After successfully winning gold at the 2022 Olympics, the women's Canadian ice hockey team has one goal in mind. That is to win back-to-back gold medals in back-to-back Olympics. With a solid roster coming to the 2026 Olympics in Milano, Italy Sarah Nurse has plans to be a huge part of the team's success. in fact, she will be an X-Factor from start to finish.
How things look for Team Canada, Nurse
Nurse and Team Canada will open the preliminary round against Switzerland on Saturday, February 7 at the Milano Rho Hockey Arena in Milan. Canada will be in group A for the Olympics, joining Finland, Switzerland, the United States, and Czechia. Canada and the United States are solid favorites but as the saying goes "that's why they play the games.' Canada is coming off a gold medal win at the 2022 Olympics in Beijing. Marie-Philip Poulin will be the team captain, while Renata Fast, Brianne Jenner, Jocelyne Larocque, and Blayre Turnbull will be the alternate captains. While Nurse does not wear a letter, that does not mean she is not an important member of this team. Nurse comes into the 2026 Olympics with plenty of experience in the Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL), Olympic, and International play.
How is Nurse an X-Factor?
As an alternate captain for the Vancouver Goldeneyes of the PWHL, she knows leadership and how to win. Skating at age three, she grew up in a hockey family that included three brothers who all played pro hockey. Isaac Nurse is playing for the Florida Everblades of the ECHL. Elijah Nurse played for the Glanbrook Rangers, and cousin Darnell Nurse is a standout defenseman for the Edmonton Oilers of the NHL. Watching them prepare and play the game gave her inspiration to play the game also. With years of skating and playing, she has developed into one of the top-tier players in not only the PWHL but also Olympic and International play.
Nurse has quite a resume when it comes to hockey. She has competed in six IIHF (International Ice Hockey Federation) World Women's Championships, winning three gold medals (2021, 2022, 2024), two silvers (2023, 2025), and one bronze (2019). She became the first black woman to win a gold medal at the Olympics, winning the medal at the 2022 Winter Olympics. While doing so she broke the single tournament Olympic point record with 18 points. She also won a silver medal during the 2018 games in PyeongChang, scoring her first Olympic goal in a 2-1 win against the United States.
Nurse has been productive in the World Championships. She won gold in 2021 in Canada, 2022 in Denmark, and 2024 in the United States. She was also successful in winning silver in 2023 Canada and in 2025 Czechia, while winning a bronze medal in 2019 Finland.
Her accomplishments above prove why she is made for this tournament. The bigger the stage, the bigger she plays. Nurse is the type of player that other teams game plan for. She plays her best when the game is on the line and has scored big goals in crucial moments. Not afraid to take a hit or get her nose dirty, her style of play fits this tournament.
Her legacy and production do not go unnoticed by her teammates, fans, or the Team Canada coaching staff. "When the game gets a little greasier, a little more physical, when the stakes get high, she doesn't get caught up in it. In those difficult moments, she;'s able to stay calm." says Team Canada head coach Troy Ryan. "When there's just a different level- a differnet level of physicality, a different level o compete-I think that brings out the best version of Sarah Nurse."
What truly makes Nurse an X-Factor? Her leadership qualities. Her experience. Her offensive and defensive awareness late in the third period. Not many players in the PWHL, or NHL, have those three ingredients. Nurse may not lead the tournament in scoring but she is a difference maker who can decide games when they matter.