Team USA men cheer on women’s hockey squad in win against Canada at 2026 Olympics

MILAN -- Dylan Larkin’s eyes opened wide as he walked through the doors and into section B-13 at Santagiulia Arena on Tuesday night.

Larkin, the Team USA forward, looked around and saw every seat in the arena filled for the women’s hockey preliminary round game between the United States and Canada at the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026. He saw the bright lights shining on the ice, heard the puck and the skates and the cheers.

All Larkin and his teammates have done is practice in the building since arriving on Sunday. It’s been empty, cold and quiet. But now it was filled and loud. For the first time it felt real as the energy in the building consumed him.

“It’s really cool,” Larkin, the Detroit Red Wings forward, told NHL.com in that moment as he was taking it all in. “I mean, just looking at the ice now, first time catching any Olympic event live in my life, to have it be the women’s hockey team is pretty cool, and against Canada is even better. This whole experience has been incredible, and now to watch it live I have chills just talking about it.”

Larkin wasn’t alone.

Joining him as spectators at the game were teammates Matthew Tkachuk, Brady Tkachuk, Zach Werenski, Clayton Keller, Matt Boldy, Connor Hellebuyck, Kyle Connor and Jake Guentzel.

They sat together in the last row of section B-13 and watched their American teammates defeat Canada 5-0.

Team USA’s management group of Bill Guerin, Chris Drury, Tom Fitzgerald, Bill Zito, Stan Bowman and Chris Kelleher was also in the building taking in the action.

All of them were wearing their red, white and blue Team USA issued swag.

“You have all these expectations of what it’s going to be and when you come in here and really see it, get a feel for the energy and everything, it definitely puts a little more excitement into your body,” Boldy said. “When we got the opportunity to be able to come and it became a real thing, when the planning started happening, we were real excited to come and catch this game. It’s a U.S.-Canada game and those are always super exciting.”

The American men will play their first game in the building against Latvia on Thursday (3:10 p.m. ET; Peacock, USA, CBC Gem, SN, CBC).

“It makes me excited just looking at it,” Larkin said.

But they didn’t just come to get a taste of what it could be for them. They came to support the women’s team because it matters to these NHL stars.

Many of them know each other or are getting to know each other here at the Olympics. Some come from the same state and represent the same markets in their respective professional leagues.

“One hundred percent,” Werenski said. “We’re in the village with them. Obviously, we support them during the season and when they’re playing their games on the international stage every year, but when you’re here and you’re able to come to the game and support them I think it’s really important. They’ve done so much for hockey in the U.S. Some of the best U.S.-born hockey players are women. I feel like it’s super important for us to be here and support them.”

Added Matthew Tkachuk: “We’re all on one team right now so we’re really pulling for them.”

Thursday night can’t come fast enough for them.

“It’s incredible,” Werenski said. “You come in here for the first time and you can just feel the energy. You can see the passionate fans, the pride people have for their country. It’s incredible. It definitely gets us more excited to play our games.”