Team USA made an immediate impact on the first full day of competition at the 2026 Winter Olympics, headlined by another one-sided performance from the women's hockey team and a five-point lead in figure skating's team event that sets up a pivotal Sunday.

The Canadian women have won gold at five of the last six Winter Olympics, but USA has all the momentum heading into the 2026 Milano Cortina Games.

Olympic hockey great Mike Eruzione slammed US skier Hunter Hess for dissing the Stars and Stripes while on the press podium in Milan. Hess, 27, sparked fury when he said he had “mixed emotions” about representing the US at the Olympics on Friday,

The rebrand comes as Italian officials and protesters object to the presence of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents at the 2026 Olympic Winter Games.

Canada began their title defence with a 4-0 win over Switzerland and the U.S. crushed Finland 5-0 on Saturday in Group A of the women's Olympic ice hockey tournament, while in Group B Germany secured their first win and hosts Italy suffered a heavy defeat.

Men's hockey preliminary round play begins on Wednesday, Feb. 11, at 10:40 a.m. ET from Milano Cortina, Italy. Before making any 2026 Winter Olympics men's hockey picks or predictions, you need to see what Matthew Severance has to say.