When you think Florida, excellence in the Winter Olympics likely doesn’t rise to the front of mind. But that might be an us problem.
After all, hockey teams from the Sunshine State have been in each of the past six Stanley Cup Finals and have won four, including the current run of back-to-back titles by the Florida Panthers. Between them and the Tampa Bay Lightning, 17 players from Florida’s two NHL teams will play for eight different countries at the 2026 Olympics in Milan and Cortina. The Team USA roster also includes brothers Jack and Quinn Hughes, born in Orlando.
A trio of Floridian speedskaters will look to build on their four combined medals. Two of those athletes grew up in Ocala: 37-year-old Brittany Bowe won bronze medals in team pursuit in 2018 and the 1,000-meter race in 2022, while 33-year-old Erin Jackson took home the gold in the 500 meters in 2022, becoming the first Black woman to win an individual gold medal in the Winter Olympics. Jackson will be a flag-bearer during the opening ceremony.
Stream the 2026 Winter Olympics on Peacock
Both Team USA flag-bearers will have Florida roots, with Jackson being joined by bobsledder Frank Del Luca, who was born in Fort Lauderdale. The U.S. Olympic roster also features a Florida State grad on the bobsled team and a figure skater from Broward County. There’s also Florida ties among those supporting the athletes: Tallahassee resident Anthony Lobello coaches his wife, Italian speedskater Arianna Fontana, who has won 11 Olympic medals, including two golds.
Here’s a look at Florida’s representatives in the Milano Cortina Olympics and how to watch them:
Bobsled
29-year-old Josh Williamson, who grew up in Lake Mary and went to FSU, was named to his second U.S. Olympic four-man bobsled team. He was on the team that finished 10th at the 2022 Olympics in Beijing. He and Del Luca, who tied for 13th in 2022, will also be a two-man bobsled team.
Olympic bobsled schedule
Here’s how to watch Josh Williamson and Frank Del Luca in the bobsled competition. All times Eastern.
Monday, Feb. 16
Tuesday, Feb. 17
Saturday, Feb. 21
Sunday, Feb. 22
Watch Olympic bobsled events live on Peacock
Figure skating
Andrew Torgashev, son of former Soviet Union figure skaters Artem Torgashev and Ilona Melnichenko, won his second straight silver medal at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in January. The 24-year-old will join Ilia Malinin and Maxim Naumov as men’s singles skaters. He could also be chosen to compete in team events.
Olympic figure skating schedule
Here’s how to watch Andrew Torgashev in the figure skating competition. All times Eastern.
Saturday, Feb. 7
Sunday, Feb. 8
Tuesday, Feb. 10
Friday, Feb. 13
Watch Olympic figure skating live on Peacock
Speedskating
Erin Jackson will defend her gold medal in the 500 meters and will also compete in the 1,000 meters. In her final Winter Olympics, Brittany Bowe will compete in the 1,000 meters, 1,500 meters and team pursuit. Mia Manganello, who was part of the bronze-medal U.S. team in 2018, will take part in team pursuit and mass start in Milano Cortina.
Olympic speed skating schedule
Here’s how to watch the Florida natives’ speed skating events. All times Eastern.
Monday, Feb. 9
Saturday, Feb. 14
Sunday, Feb. 15
Tuesday, Feb. 17
Friday, Feb. 20
Saturday, Feb. 21
Watch Olympic speed skating live on Peacock
Hockey
Florida Panthers defenseman Seth Jones (USA) and Tampa Bay Lightning forwards Brayden Point and Anthony Cirelli (Canada) will not play because of injury.
Olympic hockey schedule
Here’s a look at the men’s hockey schedule for each country featuring players with Florida ties. All times Eastern.
Watch Olympic hockey games live on Peacock
USA
Canada
Latvia
Sweden
Denmark
Slovakia
Switzerland
Finland
Men’s hockey playoffs
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Florida can claim dozens in Winter Olympics 2026. See the athlete list
Reporting by Dan Rorabaugh, USA TODAY NETWORK – Florida / Palm Beach Post
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
