USA-Latvia Olympic Clash Delivers Early Chaos
Team USA kicks off its 2026 Olympic men's hockey campaign in Milan against a scrappy Latvia side that's already making life miserable with successful video reviews wiping out American tallies for offside and goalie interference. Brady Tkachuk notches the lone U.S. goal so far with a dish from brother Matthew, but Latvia's Renārs Krastenbergs evens it up amid net-front mayhem, leaving the score knotted at 1-1 after a wild first period.
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Independent hockey newsletter previews the 2026 Milano Cortina Olympics men's best-on-best tournament—the first with NHLers since 2014 Sochi—via a chat with Dallas sports analyst Bob Sturm, who hypes the 11-day thrill from Feb. 11-22, Team USA's Group C slate vs. Latvia (Feb. 12), Denmark (14), Germany (15), and argues Olympic gold rivals a Stanley Cup in prestige for players from USA, Canada, Sweden, Finland.]
by Sean Shapiro · Shap Shots · Read on Substack →