MILAN — He was running on fumes after a mad dash from Manitoba to Milan. But Winnipeg Jets forward Nino Niederreiter said the exhaustion melted away the moment he carried the Swiss flag into the opening ceremonies of the Winter Olympics.
“It was definitely a dream come true,” he told the Free Press on Sunday. “As a little boy, your biggest dream is playing in the Olympic games. And being able to go out there and carry the flag was definitely something you’ll never forget and cherish forever.”
Niederreiter, 33, learned on Wednesday that the incredible honour was coming his way, just a few hours before the Jets hosted the Montreal Canadiens at Canada Life Centre.
It was a dream come true for Winnipeg Jets forward Nino Niederreiter who was Switzerland‘s flag bearer arrives during the Olympic opening ceremony at the 2026 Winter Olympics. (Natacha Pisarenko / The Associated Press)
Cue the chaos, along with plenty of excitement.
“As soon as I got the phone call and knew I had a chance to be the flag-bearer, it was something where I knew I had to get there as quick as I can and make sure I was there in time to do that,” said Niederreiter.
His plane touched down in Italy about seven hours before Friday night’s event, held in front of 75,000 people at San Siro Stadium and televised to millions around the world.
Niederreiter — who along with the Jets is having a fairly miserable NHL season — was still sporting a massive smile Sunday afternoon as he took part in Switzerland’s first practice at the new Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena, which itself was racing the clock to be ready to host the Games.
“The rink in general is fantastic. It looks beautiful,” said Niederreiter.
“The ice, there’s still work to be done, it seemed a little soft. But I mean obviously there’s a lot of practices on the ice, so it’s not easy to put the ice together. At the same time, it’s going to be the same for everybody else. It’s fun to be out there and it’s going to be very manageable.”
Asked to assess Switzerland’s chances of making some noise in the tournament, Niederreiter delivered a saucy soundbite.
“The hope is big. We want to poke the bear. There’s no question about that,” he said.
“We know how strong Canada is going to be and the amount of talent they’re going to have. But at the same time I don’t think we have to hide at all. Play our game and go out there and have fun, that’s the biggest thing.”
Switzerland, Canada, Czechia and France make up Pool A and will meet during the round-robin portion of the tournament, which begins Wednesday. This is the second Olympics for Niederreiter, who also represented Switzerland at Sochi 2014 — the last time NHL players competed at the Games.
“Putting the jersey on gives me a great honour,” said Niederreiter, who recently surpassed 1,000 regular season games in the NHL and marvelled at the way the sport has grown in his homeland.
“There’s been a lot of great things. From the Olympics in 2014 until now, we’re definitely a different group of guys. I think we did a great job over the years, but there’s definitely a lot of work to be done.”
Team Canada captain Sidney Crosby takes part in practice during the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics in Milan, Italy on Sunday, February 8, 2026. (Nathan Denette / The Canadian Press)
This also figures to feel like a bit of a home Olympics for Niederreiter, whose offseason residence in Chur is roughly 220 kilometres from Milan. He’ll have plenty of support in the stands, including his fiancée, mother, two sisters and extended family.
“It’s definitely going to be a lot of Swiss support throughout the tournament, which is great to see. I’m looking forward to that,” said Niederreiter.
Niederreiter will also have three Jets teammates turned rivals competing at the Games. A head-to-head meeting with Josh Morrissey’s Team Canada is set for Friday — “looking forward to playing against him,” Niederreiter said — while matchups with Connor Hellebuyck and Kyle Connor of Team USA could only come in the playoff round.
The Canadian and American teams held their first practices Sunday after arriving via charter only hours earlier. Morrissey skated on a defence pairing with Colton Parayko, reprising a look from last February’s 4 Nations Face-Off.
Canada will hold three more skates before opening its tournament Thursday against Czechia. The biggest news of the day was no surprise: Sidney Crosby was named captain, with Connor McDavid and Cale Makar serving as alternates.
On the U.S. side, Connor took line rushes with Clayton Keller (Utah Mammoth) and Tage Thompson (Buffalo Sabres), while Hellebuyck split goaltending reps with Jeremy Swayman and Jake Oettinger.
“This tournament is going to be fun. Everyone is going to give it their all. Every second matters,” said Hellebuyck.
“I’m going to enjoy every single day over here.”
One of the major questions surrounding the Americans is who will start in goal when they open Pool C play Thursday against Latvia, followed by round-robin games against Germany and Denmark. Will Hellebuyck — the reigning Hart and Vezina Trophy winner — retain the spot he held at the 4 Nations, or has he been passed on the depth chart?
“The reality is we have three excellent goalies. They’re all very capable. At the end of the day, performance will inevitably be the dictator,” said head coach Mike Sullivan.
“In a tournament like this, it has to be. And so, we have an idea going in of how we want to go about it and how we want to approach it and we’ll go from there. I do think that performance matters, and so that will be part of it as the tournament evolves.”
United States goalkeepers Connor Hellebuyck, Jake Oettinger, and Jeremy Swayman, gather on the ice during men’s ice hockey practice at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Sunday, Feb. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
Translation: stay tuned.
Hellebuyck hopes to build on his 4 Nations experience, which ended in heartbreak when McDavid scored the overtime winner against him in the final.
“I can understand the pace of play and the speed. I know what’s expected with the way we play and what’s expected around me. There’s some good takeaways,” he said.
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Hellebuyck is also thrilled to share the Olympic experience with Connor, his longtime teammate and fellow Michigan product.
“It’s awesome. Our families are so intertwined,” he said. “I feel like I don’t go more than a week without seeing him, especially living so close in the summer. I’m very grateful for the friendship we have and going through this experience together.”
All NHL players were mandated to spend Sunday night in the athletes’ village, meaning small, dorm-style accommodations. Beginning Monday, they have the option of relocating to a hotel if they choose.
The U.S. team has already decided to stay put, while discussions were still ongoing on the Canadian side.
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Mike McIntyre is a sports reporter whose primary role is covering the Winnipeg Jets. After graduating from the Creative Communications program at Red River College in 1995, he spent two years gaining experience at the Winnipeg Sun before joining the Free Press in 1997, where he served on the crime and justice beat until 2016. Read more about Mike.
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