Milan Cortina: What to watch today in the Winter Olympics — Team USA's NHL players officially return and Chloe Kim goes for unprecedented 3-peat (2/12)

The Winter Games have begun in Italy. From the rink to the slopes, a new generation of stars has emerged to chase gold. We’ll keep you connected to all of the thrilling moments and top stories as we track the medal race each day of the Games.

The United States is up to 12 total medals so far in Italy, and will have several opportunities to add to that count in Day 6 of the 2026 Winter Olympics.

Here are the top five things to watch on Thursday at the 2026 Milan Cortina Olympics:

1. Team USA gets started in men’s hockey

NHL players are officially back at the Olympics for the first time since 2014, and Team USA’s cohort get started at 3:10 p.m. ET against Latvia.

The Americans enter the Olympic tournament as co-favorites alongside Canada. This could very well be the best team in U.S. history, with Auston Matthews, Jack Eichel, the Tkachuk brothers, the Hughes brothers and reigning Hart trophy winner Connor Hellebuyck forming a strong core.

2. Chloe Kim goes for Olympics’ first snowboarding 3-peat

There is exactly one snowboarder in Olympic history with three gold medals: Shaun White. Kim has a chance to join him in that club Thursday, while going for the Olympics’ first three-peat in snowboard halfpipe (White won his in 2006, 2010 and 2018).

Going into the final, Kim sits in top position after leading all competitors in qualifying with a score of 90.25. The health of her shoulder, dislocated a month before the Games, was one of Team USA’s biggest storylines going in, but she looked perfectly fine while throwing down a 1080 on Wednesday.

Fellow American Maddie Mastro also sits in third position.

3. Breezy Johnson continues her heater

The biggest Team USA skiing star of this Olympics hasn’t been Mikaela Shiffrin or Lindsey Vonn, who have won a combined 192 World Cup events. Instead, it’s been Breezy Johnson, a 30-year-old with exactly zero World Cup wins over a decade-long career.

Johnson landed a surprise gold in the women’s downhill, then proved it wasn’t a fluke with the best downhill time in the women’s combined event (but missed out on a medal because of Shiffrin’s lackluster slalom). Thursday will be her final day of competition in the Super-G. Considering she reached her first career podium in that event just two weeks ago, underestimate her at your own peril.

4. Americans try to break men’s moguls drought

The United States hasn’t won a medal in men’s moguls since 2010 — its last gold was Jonny Moseley in 1998— but 23-year-old Nick Page could be in striking distance after a fifth-place finish in the first round of qualifying on Wednesday.

Dylan Walczyk also made it through qualifications in seventh place, while Charlie Mickel and Landon Wendler will be trying to reach the medal round in the second round of qualifications after just missing out with the 11th and 12th fastest times.

5. Kristen Santos-Griswold’s redemption tour reaches its final leg

Santos-Griswold was a lap away from a gold medal in the 1,000-meter short track speed skating race in 2022, when a competitor’s illegal turn sent her spinning off the podium. She’s back in 2026, competing for that elusive gold in the 500-meter race.

Santos-Griswold was one of two Americans to emerge from the heats Tuesday, winning her qualification race with a time of 42.767. She has three more rounds ahead of her on Thursday, but a win would be one of the best stories of the Olympics.

Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026 (Day 6)

All times ET.

Alpine Skiing

Super-G

5:30 a.m.: Women’s final (USA Network)🏅

Cross-Country Skiing

10 kilometers

7 a.m.: Women’s final (USA Network coverage begins at 7:15 a.m.; airs on NBC at 4 p.m.)🏅

Curling

Women’s round-robin

3:05 a.m.: South Korea vs. USA (airs at 9:15 a.m. on USA Network), Japan vs. Sweden, Italy vs. Switzerland, Canada vs. Denmark

1:05 p.m.: China vs. Great Britain, Italy vs. South Korea, Denmark vs. Japan, Sweden vs. USA (airs at 9:30 p.m. on USA Network)

Men’s round-robin

8:05 a.m.: Norway vs. Germany, USA vs. Switzerland (airs at 5 p.m. on CNBC), Great Britain vs. Sweden

Freestyle Skiing

Moguls

4 a.m.: Men’s qualifying (USA Network)

6:15 a.m.: Men’s final (USA Network coverage begins at 6:45 a.m.; airs on NBC at 12 p.m.)🏅

Hockey

Men’s pool play

6:10 a.m.: Switzerland vs. France

10:30 a.m.: Czechia vs. Canada (USA Network)

3:10 p.m.: USA vs. Latvia (USA Network), Germany vs. Denmark

Women’s pool play

8:20 a.m.: Finland vs. Canada — rescheduled

Luge

12:30 p.m.: Team relay final (NBC coverage begins at 12:45 p.m.)🏅

Short Track

2:15 p.m.: Women’s 500m and men’s 1000m finals (USA Network)🏅

Skeleton

3:30 a.m.: Men’s runs 1, 2 (airs on USA Network at 1:45 p.m.)

Snowboarding

Snowboard cross

4 a.m.: Men’s qualifying (USA Network coverage begins at 4:35 a.m.)

7:45 a.m.: Men’s final (USA Network coverage begins at 8:35 a.m.)🏅

Halfpipe

1:30 p.m.: Women’s final (NBC)🏅

Speed Skating

5000 meters

10:30 a.m.: Women’s final (airs at 1 p.m. on USA Network)🏅

Milan Cortina: What to watch today in the Winter Olympics — Team USA’s NHL players officially return and Chloe Kim goes for unprecedented 3-peat (2/12)

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