Winter Olympics 2026: Here's What I'm Watching

Is it fair to say that the Winter Olympics are much better than their summer counterpart? I think it is. There's just something about these events that feels a bit more tactical, and it's not always about endurance and the fastest runner. It takes a different skillset to ski jump off a hill that's hundreds of feet off the ground. Figure Skating is a sport, but it is also a form of art. I could go on, but I think you get the point. I love the Winter Olympics, and I'm sharing my analysis and gold medal predictions for my three favorite events. For the ladies, I still watch and support the women's events too, of course. I'm just writing about the events I will be watching most in the limited space I have. Here's to the USA and congratulations to all of the athletes representing us in this year's games!

Starting: Wed. February 11th

Men's Ice Hockey

Hockey returns to the Olympics for the first time since 2014! The Sochi Olympics were incredible, and of course Team Canada won the gold medal. I'm beyond excited to see my favorite sport rightfully return to its global stage. Before these Olympics even started, however, this event (including women's ice hockey) has already drawn some ire from fans and players alike. Workers are reportedly "scrambling" to get the arena finished, and the rink is also not to regulation standards. The event was threatened with boycotts from the NHL and related players' associations over player safety concerns. IOC officials have reassured players and organizations that the rink will be ready. Anyways, these rosters look absolutely stacked.

Impactful NHL players on each roster range anywhere from a handful to the entire team, and I do not have the space to write them all out. I will say that I am very impressed with Denmark, Germany, Czechia, and Switzerland's rosters, as they do not normally put up much of a fight in this event. They have the talent to compete with hockey's upper crust meaning Canada, Sweden, Finland, and the U.S. I see a path to the gold medal game for every single one of the eight teams listed here. You'll see what I'm talking about if you take a look at the rosters online. Keep an eye on those American Tkachuk brothers who love to fight and ruffle a few feathers on the ice.

Gold Medal: Team Sweden

Men's Curling

Curling is one of those niche sports that I forget about until the Olympics roll around, but then I remember how fun it is to watch. If someone asked me to join their team for a curling league, I would say yes immediately. I remember when the U.S. won our first gold medal in curling back in 2018 against all odds. The running joke at the time was that all of the other athletes looked like true professionals with superhuman builds, while the Americans just looked like your average group of drinking buddies. Looks can be deceiving. For 2026, I've been watching some film. Great Britain is the favorite to win gold in this event, and I was ignorant as to why. In curling, your team captain is called the "Skip". I guess it's short for Skipper, which is another nickname for a captain or manager. Their Skip is Bruce Mouat and wow, if curling were a person, then he would be it. I'm excited to watch this event again and see if Britain can avoid being upset once again.

Gold Medal: Team Great Britain

Starting: Sat. February 21st

4-Man Bobsleigh

We Americans call it "bobsled," but it's the same thing. Don't go too crazy when I tell you this, but Jamaica will have a bobsled team! I can count on some of my readers to catch that reference. Ever since I was a kid I've loved this event. I don't think I understood the point of it, but it looked really cool, and that's all that mattered. I've learned a bit more about physics and aerodynamics over the years, so I'm watching this event very intently. This sport has exploded in popularity over the years. It also includes the 2-Man (or woman) bobsled and the new "monobob" as of 2022, which is self-explanatory. I'm still a bit old-fashioned and prefer the total team sport of a 4-Man bobsled, but I don't mind the other ones. My gold medal pick is a team led by a man who's been knocking on the door of this event for several years but came up short. In sports, we describe a guy or team like that as "due."

Gold Medal: Johannes Lochner (Team Germany)