Gov. Kathy Hochul allows early bar opening for Olympic hockey amid blizzard

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul is allowing bars to open early on Sunday for the U.S. vs. Canada Olympic gold medal hockey game. 

However, the bars that are in counties under the current state of emergency due to an incoming blizzard will not be allowed to open early, as New York City faces potential historic snowfall. 

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United States’ Brady Tkachuk (7) celebrates after scoring his side’s sixth goal against Slovakia at the Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Friday, Feb. 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)

“Tomorrow, it’s a gold medal morning I’ve directed the State Liquor Authority to suspend enforcement of alcohol service hours from 6-10 AM so bars and restaurants can open early and fans can watch the U.S. go for the gold together. This is only for counties not under a State of Emergency.  New Yorkers in emergency areas should stay home, stay safe, and cheer loud! Go USA!” Hochul wrote in a statement. 

For the first time in nearly a decade, a blizzard warning was issued for New York City, with expected snowfall totaling 19 to 24 inches and wind gusts up to 55 mph.

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Hochul declared a State of Emergency for New York City, and Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced outreach teams have been mobilized.

On Saturday, the city put out a call for emergency snow shovelers ahead of the storm. 

Sunday, the 46th anniversary of the “Miracle on Ice,” will feature the United States against Canada, which is without a doubt the fiercest international rivalry in all of sports, going for all the marbles.

This will be the eighth time the United States and Canada have played for Olympic gold, and the only time the Americans have won was back in 1960. They also faced off for gold in 1920, 1924, 1932, 1952, 2002 and 2010. In the best-on-best format, the U.S. is 5-15-1, and three of those victories came in the 1996 World Cup of Hockey.

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Brady Tkachuk takes the ice before the semifinal game against Slovakia during the Olympic Winter Games at Milan Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena in Milan, Italy, on Feb. 20, 2026. (James Lang/Imagn Images)

These two teams are already very familiar with each other, as both rosters are largely composed of the same members as last year’s 4 Nations Face-Off, where three fights occurred in the first nine seconds in the countries’ first best-on-best game in nine years.

Tensions between both teams and the fans were sky-high in that tournament, as it was fresh off President Donald Trump’s “51st state” comments and tariffs against the country.

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