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Team Canada Heads for Gold After Epic Comeback Over Finland

Team Canada faces Finland in the Olympic semifinals, with the Canadians seeking to advance in the hunt for their first gold medal since 2014.
Jennifer Streeter|
Feb 18, 2026; Milan, Italy; Mitch Marner of Canada celebrates with Macklin Celebrini after scoring their fourth goal in overtime to win the match against Czechia in a men's ice hockey quarterfinal during the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games at Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena. Mandatory Credit: Amber Searls-Imagn Images
Feb 18, 2026; Milan, Italy; Mitch Marner of Canada celebrates with Macklin Celebrini after scoring their fourth goal in overtime to win the match against Czechia in a men's ice hockey quarterfinal during the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games at Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena. Mandatory Credit: Amber Searls-Imagn Images | Amber Searls-Imagn Images

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Team Canada is headed for Gold with a 3-2 victory over Finland in the Semifinals.

Team Canada will continue play in the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics following a tight win in the quarterfinals; the Canadians move on to focusing on their semifinal showdown against Finland.

Canada punched its ticket to the coveted final four in the Winter Games after a 4-3 overtime win over Czechia. Most notably, Canada is to play without captain Sidney Crosby as he continues to recover from a lower-body injury. The three-time Stanley Cup champion left the quarterfinal matchup early midway through the second period following what appears to be a right leg issue due to avoiding a hit from Czechia defenseman Radko Gudas. The last Olympic matchup between the Canadians and the Finns was in the quarterfinals at PyeongChang 2018.

More recently, Finland and the Canadians clashed in the preliminary round at the 2025 IIHF World Championship, with Canada losing 2-1. Though — the Canadians and Finns have been frequent foes at the Olympic Winter Games, meeting 12 times since 1952 (Canada holds a 7-5 advantage and has won three of the last four.)

In Crosby's absence, Connor McDavid will wear the ‘C’ today, with Cale Makar and Nathan MacKinnon serving as alternates.

Finland is the reigning gold medalist from 2022. Team Canada most recently won gold in 2014 — which was the most recent Olympics prior to 2026 involving NHL players.

Mitch Marner will be one to watch for the Canadians. He scored the OT winner over Czechia and is one of just four Canadians to record a point in all four games — joining youngster Macklin Celebrini (of the San Jose Sharks), McDavid and MacKinnon.

This game also comes after the Team USA women took home gold in the women's ice hockey tournament; Canada wore the silver after falling to the U.S., 2-1, in OT.

Lineups

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Jennifer Streeter
JENNIFER STREETER

Jennifer Streeter graduated with a B.A. in journalism from Texas A&M and received her Master of Science from Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism. At both schools, she focused on an emphasis of sports reporting. A former athlete herself, "Jenny" was a varsity soccer player and comes from a family who participated in NCAA athletics. She has covered everything from the 2025 Hughes Bowl, SEC football, Ivy League athletics, the 2023 ALCS and the 2023 World Series, the WNBA, and much more.

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