineau, Que.

Rather, the reigning national junior pair champions will enthusiastically jump into the proverbial deep end of the pool beginning with official practices on Thursday.

By virtue of their world standing points, the Winnipeg duo has been slotted to practice and compete in the grouping with Canada’s three top-ranked pair teams, including 2024 world titleholders and 2026 Olympic medal hopefuls Deanna Stellato-Dudek and Maxime Deschamps, who are vying for their fourth national crown.

“They’re very excited about it,” said Kevin Dawe, who has coached Kemp and Elizarov since the start of their partnership in 2020, first in Winnipeg and now in Toronto.

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Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2026

Danielle Earl / Skate Canada
Winnipeg duo Ava Kemp (left) and Yohnatan Elizarov head into the tournament in Gatineau, Que., as the reigning national junior pair.

‘Never taking anything like that for granted’: Connor pumped for 4 Nations Face-Off

Ken Wiebe 7 minute read Preview

‘Never taking anything like that for granted’: Connor pumped for 4 Nations Face-Off

Ken Wiebe 7 minute read Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026

OTTAWA – Kyle Connor has been looking forward to this second act for nearly a calendar year.

After missing out on the high-stakes championship final of the 4 Nations Face-Off, the Winnipeg Jets sniper is determined to be a difference-maker for Team USA at the Olympics in Italy next month.

Named to the team on Friday morning as part of an announcement on the Today Show, Connor spoke to reporters prior to Saturday’s 4-2 loss to the Ottawa Senators about what it meant to get the call from general manager Bill Guerin.

“Yeah, it was cool. Never taking anything like that for granted,” said Connor. “And there’s nothing better than representing your country and playing for them and playing for something bigger than you.

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Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026

GARETH PATTERSON / ASSOCIATED PRESS FILES
Winnipeg Jets left wing Kyle Connor says he’s looking forward to the 4 Nations Face-Off after missing out on the championship final last year.

Morrissey eager to make Olympic history of his own

Ken Wiebe 7 minute read Preview

Morrissey eager to make Olympic history of his own

Ken Wiebe 7 minute read Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026

It didn’t take long for Josh Morrissey to remember where he was when Sidney Crosby scored the goal that won Olympic gold for Team Canada 2010.

This time around, Morrissey might be on the ice when another magical moment occurs for his country.

The Winnipeg Jets defenceman was among the 25 players chosen to the men’s Olympic hockey team that will chase a gold medal in Milan next month.

“In 2010, I was pretty early in high school when Sid scored the golden goal. So, that one would rank pretty high,” Morrissey said Thursday when asked about his fondest Olympic memories before to facing the Toronto Maple Leafs. “I think I know exactly where I was when he scored that goal. So yeah, just kind of remember almost watching that game and then going out on the outdoor rink and dreaming of having that chance to be on Team Canada go for a gold medal. So, it’s pretty, pretty surreal.”

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Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026

Graham Hughes / THE CANADIAN PRESS files
Jets blue-liner Josh Morrissey was named to Canada’s Olympic team on Wednesday.

Jets’ Morrissey among Manitobans joining Team Canada

Ken Wiebe 5 minute read Preview

Jets’ Morrissey among Manitobans joining Team Canada

Ken Wiebe 5 minute read Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025

Josh Morrissey is getting another opportunity to represent his country.

Only this time, it will be on the grandest stage.

The Winnipeg Jets defenceman was among the 25 players unveiled by Hockey Canada on Wednesday morning at a press conference in Minnesota held to officially name the men’s Olympic team that will compete in Italy in February.

Morrissey was a stalwart blue-liner for Canada at the 4 Nations Face-Off last February, though he was unable to suit up in the gold medal game owing to a nasty flu virus.

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Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025

MELISSA MAJCHRZAK / ASSOCIATED PRESS FILES
Winnipeg Jets defenseman Josh Morrissey moves the puck against the Utah Mammoth during the second period of a Dec. 21 game in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Melissa Majchrzak)

Strathclair sniper a scoring sensation

Ken Wiebe 7 minute read Preview

Strathclair sniper a scoring sensation

Ken Wiebe 7 minute read Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025

Morgan Geekie doesn’t know what all the fuss is about.

The pride of Strathclair rolled into town for his annual visit with the Boston Bruins and — as usual — he drew a pretty large crowd of media around his stall after the morning skate.

This is standard operating procedure for most Manitoba-born players.

But there haven’t been many of those guys that have arrived on the scene this late in the season in a battle for the Rocket Richard Trophy, which is precisely where Geekie finds himself, going toe-to-toe with Nathan MacKinnon of the Colorado Avalanche in the battle to be the leading goal scorer in the NHL (and MacKinnon leading 24-22).

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Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025

Ethan Swope / THE ASSOCIATED PRESS FILES
Boston Bruins forward Morgan Geekie (39) celebrates his goal against Anaheim back in November. The Strathclair product had netted 22 goals going into game action against the Winnipeg Jets Thursday night.

Bettman, Daly address state of the Jets, league

Ken Wiebe 8 minute read Preview

Bettman, Daly address state of the Jets, league

Ken Wiebe 8 minute read Wednesday, Dec. 10, 2025

Gary Bettman wasn’t here to sound the alarm or to apply any pressure to the ticket-buying public.

As Bettman, the commissioner of the NHL, and deputy commissioner Bill Daly sat at a table in front of the assembled members of the media inside Canada Life Centre on Wednesday morning, there was no formal agenda to adhere to.

This was a routine check-in with one of the 32 member clubs, which gave Bettman another platform to extol the virtues of an exciting start to a season where parity has taken centre stage.

The recent announcement related to the Winnipeg Jets hosting the Montreal Canadiens in an outdoor game next October was celebrated, questions about the upcoming Olympics were sorted through and Bettman also conceded that the Jets quest to reclaim their 1.0 history remains a work in progress — though that would suggest the efforts will continue until a suitable resolution is found.

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Wednesday, Dec. 10, 2025

February 11, 2026

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