May the most comfortable country win? Canadian men’s hockey team opts for hotel over athletes’ village By: Mike McIntyre Posted: 2:27 PM CST Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026

MILAN — To dorm, or not to dorm? That has become a burning question here in Milan for a few dozen multimillionaire NHL players.

The two gold-medal favourites have taken drastically different approaches to their Olympic accommodations.

Let’s start with the Team USA, which has gone all-in on the full Olympic experience. The U.S. has opted to stay in the athletes’ village for the duration of the Games — meaning tiny, college-style rooms shared with teammates and plenty of mingling with athletes from other sports around the world.

It’s a different story for the Canadians, who spent just one night in the village after arriving in Italy on Sunday before moving to a nearby hotel. The move was permitted under negotiations involving the players’ union, the NHL and the International Olympic Committee.

May the most comfortable country win? We shall see.

Not surprisingly, this tale of two teams — and the obvious optics involved — has sparked plenty of discussion and debate.

According to U.S. head coach Mike Sullivan, the decision by his group was a no-brainer.

“We think that part of the experience is to immerse yourself in the whole Olympic experience, and the village is part of that,” he said.

So far, so good, according to the American players.

“It’s a really cool experience. It brings me back to what it’s like in college.”

“It’s definitely different. I mean, I’m not going to say I hate the posh hotels; they’re pretty nice, those ones that you go around North America and stay in,” said forward Jack Eichel.

“But listen, it’s a really cool experience. It brings me back to what it’s like in college. You got a roommate who’s two feet away from you in the same room and you’re in a small little dorm, but I think it just brings the guys together. There’s not a whole lot to do and spend time together, so we’ll get to know each other pretty quickly.”

Some don’t need a whole lot of introduction. Matthew and Brady Tkachuk are channelling their childhood as they share a room. Only this time, mom and dad aren’t around to tell them to keep it down and go to sleep.

“A lot of the athletes in there have actually really liked it. I try to get them to say their name and what sport they’re with. I’ve met a lot of people that are really nice,” said Matthew.

“It’s a wild place and it’s really just cool to see everything and you dream as a young kid playing in the Olympics, the Olympic Village, being around the other best athletes in the world. I honestly can’t believe I’m a part of it.”

The only problem? Brady’s snoring, which Matthew said resulted in a couple of late-night “kidney punches.” A small price to pay.

“It’s just been absolutely incredible so far,” he said.

“Trying to meet and say ‘hi’ to every American athlete that I’ve seen so far. I know a lot of them are competing and stuff, but we’ll try to meet the rest of them for sure. They’ve been amazing.”

Another brother combo, Quinn and Jack Hughes, are just down the hall. Others, like Winnipeg Jets forward Kyle Connor and Utah Mammoth winger Clayton Keller, are quickly getting to know each other while living together in tight quarters.

Over on the Canadian side, goaltender Logan Thompson told Sportsnet that shifting to a hotel isn’t meant to be an “insult.”

“We want to win gold, and we want to give ourselves the best opportunity to do so,” he said.

A cynic might ask whether that implies the U.S. team doesn’t want to win as much, given where it chooses to rest its head at night. All of the other countries — including Sweden and Finland, which are largely composed of NHL players — are also staying in the village.

Team USA captain Auston Matthews, who teammates say has become something of a celebrity in the village, said he wouldn’t want it any other way.

“You see athletes from all different sports, all different countries, different journeys,” he said.

“It’s a pretty intimate setting compared to what you’re kind of used to in your own respective sport. But it’s pretty cool just to be in this kind of setting. I’ve never seen or been in anything like this. It’s what kind of the Olympics is all about.”

“We want to win gold, and we want to give ourselves the best opportunity to do so.”

To be clear, the Canadians aren’t being antisocial. Their practice was cancelled Tuesday, and the team made good use of the day off by heading over to the Milano Speed Skating Stadium — even riding the subway rather than taking a charter bus.

It was a worthwhile trip, as they watched Canadians Kim Boutin, Courtney Sarault, William Dandjinou and Félix Roussel win silver in thrilling fashion in short track speed skating. A video of them collectively gasping at a near-crash quickly went viral on social media.

The team also plans periodic returns to the village, so they won’t be complete strangers. That’s a welcome development for Winnipegger Mark Stone, who told the Free Press he had a blast spending time in the athletes’ lounge Sunday chatting with speedskaters.

“I probably asked more questions talking to them in a 10-minute span than I’ve asked about hockey in the last 20 years,” he said.

The men’s hockey tournament officially begins Wednesday. Canada and the United States are in different pools and could only meet in the playoffs. Canada opens Thursday against Czechia, while the Team USA faces Latvia a few hours later.

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