Canada will meet the United States in the sledge hockey gold medal game on the final day of the Milano Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games, a third consecutive gold-medal meeting between the two nations. The puck drops at 11: 05 am ET on Sunday, March 15, with Canada chasing its first Paralympic title since 2006.
Sledge Hockey Gold Medal Game: What’s At Stake
This will be the third straight Paralympic final pairing Canada against USA for the Para ice hockey title. The United States won the gold in the two prior Games, and Canada enters the match seeking to end a title drought that stretches back to 2006. The scheduled start time is 4: 05 pm local time / 11: 05 am ET.
Canada’s Day 9 Schedule: Cross-Country and Alpine Events
Before the final on the ice, Canada has athletes competing across Para cross-country and Para alpine skiing on Day 9. The final day of Para cross-country features 20km races with 14 Canadians entered.
Christina Picton and Lyne-Marie Bilodeau will open for Canada in the women’s sitting category at 4: 00 am ET, followed by Collin Cameron, Derek Zaplotinsky, and Leo Sammarelli in the men’s sitting race. The women’s standing race with Natalie Wilkie, Brittany Hudak, and Emma Archibald is set for 5: 45 am ET. At 7: 20 am ET, Maddie Mullin and guide Brooke Ailey compete in the women’s visually impaired race, and the morning finishes with Logan Lariviere and guide Joe Hutton and Jesse Bachinsky and guide Levi Nadlersmith in the men’s visually impaired event.
Para alpine skiing closes with the men’s slalom for Canada. Kalle Eriksson and guide Sierra Smith will compete in the visually impaired slalom and Kurt Oatway in the sitting category. First runs begin at 4: 00 am ET with second runs at 7: 00 am ET.
Rivalry Roots and Wider Context
The Canada–USA rivalry in Para ice hockey has deeper cultural roots. The disability rights movement that gained momentum after the Vietnam War helped reshape access and opportunity for people with disabilities, and that movement is part of the broader history feeding the modern rivalry on the ice. Veterans who returned from the war brought protest tactics and a demand for equal participation, joining earlier activists and groups who advocated for independent living. That history is reflected in how fiercely contested the Paralympic ice hockey finals have become between these two nations.
Canada’s Paralympic program also added to its medal total during these Games; a Canadian Para alpine skier won a first Paralympic medal in the form of a bronze, bringing Canada’s all-time Paralympic Winter Games medal count to 201.
The sledge hockey gold medal game will cap competition on the final day before the Closing Ceremony, with Canada aiming to convert its run into a long-awaited gold and the United States seeking to extend its recent dominance in the matchup.
