Canadian hockey fans were up early and hoping their team shines as it plays for gold this morning at the Milan Cortina Olympics.
The Canadian men’s team is facing archrivals the United States. The puck dropped around 8:10 a.m. ET.
Fans were watching in different ways across the country, from their basement with coffee to church pews with snacks to barstools with a morning beer.
Inside Scotiabank Arena, home base of the Toronto Maple Leafs, the usual crowd of blue jerseys was replaced by a sea of red.
All eyes are trained on the arena’s jumbotron, which is airing the gold-medal game for a watch party.
Just ahead of puck drop, fans booed as the U.S. team took the ice and gave a hearty cheer for Jordan Binnington, Canada’s goaltender, as he took his place in front of the net.
Watch parties were planned in other areas as well, some with alcohol flowing thanks to temporary changes to liquor laws and some without, like Bedford United Church in Bedford, N.S., which planned to show the game and provide snacks.
Some fans were forced to get up earlier than others, the further west you went. Some pubs in B.C. had planned to be open as early as 4:30 a.m. local time.
Prime Minister Mark Carney also planned to be up in hopes of watching Team Canada strike gold.
The Prime Minister’s Office said Carney would be cheering on the Canadian men Sunday in Chelsea, Que., which is just northwest of the Ottawa-Gatineau area.
Canada earned its spot in the gold-medal game with a late go-ahead goal against Finland, winning 3-2 after trailing 2-0 in the semifinal Friday.
The U.S. cruised into the gold medal game, handily beating Slovakia 6-2 on Friday.
