Your Sunday Morning Brief | Good News & What Matters Today
Reading Time: 6 min | Closing Ceremony Day ☕🏔️
🎆 TODAY IS THE FINAL DAY
Olympics Closing Ceremony at 2:30 PM ET — Plus USA vs. Canada Men’s Hockey Gold Medal Game
After 16 extraordinary days, the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics come to a close today. And they’re saving the best for last.
What’s Happening Today:
🏒 Men’s Hockey Gold Medal Game — USA vs. CANADA (1:10 PM ET)
The rivalry of rivalries. The game everyone’s been waiting for. Team USA vs. Canada. For gold. On the final day of the Olympics.
Team USA defeated Switzerland in the semifinals. Canada advanced past Finland. Both teams are loaded with NHL superstars. Both want gold.
The catch: Canada’s captain Sidney Crosby is OUT with a right leg injury suffered in the quarterfinals. He didn’t play in the semifinals and won’t suit up for the final. Still, Canada has Connor McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon, and Cale Makar. This is no easy game.
If Team USA wins, it would be their first men’s hockey gold since 1980 — the “Miracle on Ice” team that upset the Soviet Union.
🎆 Closing Ceremony (2:30 PM ET)
The Closing Ceremony takes place at the historic Verona Arena in Verona, Italy — a Roman amphitheater that’s been standing for nearly 2,000 years.
Team USA Flag Bearers:
- Hilary Knight (women’s hockey gold medalist, Captain America herself)
- Evan Bates (ice dance silver medalist)
Knight, 36, just won her second Olympic gold in her final Olympics. Bates and partner Madison Chock won silver in ice dance after helping Team USA win gold in the figure skating team event.
The ceremony will feature the official handover to the French Alps, host of the 2030 Winter Olympics.
🥇 JOHANNES KLÆBO MAKES HISTORY — AGAIN
Norwegian Wins 6th Gold Medal at Single Olympics — Most Ever
On Saturday, Norwegian cross-country skiing legend Johannes Høsflot Klæbo won his sixth gold medal at Milano Cortina 2026, setting a Winter Olympics record.
He won the men’s 50km mass start race with a time of 2:07:07.1, beating teammate Martin Løwstrøm Nyenget by 17.5 seconds. Norway swept the podium — Emil Iversen took bronze.
The Records:
- 6 gold medals at a single Winter Olympics — most ever by any athlete in any sport
- 11 career Olympic gold medals — most in Winter Olympics history
- 15 total Olympic medals across three Games (PyeongChang 2018, Beijing 2022, Milano Cortina 2026)
- Broke American Eric Heiden’s record of 5 golds at a single Games (set at 1980 Lake Placid)
Norway’s Dominance:
With Klæbo’s help, Norway won 18 gold medals at Milano Cortina 2026 — also the most by any nation at a single Winter Olympics in history.
Source: NBC News | Olympics.com
“Champions aren’t made in gyms. Champions are made from something they have deep inside them — a desire, a dream, a vision.” — Muhammad Ali
🇺🇸 TEAM USA BREAKS GOLD MEDAL RECORD
11 Gold Medals — Most Ever for USA at Single Winter Olympics
Team USA has now won 11 gold medals at Milano Cortina 2026, breaking the previous American record of 10 (set at Vancouver 2010 and Salt Lake City 2002).
Saturday’s Gold:
- Alysa Liu won gold in women’s figure skating free skate
- Eileen Gu (competing for China) won her second consecutive Olympic gold in women’s freeski halfpipe
Team USA’s Golden Heroes:
- Mikaela Shiffrin (alpine skiing slalom)
- Hilary Knight & Team USA (women’s hockey)
- Jordan Stolz (2 golds in speedskating)
- Elizabeth Lemley (freestyle skiing moguls)
- Elana Meyers Taylor (women’s monobob)
- Breezy Johnson (alpine skiing downhill)
- Figure skating team event
- Plus today’s potential men’s hockey gold!
Final Medal Count (entering Sunday):
| Nation | 🥇 Gold | 🥈 Silver | 🥉 Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🇳🇴 Norway | 18 | 11 | 11 | 40 |
| 🇺🇸 USA | 11 | 12 | 8 | 31 |
| 🇳🇱 Netherlands | 10 | 7 | 3 | 20 |
| 🇮🇹 Italy | 10 | 6 | 14 | 30 |
| 🇫🇷 France | 8 | 9 | 6 | 23 |
Norway finishes with the most total medals (40) and most golds (18) — cementing their status as the Winter Olympics’ dominant superpower.
Italy set a national record with 30 total medals on home soil.
Team USA sits in second for total medals (31) with a chance to add one more gold today.
Source: Yahoo Sports | Olympics.com Medal Count
🌎 HISTORIC FIRSTS AT THESE GAMES
South America & Georgia Win First-Ever Winter Olympic Medals
Two nations — and an entire continent — made Winter Olympics history at Milano Cortina 2026.
Brazil / South America:
Lucas Pinheiro Braathen won gold in men’s giant slalom, giving South America its first-ever Winter Olympic medal in the event’s 102-year history.
Born in Oslo to a Norwegian father and Brazilian mother, Pinheiro Braathen switched from representing Norway to representing Brazil in 2024. His gold during Brazil’s Carnival season became a national celebration.
“Norway taught me how to be an athlete. Brazil taught me how to be myself,” he told the BBC.
Georgia:
Anastasiia Metelkina and Luka Berulava won silver in pairs figure skating — Georgia’s first-ever Winter Olympic medal after nine consecutive appearances since Lillehammer 1994.
Metelkina benefited from an Olympic Solidarity scholarship, helping cover costs for athletes from all backgrounds to compete at the highest level.
“We hope this medal will show little children that they can count, they can train in figure skating, and in the future we’ll have a really big team of ice skating in Georgia,” Metelkina said.
Source: Olympics.com
📅 TODAY’S FINAL EVENTS
🏒 Men’s Hockey Gold Medal Game — USA vs. Canada (1:10 PM ET)
🥌 Women’s Curling Gold Medal Game — Sweden defeated Switzerland 6-5 (completed this morning)
🎿 Men’s 4-Man Bobsleigh — Germany won gold and silver, Switzerland bronze
⛷️ Women’s Cross-Country 50km — Sweden’s Ebba Andersson won gold
🎆 Closing Ceremony — 2:30 PM ET at Verona Arena
💭 WHY THIS MATTERS
The Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics have been nothing short of spectacular.
We watched Elana Meyers Taylor win her first gold at 41. Mikaela Shiffrin silence her critics with the most dominant slalom victory in 28 years. Hilary Knight score with 2 minutes left to force overtime and win gold in her final Olympics. Johannes Klæbo win 6 golds at a single Games — more than anyone in history.
We saw South America win its first-ever Winter Olympic medal. Georgia celebrate its first. Team USA break its gold medal record. Norway cement its dominance.
And today, we might witness Team USA win men’s hockey gold for the first time since 1980.
These Games reminded us what sports are really about: perseverance, excellence, and the belief that impossible is just an opinion.
🎯 3 THINGS TO DO TODAY
- Watch USA vs. Canada at 1:10 PM ET — This is potentially the greatest hockey game of the decade. Don’t miss it.
- Watch the Closing Ceremony at 2:30 PM ET — Say goodbye to Milano Cortina 2026. It’s been a hell of a ride.
- Thank an athlete — These Olympians sacrificed years of their lives for moments that lasted seconds. Show them some love on social media.
📱 WHERE TO FOLLOW
Olympics Coverage:
- NBC Olympics
- Olympics.com
- Peacock (streaming)
Good News Sources:
🌟 THE BOTTOM LINE
Sunday, February 22, 2026 marks the end of the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics.
16 days of competition. 2,900+ athletes from 90+ nations. Hundreds of medals. Countless records broken. Moments we’ll never forget.
Today, Team USA has one more chance to add to the legacy. Men’s hockey. USA vs. Canada. For gold. On the final day.
Then at 2:30 PM, the flame goes out. Hilary Knight and Evan Bates carry the American flag. The torch is passed to the French Alps for 2030.
And we say goodbye to one of the greatest Winter Olympics in history.
Let’s finish strong. 🇺🇸🏒🥇
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Published by: Start Early Today
Date: Sunday, February 22, 2026
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