Defiant Denmark challenges US on Olympic ice with hockey as the motivation, not Greenland
Denmark's goalkeeper Mads Sogaard looks on during a preliminary round match of men's ice hockey between United States and Denmark at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026. Credit: AP/Petr David Josek
MILAN — Forget the “Greenland Derby” talk. It was just team spirit, hard work and plenty of heart.
That's how Denmark's players say they took the fight to the United States in hockey at the Winter Olympics.
Faced with gaps in skill and experience, Denmark responded with good old-fashioned hard work and took the lead twice. That alone wasn't enough in a 6-3 loss.
“I think that’s what represents Denmark, to always work hard,” said Nick Olesen, who scored the opening goal in a first period which ended 2-1 as Denmark threatened an upset.
”Everybody is playing with their heart and their feelings on the outside. You can really see that this national team means a lot for everybody," captain Jesper Jensen Aabo said, praising his team for starting fast and blocking shots.
As for the strained relationship between the U.S. and Denmark, “we didn’t even mention it” within the team, Jensen Aabo said. “We just wanted to win a hockey game against a world-class team. We didn’t need extra fire to fire us up. We were ready for the game even though there’s stuff going around in the real world, so that’s nothing that affected us at all.”
There was a Greenlandic flag in the stands — not that the Danish players noticed.
Denmark's Nicholas Jensen celebrates with his teammates after scoring his side's second goal during a preliminary round match of men's ice hockey between United States and Denmark at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026. Credit: AP/Petr David Josek
“I didn’t see it, but that was nice," Jensen Aabo said. "So hopefully they supported us."
Greenland's complex ties to Denmark — it's self-governing and many locals favor independence — mean support isn't always clear-cut. The fans holding the flag weren't Greenlanders, either, but supporters of the Latvian team.
Denmark dressed just three NHL players for the game against the U.S., while Olesen plays in the Czech league, Jensen Aabo plays in Austria and others in Germany, Finland and Sweden.
Denmark's most experienced NHL player, center Lars Eller of the Ottawa Senators, praised the “awesome” Danish fans and said the contest on the ice was a pure hockey game.
Fans hold Greenland national flag before a preliminary round match of men's ice hockey between United States and Denmark at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026. Credit: AP/Petr David Josek
“Obviously we see the news and you’re aware of what’s going on,” he said, “but I think today and the time we spent in the (Olympic) Village, it’s all about sports, it was all about hockey. Two hockey teams facing each other today.”
