Hockey! - Part 14

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This post isn’t about volunteering. I’m finally caught up on my speed‑skating shifts, and for the first time since arriving, Dave and I actually have two days in a row without a shift. A blessing, because being on your feet for six straight hours is no joke for a 50‑plus‑year‑old body.

If you’ve been reading this blog from the beginning, you know that back in February 2025, Dave and I decided we were going to Milan, volunteering or not. That same month, we bought three pairs of tickets for women’s hockey. Below are the regular ticket prices listed on the Milano‑Cortina website.

In February 2025, not all above tickets were released, and the preliminary schedule was still unknown. We didn’t want to gamble on expensive tickets for games we couldn’t predict, so we chose strategically. We were confident the Canadian women would reach the semifinals—but which one? With no way to know, we bought tickets to both semifinals: one pair in Category A and one in Category B. (Category C didn’t even exist yet.) And since Canada`s women has never missed an Olympic Hockey final in history, we figured the gold‑medal game was a safe bet. We splurged on Category A seats (the most expensive sports tickets I’ve ever bought in my life). Later in our Olympic journey, once my sister Manon and my mom decided to join us, and once the preliminary schedule was finally released, I bought four tickets to the Canada–USA preliminary game. Those were all the tickets we had when we landed in Milan on January 28, 2026. And yes, that would soon change.

A fun detail about the CAN–USA tickets: when Véronique accepted her volunteer role (only ten days before the Games), tickets for that game were no longer available for sale. I checked the site, multiple times a day, hoping more tickets would appear. Miraculously, on the morning of January 27, a few popped up. Véro was somewhere in Mexico on a tour bus with no internet, so I grabbed one for her. Good thing I did; by the time she reconnected, they were gone again.

Canada–USA Preliminary Game

On February 10, my 80‑year‑old mom, my two sisters, Dave and I made our way to the Santa Giulia Arena for our first Olympic hockey game. We knew it would be a tough one, MPP had been injured in the previous match and wouldn’t be playing. We were disappointed, of course, but still excited to cheer on Laura Stacey, Sarah Nurse, Ann‑Renée Desbiens, and the rest of the incredible Canadian team.

As we approached the arena, my mom spotted Yves Poirier, a reporter from Quebec’s TVA network. She couldn’t resist saying hello. He ended up interviewing us right there, and Manon (brilliant as always) mentioned we had a Beauceville flag in our bag. He loved it and filmed us holding it. He asked the question many people were wondering: “Is this game about sport or politics?” I answered from the heart: it’s about sport. I’ve worked with so many American volunteers and met so many U.S. fans at speed skating, they’re the ones apologizing, wishing things were different between our countries. Inside the arena, it’s about hockey! And that’s the only political statement you’ll get from me in this blog.

Once inside, we found our seats. Less than ten minutes later, a man approached my mom with a huge grin. It was MPP’s dad! They were sitting right beside us, one row down. What are the odds? I hadn’t met them yet, but I knew they’d been reading my blog. They were lovely—warm, gracious, and understandably discreet about MPP’s condition. You already know how the game ended: a 0–5 loss. Tough to watch, but not devastating (we knew it wasn’t a decisive match, and Canada was still on track for the gold‑medal game).

What I didn’t expect was my phone blowing up. Alex, Maddie, Caro, John… people I rarely hear from were suddenly texting me screenshots of their TVs, with my face on it! And it wasn’t TVA; it was CBC (our national network). My accidental 10 seconds of national TV fame.

Quarterfinal: Canada vs Germany

Dave and I had tickets for more women's hockey but my mom and sisters did not. My mom had come all this way to see MPP play, and since she hadn’t played that first game, we knew we needed more tickets. Weeks prior to the QF, the Olympic website listed the Canadian women’s quarterfinal at 21:10, so we bought five seats. Then we learned, through an apological email from the Olympic organisation, that they had made a mistake and that the game was actually at 19:10. So we bought five more for the earlier game and tried to resell two of the late ones. Thankfully, my tickets sold quickly, giving me a rare chance to relax and catch up on the blog.

The QF was at the Rho Arena, in the same complex as the speed‑skating venue where I’d been volunteering. I was happy to show my mom where I’d been working. The arena is much smaller than Santa Giulia—temporary bleachers, no upper level, and that same giant black plastic wall. The women were playing there because the men’s tournament had started the day before, and they had priority at Santa Giulia. (The IOC knows where the money is…) We had great seats again, close to the athletes’ families, and we saw MPP’s parents once more. The final score : 5-1 for Canada. Honestly that was such an easy win, that I barely remember it now... (5 days and 2 hockey games later!). That said MPP score one goal that day, an important one! She tied the record held by Hailey Weikeniser for the most women's hockey Olympic goals.

Marie-Philp Poulin, a legend!

Semi- final: Canada vs Switzerland (and USA vs Sweden)

Remember how Dave and I had bought tickets to both Semis? One Category A and one Category B. At first I thought our luck had turned because the Category A ticket we had ended up buying were for the USA-Sweden game. I did not mind, our Cat C tickets were in row 6 so not that high. Well, it looked like my luck had not ran our yet, because, when I opened my ticket app that morning, I discovered that we had been upgraded! And not just a little upgrade, we had been moved to the best seats in Category A, middle ice, just behind the family and friends of athletes! Mom and Manon who were leaving Italy the next day were also in attendance. I was really happy for my mom who got to see MPP play twice in an Olympic game!

What a game! We all expected an easy win, but wow, thank goodness MPP was there! She scored both goals in a tight 2–1 victory. With these goals, she is now the sole record holder for most goals in Women's Hockey Olympics history with 20. (Did I tell you she learned how to skate in the same arena as me! lol). I’m always amazed at how stressed I get during these games. Why do we get so invested? After all, it’s just a "game". Or is it?

More hockey stories coming in my next post—I’m on my way to the gold‑medal match.

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