BY EMMANUEL OGBONNA
When U.S. defender Haley Winn skates onto the ice at the 2026 Winter Olympics, she does so with three of her most enthusiastic supporters never far from view — or from the cameras.
Her older brothers have become a viral sensation in their own right at the Milan Cortina Games, appearing in the stands draped in red, white and blue, sporting bald eagle masks and flag-patterned outfits as they cheer on their youngest sibling. But for all the attention their antics have generated online, the Winn brothers insist the spotlight belongs squarely on their sister and her teammates.
“It’s about them,” said Ryan Winn, 27, as the United States prepared for another gold medal showdown against Canada. “It’s not about us.”
The rivalry between the United States and Canada in women’s hockey is as enduring as any in Olympic sport. The two nations are meeting in the final for the seventh time since women’s hockey debuted at the 1998 Nagano Games, renewing a competition that has defined the sport for nearly three decades. This year’s matchup carries added intensity, with political tensions between the neighboring countries heightening attention around the game.
For Haley Winn, 22, the moment marks the culmination of years of work that began on a backyard rink in Rochester, New York. Growing up, the four Winn siblings spent winters skating together, the older brothers sharpening their skills while their youngest sister quietly outworked them all.
“Haley just turned out to be the absolute beast out of all of us,” Ryan said with a grin.
Casey Winn, 29, recalled that she was on skates almost before she could walk, pushing a plastic bucket across the ice for balance. While all three brothers went on to play college hockey, it soon became clear that their sister possessed a rare combination of drive and talent.
“She always wanted to be the hardest worker,” Ryan said. “She always wanted to compete against us, and she wanted to be the best.”
That competitive edge carried her to Clarkson University and into the professional ranks. Selected second overall in the 2025 Professional Women’s Hockey League draft, Winn now plays for the Boston Fleet. Milan Cortina marks her Olympic debut, and she has made an immediate impact, tallying one goal and three assists through six games entering the final.
“She loves this game,” Ryan said. “She’s had a dream to play at the highest level for a long time. Now we get to watch her live it out.”
The brothers’ elaborate displays of support began in earnest at the 2024 World Championship in Utica, New York, but the Olympics demanded something bigger. Ryan, a video producer, helped orchestrate a series of increasingly theatrical appearances: American flag bucket hats and jackets while recapping games for social media, red-white-and-blue jumpsuits paired with oversized eagle heads, and even mock tabletop curling sessions staged with an Aperol spritz and a napkin outside their rented Milan apartment.
Many of the videos are filmed in the arena stands. Others unfold in alleyways or on cobblestone streets, where the brothers flap their “wings” to “Free Bird,” the song that accompanies Team USA’s goal celebrations.
Haley, they say, has embraced the spectacle.
“She laughs about it,” Ryan said. “She comments on our posts. She didn’t know any of the outfits were coming, so she’s as surprised as anyone.”
The Winn brothers are quick to acknowledge the absurdity of their costumes. Yet beneath the humor is a deliberate message: women’s hockey deserves the same respect and attention long afforded to the men’s game.
“If someone says they don’t like women’s sports or they just want to watch the NHL instead of the PWHL, it’s probably because they haven’t watched enough games,” Ryan said. “These are highly skilled players who have devoted their lives to this craft. They’re fast, they’re physical, they’re explosive.”
Haley Winn represents a new generation of female athletes helping elevate professional leagues across sports, from hockey to soccer to basketball. The Olympic stage has amplified that momentum, drawing record crowds and surging online engagement.
As the gold medal game approaches, the Winn brothers will again take their places in the stands, costumes ready, phones recording, voices raised above the roar of the crowd. They will flap their wings and shout until they are hoarse.
But when the puck drops, even they know where the real performance is unfolding — on the ice, where their sister and her teammates carry the hopes of a nation.
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