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Canadians across the country got up early Sunday morning to cheer for Team Canada as they face off against the U.S. for gold in men’s hockey at the 2026 Milano-Cortina Olympic Games — and Manitobans were no different.

Bars and restaurants in the province were allowed to sell alcohol ahead of the puck drop at 7:10 a.m. CT.

At Underdogs in Winnipeg, doors opened about half an hour before the game. More than a hundred people were there to watch as Cale Makar scored the tying goal to break through an early U.S. lead late in the second period.

“Sleep a little bit. Feeling great. Think the boys are going to pull one out here,” Andrew Blanchette said ahead of the game. He was one of several early risers who hit the sports bar in St. James to cheer for the team, which this year includes three NHLers from Manitoba.

Winnipeggers Mark Stone and Seth Jarvis as well as Elkhorn’s Travis Sanheim all made their Olympic debuts at these Games.

“It’s amazing seeing Sanheim and Stoner and Jarvis out there and the boys, you know, his buddies going out there. That’s pretty amazing,” Blanchette said.

Frank Moulton, also at Underdogs, said he couldn’t miss this “no matter what.”

“It’s tradition. I watched my very first game in ’76,” he said. “And of course, who can forget 2010? I jumped three feet in the air when Sidney Crosby scored that goal.”

The team’s captain, who was injured in Canada’s quarterfinal win over Czechia, decided to sit out the final to give his spot to a healthy player, general manager Doug Armstrong said ahead of the game.

Moulton was unfazed.

“Everybody else is going to be on point,” he said.

Other watch parties in the province filled up quickly. In Elkhorn, dozens showed up to the local hockey arena to cheer for hometown hero Sanheim.