Team Canada moments we loved to see in Week 1 at Milano Cortina 2026
Through the first week at Milano Cortina 2026, Team Canada’s Olympians have produced numerous moments that have had us nodding and saying “you love to see it”.
Here are 10 pieces of encouraging news through Week 1 for Team Canada at these Olympic Winter Games:
The prodigy steps up
Figure skater Stephen Gogolev has been through a lot en route to his first Olympic Games. But having finally arrived, the 21-year-old showed the world why he’s been on Canadian skating fans’ radar since he was 10.
He turned in a personal best short program performance to get Canada into the final portion of the figure skating team event. Then, later in the week, he produced the best free skate of his life to secure a fifth-place finish in the men’s singles event.
Having worked half his life to get here, Gogolev showed what he could do on the sport’s biggest stage. You love to see it.
Recovering just in time
Fellow figure skater Deanna Stellato-Dudek faced similar questions about whether or not she’d be here, albeit for different reasons.
At 42, Stellato-Dudek is twice Gogolev’s age but was also seeking her Olympic debut. Then an injury in training at home raised doubt that Stellato-Dudek and pairs partner Maxime Deschamps could compete in Milan.
But though they missed the team event, they will be able to take part in the pairs short program on Sunday. You love to see it.
Canadians have also loved to see the recovery trajectory for snowboarder Mark McMorris. He was hospitalized with a concussion and other injuries after a scary crash in training for the big air event.
But we learned during Week 1 that he’s been cleared to compete in the men’s slopestyle event, in which he already owns three Olympic medals.
And perhaps the biggest piece of injury-recovery news this week was the turnaround for Marie-Philip Poulin. Canada’s Captain Clutch in women’s hockey, Poulin returned from a knee injury for the quarterfinal against Germany on Saturday. She scored to tie Hayley Wickenheiser for the most Olympic goals all time.
Speed skaters earn their moments
Over on another type of ice, a few of Canada’s long track speed skaters had their own moments in Week 1 of these Games.
In her fifth Olympic Games, Valérie Maltais finally broke through to win her first individual Olympic medal. The 35-year-old won bronze in the women’s 3000m event, which was also the first medal for Team Canada at Milano Cortina 2026.
She’s set to take part in the women’s team pursuit event in Week 2, offering one more chance for some Olympic glory.
On Saturday, 33-year-old Laurent Dubreuil, the oldest competitor in the men’s 500m, won the bronze medal four years after he missed the podium in his specialty event by just 0.03.
Olympic newcomer Béatrice Lamarche has also had a Games to remember. The 27-year-old second-generation Olympian continued her incredible progression in the women’s 1000m event, finishing fifth.
“The Games have been much bigger than I could ever imagine, but it’s been a fantastic experience,” said Lamarche said. “I’m very proud of myself for being able to perform when it matters.”
A bright future
There were other Olympic debutantes who performed when it mattered, a number of whom are cross-country skiers. With top-10 finishes from Alison Mackie and Tom Stephen, plus a career-best performance from Xavier McKeever, this week showed the future is bright for Team Canada in cross-country skiing.
READ: Breakthrough Olympic Games continue for young Canadian cross-country skiers
Second time’s the charm
Of course, nothing is ever guaranteed in international sport. So it was entirely possible that Megan Oldham‘s Olympic story could have been defined by her close-but-no-cigar results at Beijing 2022.
But redemption was the name of the game at Milano Cortina 2026 for the 24-year-old freestyle skier. Oldham claimed Olympic bronze in the women’s ski slopestyle event in Week 1, and will look for another podium in the big air event on Monday.
Getting their due
We wrap up where we began, in figure skating.
Long-time followers of Team Canada know all too well that in ice dance, the margins between victory and defeat can be extremely thin—and sometimes controversial.
So it was certainly good to see Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier get their moment on the Olympic podium in Milan. The three-time Olympians and four-time world championship medallists earned a bronze medal for their performance in Week 1.
Said Gilles after the medal ceremony: “I think we’re there to show people that anything is possible. … Just keep going after your dreams.”
Wise words as Team Canada looks ahead to more memorable moments in Week 2 at Milano Cortina 2026.
