This year’s Milano Cortina Olympic Winter Games have been an exciting and captivating spectacle, especially in the sport of men’s hockey. NBC and the various accompanying networks have provided comprehensive coverage, but if you want a truly hockey-focused perspective, check out NHL Network and its signature Olympics program, NHL Tonight: Milano Cortina 2026.
Throughout the Games, the show has provided a nightly whip-around featuring game highlights, scores, breaking news, and expert analysis. NHL Network has employed its talented roster of studio hosts and former players with both NHL and international experience.
In doing so, NHL Tonight: Milano Cortina 2026 has allowed viewers to stay on top of all the Milano Cortina hockey happenings.
I caught the show on February 17, and it began with a humorous cold open featuring hosts Jamison Coyle and Jason Demers. Demers was eating a cup of gelato when Coyle approached and asked about the sweet treat. Demers replied that he saw Coyle eating pasta the day before and that he really shouldn’t have any gelato.
Coyle is a seasoned broadcast veteran who always brings an authoritative appeal to television. I really like the way he and Demers have blended in Italy. They have created a tremendous back-and-forth, with lively commentary and humor added to the presentation when warranted.
Cheers to NHL Network for sending the pair to Italy for the Games. There is nothing like having that firsthand, on-site knowledge transferred to viewers.
NHL Tonight’s show open remains one of the best on television, with striking images of various NHL team nicknames — quick and dramatic shots from the Penguins to the Predators to the Blackhawks to the Kings to the Hurricanes, Sharks, Rangers, Maple Leafs, and Capitals. I could watch it on a constant loop.
This particular edition of the show was hosted in studio by the terrific Lauren Gardner and the always informative Mike Rupp. Tuesday was the first day of Olympic hockey elimination play, and Rupp was right on target when he said that it was “do or die time” in Milano Cortina.
Gardner went right to work on highlights of the game between Sweden and Latvia. As the video ran, Gardner and Rupp offered an excellent mix of detail and commentary. Gardner, whether on MLB Network or NHL Network, always brings effervescence and style to the table. Beyond these qualities, she has a sixth sense for highlights, complete with incredible intonation and well-timed doses of drama.
Like words set to music, Gardner composed each highlight, and Rupp chimed in with a melodic explanation of each play. Hockey highlights move quickly, and Gardner was on her game with top-notch descriptions.
Swedish star Erik Karlsson then spoke with Coyle and Demers about his club’s 5-1 victory over Latvia. Following this, Gardner and Rupp dissected the Swedish team’s strengths.
One of the great things about the Milano Cortina Olympics is that the men’s hockey teams are speckled with All-Star NHL players. In this light, viewers are truly watching the best players from across the globe.
Rupp continually emphasized solid goaltending as a key factor in the Games. Gardner then moved to highlights of Czechia vs. Denmark. Rupp interjected, saying that Czechia is dangerous on the power play because it has players like David Pastrňák who move all over the ice. One of the highlights of watching men’s hockey in this year’s Olympics is the incredible combination of strength and speed. Players are flying up and down the ice far more than in the NHL, with fewer stoppages in play.
One of the more interesting graphics on NHL Tonight: Milano Cortina 2026 showed a rundown of NHL players with the most points in a single Olympics. Legendary names like Teemu Selanne, Saku Koivu, Marian Hossa, and Daniel Alfredsson appeared, with one of this year’s competitors, Connor McDavid of Canada, hot on their heels.
Coming back from another break, the show featured more men’s highlights, with Gardner expertly telling the story of the game pitting Switzerland vs. Italy, followed by Germany vs. France. It is obvious that Gardner, Rupp, Demers, and Coyle have done their international hockey homework.
Their commentary has not missed a beat in Milano Cortina. All of the talent is as well-versed as it normally is when discussing the NHL. The coverage has been impressive.
With Gardner and Rupp, the key word is synergy. Gardner provides a welcoming and steadying influence as a host. You can tell that she has benefited from working with a host of varied analysts across the sports landscape. No matter the broadcast partner, Gardner is a TV chameleon who performs well on any assignment with depth and gusto.
Rupp brings solid experience as a former NHL player and always adds a player’s edge to his work. Like Gardner, he has worked with numerous broadcast partners while talking hockey. His mix of rough-and-tumble saltiness and on-point analysis is terrific.
Later on NHL Tonight: Milano Cortina 2026, Coyle and Demers interviewed Christian Pulisic, an American-born pro soccer star currently playing for AC Milan. It is always nice to see pro and amateur athletes from other sports supporting their countries’ teams, and Coyle and Demers have done a nice job with these rather impromptu interviews.
They are fluid and fun.
Both men go with the flow and take the conversation to unplanned places. Demers asked a solid question about the difference in pressure when an athlete represents his country as opposed to his club or league team. Pulisic appeared a bit nervous, but Coyle and Demers put him at ease and allowed him to enjoy the experience.
After another break, Coyle and Demers analyzed the upcoming games in the Olympic tournament. Again, the homework was evident. Demers talked about Slovakia and Germany just as proficiently as he discussed the more familiar USA and Canada rosters. This was impressive.
Coyle offered a great line when the discussion moved to Switzerland’s 3-0 win vs. Italy in a playoff qualifier. Speaking of the Swiss netminder, he stated, “Leonardo Genoni, more like Leonardo da Vinci, just a masterful performance between the pipes.” Well played.
Throughout the Games, Coyle and Demers have adroitly ripped through game recaps and previews with specific points and reasons. They have not just told viewers which club won or lost, but instead explained why they won or lost. Back in studio, Gardner closed the show while Rupp humorously chanted, “USA! USA!”
NHL Tonight: Milano Cortina 2026 has featured a versatile roster of frontline commentators with strength throughout the lineup — a team truly built on depth.
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John Molori is a weekly columnist for Barrett Sports Media. He has previously contributed to ESPNW, Patriots Football Weekly, Golf Content Network, Methuen Life Magazine, and wrote a syndicated Media Blitz column in the New England region, which was published by numerous outlets including The Boston Metro, Providence Journal, Lowell Sun, and the Eagle-Tribune. His career also includes fourteen years in television as a News and Sports Reporter, Host, Producer working for Continental Cablevision, MediaOne, and AT&T. He can be reached on Twitter @MoloriMedia.
