Whether you’re a staunch athletics enthusiast, or you’ve been paying more attention to hockey following the Heated Rivalry movie, there’s something for everyone at the 2026 Milano-Cortina Olympic Games, which kicked off officially on Friday.

A number of Hamilton area Olympians are donning helmets and lacing up skates to represent Canada in Italy. 

And if you’re wondering where you can watch the games and cheer on Team Canada, we’ve put together this guide to help you.

Hamilton Public Library

Hamilton Public Library is making big screen viewing available — for a mix of sports, but especially hockey — at the following branches from Feb. 6 to 22.

• Central Library.
• Red Hill.
• Saltfleet.
• Waterdown.

On campus

Some campuses are hosting watch parties as well. Mohawk Students Association says people can stop by The Arnie at the Fennell Campus to check out some upcoming men’s and women’s hockey games.

The following events will be streamed on the big screen in The Arnie:

• Canada vs. Czechia (Women’s Hockey): Monday, Feb. 9 at 3:10 p.m.
• Canada vs. USA (Women’s Hockey): Tuesday, Feb. 10 at 2:10 p.m.
• Canada vs. Finland (Women’s Hockey): Thursday, Feb. 12 at 8:30 a.m.
• Canada vs. Czechia (Men’s): Thursday, Feb. 12 at 10:40 a.m.
• Canada vs. Switzerland: Friday, Feb. 13 at 3:10 p.m.

Local sports bars

Several local restaurants and bars will be streaming the Olympics.

The EndZone Bar & Grill says people can drop by throughout the games to catch the live action on their big screens, at 1305 Main St. E. They open daily from 11 a.m. to 2 a.m.

Shoeless Joe’s Sports Grill at 1183 Upper James St. is another spot where you can watch the games. Thomas DeSimone, one of the owners, told CBC Hamilton, “We open at 11 a.m. every day but for Team Canada hockey we will open earlier.”

If you’re in Stoney Creek, The Powerhouse at 21 Jones St. will be streaming games on its television screens throughout the bar. Manager Bruce Cale said they will be streaming from CBC and other networks, and will be “primarily following Canadian” teams at the games.

It’s all Olympics all the time at Tin Cup Sports Grill at 103 Portia Drive in Ancaster. The manager said their 20 large screens will all be streaming the games and people are welcome to come by and cheer on Team Canada.

CBC digital platforms

Along with TV broadcasts on CBC and its partner networks Sportsnet and TSN, you can stream all of the action from the Milano-Cortina Games live and on demand exclusively at CBC Gem.

The app is free to download and watch, but you’ll need to create an account. So, if you haven’t already, make sure to take care of that right away. You can also access Gem on your desktop web browser at gem.cbc.ca. 

For a full listing of what’s on each day, see the full CBC Olympic streaming schedule.

Also, be sure to visit CBC’s Milano-Cortina Olympics website for news, in-depth features, event schedules, athlete bios and on-demand highlights of the biggest moments and events. You can personalize your Olympics feed to feature your favourite sports, and get daily emails with news and schedules related to your choices.