US men's hockey team inspired by women winning gold at the Olympics in Milan

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US men's hockey team inspired by women winning gold at the Olympics in Milan

2026-02-20 20:36 Last Updated At：20:41

MILAN (AP) — Quinn and Jack Hughes watched in person as the U.S. women’s hockey team rallied to beat Canada in the gold medal game at the Olympics on Thursday night in an overtime thriller that showcased the face of the sport in Hilary Knight and her likely successor in that spot, Laila Edwards.

The Hughes brothers had a family stake in the matter. Their mom, Ellen, had a role in the women's championship as a player development consultant.

“Happy for her, happy for the whole team, everyone on the coaching staff," Quinn Hughes said. "You knew that game was going to be tough, but I think they deserved it.”

Players from either team have also gotten to know each other from hanging out in the athletes' village, Jack said, giving the men even more rooting interest.

“All of us, we were obviously really pumped up for them,” Jack Hughes said. "That was all about the girls, and we were super excited for them.”

J.T. Miller also took his daughter, Quinn Hughes said, and the rest of the men's team watched at the end of their hall in the treatment room in the village they share with the women. Megan Keller's OT goal was a cause for celebration.

“We were going nuts,” Dylan Larkin said. “It’s a pretty cool moment and great for them. For Megan Keller, that’s a great story: a Michigan girl, very proud for her. Great moment for USA Hockey.”

Coach Mike Sullivan opened his remarks following the team's game day skate by congratulating the women's team. There's also a staff connection: Assistant John Hynes worked with women's coach John Wroblewski at the U.S. National Team Development Program.

“We were talking about it last night; we were talking about it again this morning," Sullivan said. "It’s a great thrill. Those girls, what a terrific hockey team and they’ll be an inspiration for the next generation of girls growing up in the United States. ... We couldn’t be more proud of them.”

The U.S. women outscored opponents 33-2 on the way to gold. The also-unbeaten U.S. men face Slovakia in the semifinals on Friday night, and Sullivan hopes his team is inspired by what the women accomplished.

“Without a doubt," Sullivan said. "You look at how dominant they’ve been throughout the course of their tournament and before, that’s one of the best women’s teams I think I’ve seen. We certainly aspire to do the same on the men’s side.”

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

Almost 20,000 biathlon fans reach deafening levels as they sing and cheer their heroes

ANTERSELVA, Italy (AP) — They wear Norwegian Viking helmets, French chicken suits and German fuzzy black, red and yellow cow hats, paint their faces in national colors, drape flags around their shoulders and don patriotic costumes as they sing YMCA or chant their hero's name.

The almost 20,000 biathlon fans who pack the stands and line the ski tracks of Anterselva biathlon arena are among the most boisterous of the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics, and their enthusiasm will likely hit a crescendo Friday for the men's 15-kilometer mass start race — the last chance for the men to medal in this Olympic cycle.

“Sha la la la la la la - Er-ic Per-rot,” chanted a group of French fans wearing blue, white and red chicken hats and carrying a cut-out face of Perrot - who has already won two gold and a silver medal in these Winter Games.

Up the trail, Oystein Saeterdal of Bergen, Norway, wore a Norwegian flag suit and sunglasses while standing with a group of Swedish fans wearing yellow and blue jackets and hats. Their countries may be rivals on the ski track and shooting range, but they support each other and cheer for all who compete, he said.

“It's the biathlon family,” he said. “It's another atmosphere. I go to football matches in England and it's not like this. We're all friends. That's why it's so special.”

During the races, when the lead biathlete skis into the shooting range area, the crowd erupts in a deafening cheer. They go silent before the first shot is fired, scream a collective “yay” for each hit and sigh a disappointed “ohhh” if there’s a miss. The Italian and German biathletes get the loudest responses, but the festive crowd will offer support to any skier who passes the sold-out stands or struggles on a climb.

Biathlon is one of they most watched winter sports in Europe and the Olympic biathlon races are being held at an established, frequently used and visited venue — the Südtirol Arena in Anterselva, Italy. It's an annual stop on the biathlon World Cup circuit and regular host of the World Championships.

It knows how to welcome and accommodate thousands of fans - regardless of the weather.

The range is located at an altitude of 5,200 feet (1,600 meters) at the top of the Anterselva valley, in the shadow of jagged, snow-covered peaks near the Austrian border. The biathlon venue has the highest spectator capacity of the entire Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games and is expected to host close to 200,000 fans through the event.

Allan and Mallory Ayers traveled all the way from Bentonville, Arkansas, to attend Olympic events and said the view at the Anterselva venue was the best they've seen.

German fan Alois Aschenbrenner said he and his group of cow-hat-wearing fans drove eight hours in a blizzard on Thursday, and then took two shuttle buses and walked another 15 minutes to attend Friday's mass start race.

“It was worth it,” he said. “We give a cheer to everybody.”

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