Buffalo Bills Fans Flood Winter Olympics Before USA Hockey Gold Medal Game

Through all of the trials and tribulations displayed by athletes throughout the 2026 Winter Olympics, the true star of the games has been Buffalo Bills fans.

That’s right, members of Bills Mafia have been displayed throughout the Olympics on the broadcast of various events in Italy. That includes Buffalo restaurateur Mike Shatzel, who has been showing his Bills pride by way of a massive white Bills flag you may have seen during Team USA men’s hockey’s run to the gold medal game against Canada.

On the Scene

Shatzel is an Olympics veteran, having visited several iterations of the games over the years. But this year has been extra special.

Bills fan — A Bills flag flies high in a parking lot at Empower FIeld at Mile High in Denver, Colorado on Jan. 17, 2026. | Tina MacIntyre-Yee/Democrat and Chronicle / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

“A friend of a friend put it together,” Shatzel told WGRZ. “I’ve been to Vancouver, London, Sochi, PyeongChang and now Milan. And I prefer the Winter Games because of hockey.”

The Americans will take on the Canadians at 8:10 a.m. ET on Sunday for a chance to earn their first gold medal since 1980, when the renowned “Miracle on Ice” squad claimed Olympic glory.

“The Bills are everything Buffalo, and the colors match our colors, red, white and blue,” added Shatzel. “And then my kids said, ‘Take something so we can see you in the crowd.’ So I figured I’d probably be the only person with a Bills flag.

“So I brought that, and it’s insane how much social media, the texts and the people tagging me on Facebook and Twitter. It’s nuts how one little flag can create so much chaos.”

Not Alone

Shatzel has not been the only Bills fan seen at the games, as a fan in a winter cap sporting a Bills logo was seen during the mixed team aerials event, during which Team USA took home the gold medal.

MORE: Bills' Stadium Graffiti Scandal Solved as Construction Workers Confess

A different fan was spotted, and someone screen-grabbed a shot of him on screen during another event.

“Bills fan dad at the Olympics,” a user posted to Reddit.

A Buffalo Bills Cheerleader waves a Bills flag to celebrate a score against the New England Patriots during the first half at Highmark Stadium. | Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images

Everywhere you look, another Bills fan is popping up, proving the Buffalo fan base is like no other in the NFL. This team’s supporters travel far and wide, never fearing to express their fandom no matter the setting. Shatzel and others overseas will surely be rooting for a U.S. victory over the Canadians in the Olympic final, which is expected to feature Buffalo Sabres forward Tage Thompson.

Thompson was injured during his team's semifinal victory, but head coach Mike Sullivan said it was for precautionary reasons and that Thompson is expected to play for the Americans.