The U.S.’s overtime win over Canada in an instant-classic men’s hockey final capped a record-setting Winter Olympics for NBC, delivering drama on the ice and potentially massive ratings to close the Games.
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Cristiano Ronaldo said he’s committed to Saudi Arabia after a brief two-game boycott over Al Nassr’s direction and front-office turmoil. Read the story.
A Tennessee judge denied QB Joey Aguilar another year of eligibility, handing the NCAA a key win in its growing legal fight over player rules. Read the story.
It was the storybook matchup with the storybook ending: the U.S. defeated Canada in the men’s hockey gold-medal game on Sunday.
With NHL players returning to the Olympics for the first time since 2014, and on the anniversary of the 1980 Miracle on Ice, the victory came in overtime off the stick of Devils forward Jack Hughes. The win marks the most gold medals the United States has ever won in a single Winter Olympics.
The game delivered everything both fans and NBC could have dreamed of. Scoring opened early in the first period with a goal by the U.S.’s Matt Boldy. Team USA also crucially killed off a 5-on-3 Canadian advantage during the second period. Late in the second, though, Canada’s Cale Makar knotted the game. The teams traded successful third-period penalty kills to send the game to overtime, where Hughes netted the sudden-death winner for a 2–1 victory.
Notably absent was Canada’s captain, Sidney Crosby, who was ruled out hours before the game with an injury sustained in the quarterfinal versus Czechia. In 2010, Crosby scored the golden overtime goal against the U.S. to win Canada the Olympic gold.
The wild final sets up what could be massive ratings returns for NBC on the last day of the Milan Cortina Olympics, which has already had historic viewership in the U.S.
Due to the timing of the closing ceremonies, the puck dropped at 8:10 a.m. ET—an unfavorable time zone for the West Coast, which could put a dent in the final number. Yet many people across social media posted that they woke up early to take in the game, anyway. The broadcast was presented without commercial breaks during play on NBC and Peacock.
NBC is coming off a hugely successful women’s hockey gold-medal game that also featured an ideal U.S.–Canada matchup, where Team USA similarly beat the Canadians in a 2–1 overtime thriller. The Feb. 19 game, which aired midday ET, averaged 5.3 million viewers across USA Network and Peacock, peaking at 7.7 million viewers during the contentious overtime period.
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The men’s hockey finale was already set up to be a spectacle. On Saturday, amid a blizzard warning in parts of New York, Gov. Kathy Hochul suspended state liquor laws to allow bars to open early Sunday morning. In Canada, Ontario and Manitoba also allowed establishments to serve alcohol beginning at 6 a.m. ET.
The excitement for the rivalry game also fed off the halo effect of the NHL’s wildly successful 4 Nations Face-Off last February. The tournament, which delivered record ratings for ESPN, also featured a highly contentious U.S.–Canada matchup. The teams split the two games, but Canada took home the gold in another overtime final that became the most-watched NHL game ever in the U.S., averaging 9.3 million viewers.
There has been a dark spot, though. One of the NHL’s concerns over the years about returning its players to the Winter Games was the potential for injury, which has happened in prior Olympic contests. As feared, competition has resulted in some major injuries that will affect players’ remaining pro seasons.
In the preliminaries, Swiss Kings winger Kevin Fiala sustained a leg injury that will keep him out for the rest of L.A.’s campaign; Sweden’s Jonathan Lekkerimäki, who plays in the Canucks system, suffered a season-ending shoulder injury. Jets defenseman Josh Morrissey also did not return to Olympic ice after Canada’s group opener against Czechia. The headliner, though, is Crosby, whose status remains unclear for Pittsburgh going forward.
The good news: Fans will not have to wait another four years for another international best-on-best competition. The NHL and NHLPA’s World Cup of Hockey will return in 2028, setting up a biennial calendar of top global clashes—which could put the U.S. and Canada on yet another collision course.
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You’ve Earned This Modelo
Modelo Especial is not just a “crack one whenever” beer. It is a “you’ve earned this” beer. Brewed with a rich, full-flavored taste, Modelo is made for people who show up, grind it out, and carry The Mark of a Fighter, even when no one’s watching. Which is why it gets sports. Because sports are mostly work, pressure, and pain, with a few glorious moments at the end. Crack one at kickoff, chant at the top of your lungs, jump out of your seat, save one for the final whistle. Either way, that Modelo is earned.
FOS on the Olympics
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LOUD AND CLEAR
Bye, Chicago
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“I think now there’s a common understanding by most of the (Illinois) General Assembly that they’re not going to be able to build in the city of Chicago.”
—Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker said Friday about the future stadium of the Bears, according to the Chicago Tribune. He said the team’s options for a new stadium are in Arlington Heights, a northwest suburb of Chicago, or Northwest Indiana.
Pritzker’s comments come a day after the Indiana legislators made significant headway in an attempt to lure the Bears out of Illinois and into Northwest Indiana. A vote on an Indiana state senate bill will determine whether the state is prepared to provide significant public funding for the $5 billion project. The Bears would contribute $2 billion of the cost.
ONE BIG FIG
Record Opener
Kelvin Kuo-Imagn Images
75,673
Attendance for the 2026 MLS season opener Saturday between LAFC and Inter Miami at the LA Memorial Coliseum, the league’s highest-attended opening week match. It was the second-largest attendance in MLS history, behind the 82,110 attendance for LA Galaxy vs. LAFC on July 4, 2023, at the Rose Bowl.
Saturday’s match was the first MLS faceoff between Inter Miami’s Lionel Messi and LAFC’s Son Heung-Min. Messi joined MLS in 2023, while Son made his MLS debut last year after a decade with Tottenham Hotspur.
MLS will take a seven-week break in the summer to make way for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which will be hosted in the U.S., including at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles.
SPONSORED BY ATHLETES UNLIMITED
Additional Speakers Added to the Lineup
Future of Women’s Sports is just a few days away, and the stacked speaker lineup continues to grow.
New to the roster are Lolo Jones and Natasha Watley, both Olympians and World Champions. A.J. Andrews of the MLB Network and Reach TV; Sarah Fuller of NOCAP Sports; and Emma Rodriguez-Ayala of Ariel Investments will also take the stage alongside others from Team USA, ESPN, MLB, the Nashville Predators, the Kansas City Chiefs, and more.
Hosted in one of the country’s most dynamic sports cities and set ahead of the AU Pro Basketball Championship game, this event will forecast where women’s sports is headed and highlight the vast opportunities that still lie ahead.
This is your last chance to request to attend for a chance to join us.
