Feb 22, 2026; Milan, Italy; Auston Matthews #34 of Team United States celebrates after the game against Team Canada during the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games at Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena. Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images
By Matt Yoder on

The 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics now belong to history. It’s easy to become a prisoner of the moment and declare these the greatest Olympics of all time. If so, then lock me up and throw away the key.

The Olympics have seen a significant upswing in importance and cultural relevance in recent years. The reasons why are a combination of factors — friendlier time zones in Paris and Milan have delivered live viewing for the United States audience throughout the day. That, combined with NBC’s shift in approach to make everything available in real time on both linear and streaming, while making primetime coverage unique, has allowed all of us to appreciate the global spectacle in the moment. Peacock’s Gold Zone has delivered every medal in one place, with RedZone-style coverage that has helped elevate the games, especially for sports that might be outside the mainstream primetime. Compared to the dark ages of tape delay and limited viewing options, it makes a huge difference.

But the Olympics, especially this year’s games, benefited from a huge amount of captivating stories throughout the two weeks in Italy. It wasn’t just a parade of gold medals — there were real stories of heartbreak and triumph. There were gold-medal favorites who succumbed to the pressure, legends giving it one last go, and a hockey team that relived the ghosts of a miracle.

The thrill of victory…

The Winter Olympics built to an incredible crescendo as it ended with a grand finale — the USA vs Canada for men’s hockey gold.

Yes, the 8 a.m. ET start time wasn’t perfect, but by the time the game started, most of the continent wasn’t complaining. And the fact that this was set aside as the main event of the games made it stand out even more as the final medal handed out before the closing ceremony.

The USA-Canada rivalry has rocketed into the sporting and culture mainstream in the last year, given the success of the 4 Nations Face-Off, and let’s be honest, the absolutely insane political climate we find ourselves in.

But as for the game itself, it was an instant classic. It may not have the lasting legacy of the Miracle on Ice, but the USA finally getting a win in a huge game over Canada, thanks to Jack Hughes’ overtime winner, was an Olympic memory that will live forever. Connor Hellebuyck was enormous in net, and there were heroes all over the ice for Team USA. The photo of Hughes, with his broken teeth, draped in the stars and stripes, will live forever.

And the way NBC presented the game — with guest spots from Mike Eruzione and Wayne Gretzky, a tremendous call from Kenny Albert, Ed Olczyk, and Brian Boucher, and Mike Tirico putting the perfect cap on proceedings made it all a morning to truly savor.

The men’s hockey team was far from the only triumph, though. There were many other incredible performances by both domestic and international athletes that deserved praise.

  • Alysa Liu won the women’s figure skating gold medal after leaving the sport entirely
  • The Team USA women’s hockey team dominated the entire tournament before also defeating Canada in another thrilling overtime game.
  • Jordan Stolz winning multiple golds in an incredible speed skating performance.
  • Johannes Hosflot Klaebo setting the record for most gold medals won in a single Winter Olympics on the slopes.
  • Mikaela Shiffrin finally overcame her Olympic demons and won gold.
  • Elana Meyers Taylor finally getting an Olympic triumph at 41 in the bobsled.
  •  Korey Dropkin and Cory Thiesse winning Olympic silver in mixed doubles curling.
  • Ga-On Choi defeated her mentor, Chloe Kim, and won gold in the women’s snowboard halfpipe.

The list goes on, and on, of all the tremendous stars on display in Milan and throughout the two weeks in Italy, there was never a dull moment, as it was one scintillating competition after another featuring the very best from around the world.

The agony of defeat…

But what truly makes these Olympics stand out is also the moments when sports prove it’s the greatest reality show on planet earth.

Olympic skiing legend Lindsey Vonn competed with a torn ACL, looking for one last chance at glory on the world stage. However, she crashed on her downhill run, suffering a badly broken leg that has needed multiple surgeries. Her courage just to compete in what may be her final games and literally risk it all was proof of just how much this means to the athletes and the world.

And then there’s Ilia Malinin, who was the closest thing to a sure thing as there has maybe ever been in the men’s figure skating competition. Heading into the free skate, he just needed a decent performance to surely win the gold medal he was destined for. But a couple of botched jumps and shocking falls later, he fell to eighth place in one of the most stunning nights of Olympic competition we’ve ever seen. It was a brutal reminder that there are no guarantees in sports, and even the best of the best can falter under the pressure of the Olympics, which no other sporting event can match. Can you imagine the anticipation for his next appearance in 2030, chasing the gold that eluded him in Italy? If NBC thought they had a story and a focus this year, it would be nothing compared to the coverage that Malinin receives four years from now.

A little bit of everything else…

Of course, in 2026, it’s not just about winning and losing that brings value to a sporting event. After all, we hunger and thirst for entertainment and whatever keeps us scrolling on TikTok. And these winter games provided enough viral content to placate the masses.

  • Olympic skier apologizing for cheating on his girlfriend after winning a bronze medal? Check.
  • “Penisgate” ski jumping controversy entering the games? Check.
  • Questionable Olympic judging in the ice dancing competition? Check.
  • Curling controversy around accusations of the men’s team from Canada double-touching rocks and cheating, making legendary curler Marc Kennedy the subject of incredible memes throughout the entire Olympics? Check.
  • Very good dog getting a photo finish while entering an Olympic race? Check.

There was truly something for everyone at this year’s Winter Olympics in Milan Cortina. Add it all up, and there’s a legitimate case to be made that the 2026 Milan Cortina Olympics will go down alongside 1992 Barcelona with the Dream Team and 2012 London with Michael Phelps and Usain Bolt as one of the best ever.

Specifically for the modern media era, we thrive on compelling stories to first attract and then maintain our attention. And this year’s Winter Olympics delivered on every single front. Make no mistake: the Olympics are back as a huge force in American culture. And Los Angeles 2028 has a tough act to follow.

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