File photo. (Image Credit: CFJC Today)

By Aaron Schulze

Gold Medal Game

Gold medal, golden hour: Kamloops establishments rising up for early Canada-USA start

Feb 21, 2026 | 3:38 PM

KAMLOOPS — It will be a rare rise and shine, emphasis on rise, for some Kamloops bars and restaurants Sunday (Feb. 22). 

Canada’s men’s hockey team will play the United States in the gold medal game on the final day of the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics. Thanks to a nine-hour time difference, puck drop for viewers in Kamloops and most of B.C. is scheduled for 5:10 a.m. PT. 

While the gold medal game was always scheduled for the early puck drop, residents and businesses in Kamloops couldn’t officially set their alarm clocks Sunday until Canada defeated Finland in the semifinals. 

Duffy’s Pub along Hillside Drive in Kamloops will be one of a handful of establishments opening their doors early for the gold medal game. Owner Arthur Dolmat noted it was a last-minute decision. 

“The management was standing around and said, ‘maybe we should open up early for the customers if they want to watch the game.’ It didn’t take much, we all decided to do it,” Dolmat told CFJC Today. “The phone is off the hook. There’s a lot of people calling in; friends, family, customers, regulars. I think we’re going to be busy.” 

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Dolmat says Duffy’s has opened for an early morning sporting event in the past, although it was an intimate, low gathering featuring close friends, family and a few customers. 

“Nothing like Sunday,” he adds. 

In downtown Kamloops, Pizza Pi will be opening its doors early for the first time to mark the gold medal occasion. Manager Sanaa Zainub says the late reshuffling of the schedule wasn’t difficult to carry out, noting that nearly her entire staff wanted to work the rare morning shift. The owner of the pizza restaurant is also rolling up their sleeves Sunday morning. 

“When the liquor board put out the order that we can all open at 5:00 a.m. serving alcohol for the Olympics game, a lot of people came in told us we should be open… and we didn’t even know about it at the time,” Zainub says. 

Acknowledging the unusual start, Zainub says Pizza Pi will be running a trial menu with breakfast pizzas, eggs benedict, mimosas, Caesars and coffee. 

“We’re a little bit nervous to see how it’s going to go for the first time,” Zainub adds. “I think we’re excited to get it started. We’ve already had a lot of people call in for reservations and I think it’s going to be a full house tomorrow.” 

The Canadian Brewhouse location at Aberdeen Mall and the Shark Club sports bar are also opening their doors early for the gold medal game.