Canada and Finland's first game of the Olympics was postponed due to a norovirus outbreak affecting the Finns. The time of their rescheduled game could seriously affect Canada's chances of winning gold.
Team Canada was set to play its opening game of the 2026 Olympic women's hockey tournament in Italy on Thursday.
Their opponent, Team Finland, was not.
Finland faced a norovirus outbreak that left 13 members of their roster, including their entire PWHL cohort, sick or quarantined.
The only option, rather than risking the health of Finland's remaining 10 players and potentially spreading the virus to Canada, was to postpone the opening game of the 2026 Olympics for both teams. Ensuring the safety of the players and staff involved is far more important than anything else.
Team USA and Czechia, the other top members of Group A in Milan, still got their feet wet on Thursday, with the U.S. winning 5-1 over Czechia.
But Canada and Finland now have to wait until Saturday, Feb. 7, to open their tournaments.
Perhaps more important, however, is that their rescheduled game is now slated for Feb. 12, which means Canada and Finland will enter the quarterfinals with less rest than any other nation.
The Canadian roster was already pegged as the underdog versus the United States and has been criticized for being older and slower than hoped. The added physical and mental stress of a quick turnaround after the round-robin games and the reduced rest between the quarterfinals, semifinals and medal games could prove costly, even if the decision to postpone was worthwhile.
"The decision was taken following consultations with medical professionals after cases of norovirus were identified within Team Finland," the IOC, IIHF and organizing committee said in a joint statement following the decision.
"It was made collectively and in accordance with established health and safety principles, with the health and well-being of players, team staff, officials and all tournament participants as the highest priority. While all stakeholders recognize the disappointment of not playing the game as originally scheduled, this was a responsible and necessary decision that reflects the spirit of the Olympic Games and the integrity of the competition."
Canada's challenge now is likely less about when they start their tournament and more about when they'll now finish the round-robin portion of their Olympic tournament.
Czechia will wrap up their round-robin against Canada on Feb. 9, giving them four or five days of rest before their quarterfinal on either Feb. 13 or 14. The USA and Switzerland will play their final round-robin games, against Canada and Finland, respectively, on Feb. 10, guaranteeing each team three to four days' rest.
Canada, however, will play their make up game one day before the quarterfinals begin.
There's no time for a full recovery if players are banged up, and given Canada's final two round-robin games are now against the USA and Finland, the risk of injury is high.
Canada's roster was constructed based on experience, with 12 players in their 30s. That includes Jocelyne Larocque (37), Natalie Spooner (35), Marie-Philip Poulin (34), and Brianne Jenner (34).
The 31-year-old Sarah Nurse, meanwhile, has dealt with an injury this season, causing missed time.
Nurse is not alone on Canada's roster in dealing with serious injury over the last year. That list also includes Ann-Renee Desbiens, Emerance Maschmeyer, Emily Clark, Renata Fast and Spooner.
While the disruption is not ideal, it's also not new.
Canada's national program has dealt with disruptions in the past, including a delayed game against Russia during the COVID-19 pandemic due to late test results. This, however, is the first time a game has been pushed so close to the medal round for Canada.
The recipe is there for things to go terribly wrong for Canada, with their margin for rest and recuperation now erased.
Conversely, Canada could use the extra time to iron out their systems and prepare as a team, a luxury PWHL-heavy teams did not have. How they use the time, and how the shorter period between the round-robin and elimination games plays out, are yet to be seen, but Canadian fans will be closely following the action.
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