Team Canada ended its run at the 2026 Winter Olympics with 21 medals, including five gold medals, seven silvers, and nine bronze. Speed skating was arguably the best story coming out of the Games for Canada, as Steven Dubois and Valérie Maltais were deservedly co-flag bearers for the closing ceremony.
Beyond Milan, the Toronto Blue Jays are back in action in Florida for spring training, while the Toronto Raptors resumed its regular season after the NBA all-star break. Canadian cricket has a new hero as 19-year-old Yuvraj Samra produced a record-breaking performance at the men’s T20 World Cup.
There was some bad news out of Germany and Belgium in the soccer world as Alphonso Davies and Promise David picked up injuries. Returning to the NBA, Mississauga, Ont., native Dillon Brooks broke his hand in action for the Phoenix Suns and will be out an extended period.
Here’s everything you might’ve missed out on from Canadians over the past week and what you can look forward to in the week ahead.
2026 Winter Olympics is a wake-up call for Team Canada
Claire Thompson and Emily Clark of Canada disappointed after the Women’s Ice Hockey Gold Medal Game between USA and Canada (2-1 OT) on day 13 of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic games at Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena. (Photo by EyesWideOpen/Getty Images)
(EyesWideOpen via Getty Images)
First, let’s give credit where it’s due. The women’s team pursuit speed skating squad of Ivanie Blondin, Valérie Maltais, Isabelle Weidemann along with Mikaël Kingsbury, Steven Dubois, Megan Oldham and Brad Jacobs’ rink (Marc Kennedy, Brett Gallant and Ben Hebert) all deserve their shine for bringing home gold medals for Canada.
The reality is they delivered despite what is increasingly becoming trying circumstances for Canada’s Olympic athletes. For the seven silver medallists, nine bronze winners, and beyond — excluding the men’s hockey team that earns plenty in the NHL — the question has to be asked of when these athletes will be better supported to move up or onto the podium.
At the federal level, funding has not increased since 2005. Canada’s athletes are receiving $10,000 per bronze medal, $15,000 per silver, and $20,000 per gold from the Canadian Olympic Committee’s Excellence Fund. They will also receive an additional $5,000 per medal from the Malaviya Foundation, a foundation set up by Sanjay Malaviya, a Canadian healthcare tech entrepreneur.
Those amounts pale in comparison to other nations. Host nation Italy, per CNBC’s figures, would have rewarded their own athlete approximately $485,000 for equalling the effort of Canadian four-medal winning speed skater Courtney Sarault, who is set to receive $70,000. The U.S. rewarded its athletes approximately $50,000 per gold medal, $30,000 for silver, and $20,000 for bronze (all figures are in $CAD).
In hockey, both the men and women may feel they were unlucky to come away with silver but, while the men came in with the expectation of winning and fell short, it should be remembered that the women did not. They have suffered from the lack of funding and that has played a factor in now losing eight straight to the American women — including an historically bad 5-0 loss in the group stage — and why they came in as the underdog for the gold medal game.
Canada won an all-time high 14 gold medals in Vancouver. That number went down to 10 in Sochi, then four in Beijing. It was five here at Milano Cortina including a gold-less first eight days, and with the likes of Kingsbury confirming his Olympic retirement and possibly Jacobs, Ivanie Blondin, Valérie Maltais, and Sidney Crosby on their way out, it could be an even bleaker picture come 2030 in the French Alps.
If Canada wants to get back in double-digit territory for gold, change is needed ASAP.
Alphonso Davies has a new injury worry
21 February 2026, Bavaria, Munich: Soccer: Bundesliga, Bayern Munich – Eintracht Frankfurt, Matchday 23, Allianz Arena. Alphonso Davies (r, Bayern Munich) is injured on the ground. (Photo by Harry Langer/picture alliance via Getty Images)
(picture alliance via Getty Images)
This is absolutely not what Canadian soccer fans needed to see on Saturday.
Star left-back Alphonso Davies suffered a right hamstring tear in action for Bayern Munich against Frankfurt in the Bundesliga. The severity of the tear hasn’t been disclosed and neither has a timeline for a return by the club.
Davies cut a forlorn figure in his initial reaction lying on the pitch as his teammates surrounded him, perhaps feeling the frustration of having already recently spent over 200 days out with an ACL injury and now facing more time on the sidelines after recently returning in the new year.
Canada next plays on March 28 and 31, against Iceland and Tunisia, respectively. It remains to be seen what Davies’ availability will look like for those fixtures.
Elsewhere, Canadian striker Promise David — increasingly making a case for a starting spot at the World Cup — also had to be stretchered off after a bad collision with an opposing defender when going up for a header. His Belgian club team Royale Union Saint-Gilloise released a statement confirming that he was taken to hospital and initial exams showed no fractures. He has been prescribed medication and will undergo further testing early next week.
The men’s FIFA World Cup is now under four months away.
Blue Jays begin spring training “not defending anything”
Toronto Blue Jays infielder Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (27) talks with manager John Schneider (14) during spring training at Bobby Mattick Training Center at Englebert Complex. Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Dyer-Imagn Images
(IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect / Reuters)
The Toronto Blue Jays are ready to “attack” another American League pennant.
Returning to Dunedin, Florida, for spring training, manager John Schneider acknowledged a heartbreaking ending in the past while recognizing the need to start from scratch to seriously pursue greatness in 2026.
“We’re not defending anything,” Schneider said. “We’re not defending the AL East. We’re not defending the American League. We’re attacking 2026 like we did ’25. We’re trying to win the division.
“We’re trying to win the World Series.”
Another notable aspect thus far is the attention offseason signing third-baseman Kazuma Okamoto has garnered. There has been a significant Japanese media presence thus far and you can expect that to only increase as the stakes increase in the regular season.
For now, fans are already getting excited about the glove-work he showed off in a 3-0 win over the Philadelphia Phillies on Saturday. The Blue Jays lost 11-10 to the Boston Red Sox on Sunday.
Athlete of the Week: Courtney Sarault
Milano Cortina 2026 Olympics – Short Track Speed Skating – Women’s 1000m – Finals – Milano Ice Skating Arena, Milan, Italy – February 16, 2026. Courtney Sarault of Canada celebrates after winning silver medal in final A REUTERS/Yves Herman
(REUTERS / Reuters)
There are certainly great cases to be made for gold medal winners Steven Dubois, Megan Oldham and Brad Jacobs (Kingsbury was last week’s athlete of the week), but this jury of one has opted for short track speed skater Sarault.
She may not have won gold, but Sarault leaves Milan as Canada’s most decorated athlete from the 2026 Games with two silver medals and two bronze. It may well have been a fifth if not for an unfortunate crash due to bad ice conditions that caused others to crash in the same spot in the women’s 1,500-metre speed skating semifinal. The case can be made that no one made a bigger name for herself than the 25-year-old out of Moncton, N.B.
Prior to the Olympics, Sarault built up to having her Milan moment by winning five gold medals, three silvers, and one bronze in the 2025-26 season to become the first Canadian woman to win the prestigious Crystal Globe title as well as overall champion.
The Crystal Globe is a prestigious annual trophy awarded to the top-performing male and female skaters with the highest accumulated points across the World Tour season.
Raptors enter stretch run before playoffs
Brandon Ingram #3 of the Toronto Raptors dribbles the ball as Matas Buzelis #14 of the Chicago Bulls defends during the second half at the United Center on February 19, 2026 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Daniel Bartel/Getty Images)
(Daniel Bartel via Getty Images)
The NBA all-star weekend is over and the Toronto Raptors returned to action with two wins this week, 110-101 over the Chicago Bulls and 122-94 over the Milwaukee Bucks.
Brandon Ingram led the Raptors with 31 points, eight rebounds, six assists, and two steals against the Bulls while Immanuel Quickley paced them in Sunday’s win over the Bucks with 32 points, three rebounds, nine assists and a steal.
Scottie Barnes missed the blowout win against the Bucks due to personal reasons.
With 25 games to go before the playoffs, the Raptors sit well placed at 34-23. That puts them fifth in the East, 3.5 games ahead of the Philadelphia 76ers in sixth and 1.5 games behind the Cleveland Cavaliers for fourth. They are also just two games behind the third-place New York Knicks.
Most encouragingly for Raptors fans, Jakob Poeltl started the game on Sunday and looked to move pretty well after missing 34 games due to a bad back before the break. He came off the bench in the win over Chicago.
Phoenix Suns guard Dillon Brooks breaks his hand
Dillon Brooks #3 of the Phoenix Suns goes to the basket against Luguentz Dort #5 of the Oklahoma City Thunder during the second half at Mortgage Matchup Center on February 11, 2026 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Chris Coduto/Getty Images)
(Chris Coduto via Getty Images)
Canada’s Dillon Brooks suffered a broken left hand in the Phoenix Suns’ double-overtime win over the Orlando Magic on Saturday and is expected to miss significant time.
No timetable for a return has been provided as of yet.
Averaging 20.9 points and 3.7 rebounds this season, Brooks has played a major role in rebuilding a winning culture in Phoenix after the exit of Kevin Durant. The Suns have surprised most prognosticators to this point with a 33-24 record, sitting seventh in the Western Conference playoff race.
The Suns are currently having a tough time with injuries as star Devin Booker is also currently out with a strained right hip he picked up in action on Thursday.
Phoenix’s star guard had some great words to share at all-star weekend about what Brooks has meant to the team this season.
“Dillon’s a hard worker, man. He’s easily somebody to rally behind,” Booker said. “He’s a fierce competitor and I wouldn’t want it any other way. I’d rather too competitive than it be the other way.
“It’s been a pleasure playing with him, I’ve enjoyed it.”
Yuvraj Samra earns Canada respect at men’s T20 World Cup
Canada’s Yuvraj Samra plays a shot during the 2026 ICC Men’s T20 Cricket World Cup group stage match between Canada and New Zealand at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on February 17, 2026. (Photo by R. Satish BABU / AFP via Getty Images)
(R. SATISH BABU via Getty Images)
The Canadian men’s cricket team may not have a win to show for its four matches played at the 2026 men’s T20 World Cup as it bowed out in the group stage, but it certainly turned some heads for the right reasons.
Opening batter Yuvraj Samra became the youngest player to ever score a century in the men’s T20 World Cup, blasting his way to 110 runs off just 65 balls at a tender 19 years and 141 days of age. The innings featured 11 fours and six sixes and his hundred came off 58 balls. He is also the first Canadian batter to ever score a hundred at the T20 World Cup.
Making the achievement all the more impressive is that it came against one of the best teams in the world in New Zealand, a side that has reached the T20 World Cup final before and is currently contending for a semifinal spot.
“I feel like this inning could change my life,” Samra said after the match. “I can actually make a good living out of this sport, especially being from Canada, and I feel like it can be a real dream come true.”
Canada finished the group stage bottom of Group D, behind South Africa, New Zealand, Afghanistan, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Lastly, former captain Navneet Dhaliwal and Ravinderpal Singh announced their retirements from international cricket.