McDavid on the Metro in Milan: Canada's NHL players stick out at the Olympics

MILAN (AP) — Even though Bo Horvat occasionally takes the train into New York City from his home on Long Island, it's not usually surrounded by two dozen of his teammates.

That changed at the Olympics when he and Canada's NHL players spent their day off from practicing riding the metro in Milan on a tour of the city. Photos and videos of Connor McDavid and others popped up all over social media, as some of the most recognizable athletes rubbed elbows with the locals and tourists.

“We were crammed in there like sardines,” Horvat said. "We were all in red coats and sticking out like sore thumbs. I think anybody could’ve recognized us taking the subway. It was really cool to be a part of.”

Captain Sidney Crosby organized the excursion to the Duomo and short-track speedskating, according to Hockey Canada general manager Doug Armstrong, and Horvat said goaltender Jordan Binnington was “volun-told” he was in charge of shepherding 25 guys around town.

“He pulled through,” Horvat said of Binnington. “He was our tour guide for the day. He did a great job. He got everybody there and everybody home.”

They saw Canada take home silver in the short-track speedskating mixed team relay, falling just short of host Italy. Winger Brad Marchand, a two-time Stanley Cup champion, had never seen speedskating or any other Olympic event live before.

“To see the intensity between the laps, how fast the athletes are going, one little mistake, how it can derail a competition not only for yourself, but for other players as well, it was awesome to be there and to root on Canada,” Marchand said. “It just shows that the level of separation between winning and losing, at any level, is so small. But at this level, you’re dealing with the best of the best in every sport, and the margins for error are so small."

Some American players had their own fun away from the rink with the chance to meet Snoop Dogg, who has become one of the faces of the Olympics.

Matthew Tkachuk said Snoop had some great one-liners that “made for a hilarious 15 or 20 minutes.” There was also a motivational element.

"He’s ‘Coach Snoop’ so he was giving us some pump-up speeches," Dylan Larkin said. “Probably one of the few people I’ve met that’s kind of larger than life. You look at him, and he doesn’t even look real. It was an awesome experience.”

The U.S. returned to practice Wednesday to prepare for its opening game Thursday against Latvia, and coach Mike Sullivan revealed a top power-play unit of Quinn Hughes, Auston Matthews, Jack Eichel, Tkachuk and Tage Thompson. The first four seemed to be automatic choices.

Thompson's ascension is notable because he did not make the 4 Nations Face-Off roster a year ago and is one of just a few newcomers. It helps that he's the tallest U.S. skater at the Olympics at 6-foot-6.

“He’s a great goal scorer (and) he has the ability to make plays,” Sullivan said, adding that Thompson being a right-handed shooter also factored into the decision. "Tage is one of those guys that’s a right shot, but he also has the skill set to play the position that we’re asking him to play.

The first day of games included some surprises, from Slovakia upsetting Finland to how heavily favored Sweden had such trouble against host Italy.

Also somewhat unexpected was how NHL star Filip Forsberg played just one shift for a minute, 7 seconds in Sweden’s opener as the team’s 13th forward.

“For us coaches and management, we’re looking at dividing into roles, players that can handle different kind of ice times, different kind of situations,” coach Sam Hallam said afterward. “Filip on the ice today would’ve been great. He can be on the ice much more next game. But if we want to go deep in this we’re gonna need everyone. ... We have ambition to go deep into this tournament. We need good players from one to 25.”

Sullivan, like at his day job coaching the New York Rangers, intends to announce his starting goaltender the morning of each game. Canada's Jon Cooper said he needed to inform his goalies who's getting the nod against Czechia before announcing it publicly. Czechia coach Radim Rulik also wouldn't say.

Connor Hellebuyck figures to start for the U.S. against Latvia and Jordan Binnington for Canada. They were in net when the teams met in the 4 Nations final, which Canada won in overtime.

Lukas Dostal is expected to start for Czechia, though Karel Vejmelka and Dan Vladar are also intriguing alternatives.

AP Winter Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics

United States' Tage Thompson watches his shot during men's ice hockey practice at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Sunday, Feb. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

Rapper Snoop Dogg attends the mixed doubles round robin phase of the curling competition between the United States and Canada at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, Friday, Feb. 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Fatima Shbair)

Canada's head coach Jon Cooper, lower right with arm raised, speaks to the team during men's ice hockey practice at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Sunday, Feb. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

Canada forward Connor McDavid, front right, takes part in a men's ice hockey practice during the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, Italy, Sunday, Feb. 8, 2026. (Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press via AP)

ISLAMABAD (AP) — Iran 's foreign minister arrived in Islamabad again on Sunday as Pakistan's political and military leadership scrambled to reignite ceasefire talks between Tehran and Washington.

Abbas Araghchi had left Pakistan’s capital late Saturday, creating confusion around an expected second round of talks, but he returned to Islamabad before continuing on to Moscow, Iranian state media said. He had been in Oman, which previously mediated talks and is located on the other side of the strategic Strait of Hormuz.

Two Pakistani officials, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss the efforts, did not say when the Americans might return to the region to follow up on historic face-to-face talks earlier this month.

The White House on Friday said it would dispatch envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to Islamabad for a second round of talks. But shortly after Araghchi's departure was reported, President Donald Trump said he had called off the mission because of a lack of progress with Iran. “They can call us anytime they want,” he said.

Trump last week indefinitely extended the ceasefire that U.S. and Iran agreed to on April 7 that has largely halted the fighting that began with joint U.S.-Israeli strikes on Feb. 28. But a permanent settlement remains elusive in the war that has killed thousands of people and shaken the global economy.

A standoff remains at the Strait of Hormuz, a vital global waterway, as Iran restricts movement through it and the U.S. enforces a blockade of Iranian ports.

Iran wants to persuade Oman to support a mechanism to collect tolls from vessels passing through the strait, through which a fifth of the world’s oil flows in peacetime, according to a regional official who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the matter.

The official, who is involved in mediation efforts, said Iran insists on ending the U.S. blockade before a new round of talks and that Pakistan-led mediators are trying to bridge significant gaps between the countries.

He added that Araghchi’s talks in Oman have focused on issues surrounding Strait of Hormuz.

Oman’s response wasn’t immediately clear. Araghchi also spoke by phone with counterparts in Qatar and Saudi Arabia on Sunday.

Even before Saturday’s developments, Iran’s foreign ministry said any talks would be indirect and Pakistani officials would act as go-betweens, reflecting Tehran's wariness after rounds of indirect talks last year and earlier this year ended with Iran being attacked by the U.S. and Israel.

The economic fallout is growing two months into the war as global shipments of oil, liquefied natural gas, fertilizer and other supplies are disrupted by the near-closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

Both sides have continued to make military threats. Iran’s joint military command on Saturday warned that “if the U.S. continues its aggressive military actions, including naval blockades, banditry, and piracy” it will face a “strong response.” Trump last week ordered the military to “shoot and kill” small boats that could be placing mines.

Trump told journalists on Saturday, before a security incident at the White House Correspondents' Dinner, that within 10 minutes of him canceling Witkoff and Kushner’s trip to Islamabad, Iran sent a “much better” proposal.

He did not elaborate but stressed that one of his conditions is that Iran “will not have a nuclear weapon.” The status of Iran's enriched uranium has long been at the center of tensions. Tehran has 440 kilograms (972 pounds) of uranium enriched to 60% purity, a short, technical step from weapons-grade levels, according to the U.N. nuclear watchdog agency.

Syed Mohammad Ali, an independent political analyst in Pakistan, said the delay in the talks must not be seen as a setback and that indirect talks were progressing. He said tensions between Washington and Tehran cannot be eased overnight and the negotiation process requires patience.

"But the good thing is that the ceasefire is holding, and both sides have a desire to end the conflict in a way that does not backfire at home,” Ali said.

Since the war began, at least 3,375 people have been killed in Iran and at least 2,496 people in Lebanon, where the Israel-Hezbollah fighting resumed two days after the Iran war started.

Also, 23 people have been killed in Israel and more than a dozen in Gulf Arab states. Fifteen Israeli soldiers in Lebanon, 13 U.S. service members in the region and six U.N. peacekeepers in southern Lebanon have been killed.

Another ceasefire — between Israel and the Iranian-backed Lebanese militant Hezbollah group, has been extended by three weeks. Hezbollah has not participated in the Washington-brokered diplomacy.

In this photo released by the Iranian Foreign Ministry, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, right, shakes hands with Oman's Sultan Haitham bin Tariq during their meeting, in Muscat, Oman, Sunday, April 26, 2026. (Iranian Foreign Ministry via AP)

The wife and children of Fadi Al Zein, who lost both his homes in Israeli strikes in his village of Khiam and in Dahiyeh, sit on the balcony of their heavily damaged apartment building in Beirut's southern suburbs, Lebanon, Saturday, April 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)

In this photo released by the Pakistan Prime Minister Office, Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, fifth left, meets with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, center, in Islamabad, Pakistan, Saturday, April 25, 2026. (Pakistan Prime Minister Office via AP)

A woman walks past an anti-U.S. graffiti painted on the wall of the Tehran University on Enqelab-e-Eslami (Islamic Revolution) street in downtown Tehran, Iran, Saturday, April 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

In this photo released by the Iranian Foreign Ministry, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, left, meets with Pakistan's Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir in Islamabad, Pakistan, Saturday, April 25, 2026. (Iranian Foreign Ministry via AP)

A woman holds an Iranian flag for a pro-government campaign in downtown Tehran, Iran, Saturday, April 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)