{"id":6106,"date":"2026-02-22T15:43:33","date_gmt":"2026-02-22T15:43:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jubaglobal.com\/?p=6106"},"modified":"2026-02-22T15:43:34","modified_gmt":"2026-02-22T15:43:34","slug":"milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics-conclude-in-spectacular-fashion-epic-canada-usa-hockey-showdown-highlights-final-day","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/directtopic.com\/jubaglobal.com\/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics-conclude-in-spectacular-fashion-epic-canada-usa-hockey-showdown-highlights-final-day\/","title":{"rendered":"Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics Conclude in Spectacular Fashion: Epic Canada-USA Hockey Showdown Highlights Final Day"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>By: Juba Global News Network | Juba Global News Network | JubaGlobal.com<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1320\" height=\"1968\" src=\"https:\/\/directtopic.com\/jubaglobal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1977\/2026\/02\/IMG_3069.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-6107\" srcset=\"https:\/\/directtopic.com\/jubaglobal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1977\/2026\/02\/IMG_3069.jpeg 1320w, https:\/\/directtopic.com\/jubaglobal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1977\/2026\/02\/IMG_3069-768x1145.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/directtopic.com\/jubaglobal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1977\/2026\/02\/IMG_3069-1030x1536.jpeg 1030w, https:\/\/directtopic.com\/jubaglobal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1977\/2026\/02\/IMG_3069-1024x1527.jpeg 1024w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1320px) 100vw, 1320px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>February 22, 2026 \u2013 After 16 days of thrilling competition across Italy\u2019s stunning Alpine venues and urban hubs, the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics drew to a dramatic close today, February 22, with a packed schedule of final medal events capped by an unforgettable closing ceremony at the historic Verona Arena.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The day delivered high-stakes drama from the outset, headlined by the men\u2019s ice hockey gold medal game between archrivals <strong>Canada<\/strong> and the <strong>United States<\/strong> \u2014 a matchup that lived up to every bit of its billing as one of the most anticipated Olympic hockey finals in decades. The game, held at the Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena starting at 8:10 a.m. ET (2:10 p.m. local time), saw the two North American powerhouses battle to a 1-1 tie through regulation, forcing sudden-death 3-on-3 overtime where the first goal would decide Olympic glory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The U.S. struck first in the opening period, but Canada captained a resilient comeback with a late equalizer in the second. Goaltenders on both sides \u2014 including Connor Hellebuyck for the U.S. \u2014 made clutch saves to keep the score level. As the game headed to overtime, anticipation reached fever pitch: the U.S. sought its first men\u2019s hockey gold since the legendary \u201cMiracle on Ice\u201d in 1980, while Canada aimed to reclaim dominance after a bronze in 2018. (Live updates indicated the intense rivalry continued into extra time, with fans worldwide glued to screens for the decisive moment.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Other key highlights from the final day included:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Women\u2019s Freeski Halfpipe<\/strong>: China\u2019s Eileen Gu defended her 2022 title in commanding fashion, landing massive tricks including a giant 900 Buick opener and back-to-back alley-oop flat 500s for a score of 94.75. This secured her third medal of the Games and solidified her status as one of freestyle skiing\u2019s all-time greats.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Women\u2019s Cross-Country 50km Mass Start<\/strong>: In the first Olympic women\u2019s 50km classic race ever, Sweden\u2019s Ebba Andersson claimed gold, with Norway\u2019s Heidi Weng taking silver. American Jessie Diggins, in what was likely her final Olympic appearance before retirement, finished a strong fifth after earning a bronze earlier in the 10km freestyle.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Figure Skating Gala<\/strong>: Medalists from the week took to the ice for an exhibition showcase, turning competition into pure artistry. Stars like Ilia Malinin and Alysa Liu (who earlier secured a historic U.S. women\u2019s figure skating gold) delivered crowd-pleasing performances without the pressure of judging.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Additional medal events wrapped up in four-man bobsled, women\u2019s curling, and more, adding to the day\u2019s haul of hardware.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>The medal table at the close of competition reflected a fiercely contested Games. Norway topped the standings with 41 total medals (18 gold, 12 silver, 11 bronze), followed by the United States with 32 (11 gold, 12 silver, 9 bronze), host nation Italy with 30 (including strong showings across multiple disciplines), and others like Germany and Japan rounding out the top tier. These Games set records in participation and venue diversity, spanning Milan, Cortina d\u2019Ampezzo, and other sites.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As evening fell, all eyes turned to the <strong>Closing Ceremony<\/strong> at the ancient Verona Arena (Verona Olympic Arena), a UNESCO World Heritage site transformed into a \u201cboundless stage\u201d for the first time in Olympic history. Titled <strong>\u201cBeauty in Action\u201d<\/strong>, the ceremony celebrated beauty in motion \u2014 through sport, art, human connections, and the unique blend of Italy\u2019s mountains and cities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The pre-show kicked off at 7:45 p.m. local time (1:45 p.m. ET), with the main program starting at 8:30 p.m. CET (2:30 p.m. ET). Highlights included parades of athletes, cultural performances blending Italian heritage with modern flair, the extinguishing of the Olympic flame, and the symbolic handover of the Olympic flag from Milan and Cortina d\u2019Ampezzo mayors to IOC President Kirsty Coventry, then to representatives of France, hosts of the 2030 Winter Games in the French Alps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Broadcast live on NBC (with Peacock streaming and primetime replays at 9 p.m. ET), the ceremony provided a fitting farewell to a Games that inspired millions with athletic excellence, stunning scenery, and moments of pure Olympic spirit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>From the electric hockey rivalry to Gu\u2019s aerial mastery and the poetic close in Verona, Milano Cortina 2026 will be remembered as a celebration of winter sport\u2019s enduring magic. As the flame dims and the world looks ahead to France 2030, the legacy of these Games \u2014 uniting nations through competition and beauty \u2014 endures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Juba Global News Network \u2013 Delivering unbiased global coverage from the heart of emerging stories.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By: Juba Global News Network | Juba Global News Network | JubaGlobal.com February 22, 2026&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1199,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[830,643,1,869,782],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6106","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-breaking-news","category-more-articles","category-news","category-sport","category-world"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/directtopic.com\/jubaglobal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6106","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/directtopic.com\/jubaglobal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/directtopic.com\/jubaglobal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/directtopic.com\/jubaglobal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1199"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/directtopic.com\/jubaglobal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6106"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/directtopic.com\/jubaglobal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6106\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6108,"href":"https:\/\/directtopic.com\/jubaglobal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6106\/revisions\/6108"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/directtopic.com\/jubaglobal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6106"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/directtopic.com\/jubaglobal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6106"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/directtopic.com\/jubaglobal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6106"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}