MILAN —Sibling rivalries typically exist amongst families, but Haley Winn’s brothers collectively agree she’s the most athletic person in their family. She is representing the United States in the 2026 Winter Olympics, after all.
‘I think it’s pretty obvious,’ Tommy Winn, one of her three older brothers, told USA TODAY Sports on Monday ahead of the U.S. women’s national hockey team’s 5-0 semifinal shutout of Sweden. ‘She’s competing … on the biggest stage in the world, so it’s got to be Haley.’
Becoming an Olympian has been a lifelong goal of Winn’s ever since she was a little girl. Tommy Winn shared a photo of his sister’s grade school yearbook photo, where it reads, ‘Haley Winn, Hockey Olympian.’
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‘As long as I can remember, it’s been my dream to be here,’ said Winn, who has recorded four points in her first Games with one goal and three assists, including one against Sweden. ‘But seeing that photo was pretty cool.’
The dream is not Winn’s alone. She’s sharing the moment and experience with her entire family, who traveled to Milan to cheer her on in person. Her three brothers —Casey, Ryan and Tommy Winn —have taken it a step further with viral coordinating outfits and wholesome antics that have captivated audiences across the nation.
The trio donned matching American flag tracksuits and bucket hats to USA’s 5-0 preliminary win over Switzerland, where Winn scored her first Olympic goal. The brothers went with a dapper look and channeled paperboys in USA’s 5-0 shutout of Canada, where Winn assisted the game-winning goal. They sported mullet wigs and Americana-inspired look for USA’s 6-0 quarterfinal rout of Italy, during which Winn picked up another assist.
Tommy Winn told USA TODAY Sports that most of their patriotic outfits come from Amazon.
‘So it started in 2024. We actually wore this outfit that I’m wearing now to the World Championships,’ Tommy Winn said, pointing to their semifinal ensemble —a red, white and blue onesie that featured stars, stripes and a bald eagle across the chest. They completed the look with a bald eagle mask that retails for $9.99 on Amazon.
The Winn brothers were shown in their latex bald eagle masks on the Jumbotron at Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena on Monday during USA’s 5-0 semifinal shutout over Sweden, drawing applause each time.
‘We figured biggest stage of the world, we got to go bigger and better,’ added Tommy Winn, who played collegiate hockey, like all the Winn siblings. ‘So we pulled out a new outfit for each game that we went to and we kind of just bounced ideas off each other, saw what we liked, what we didn’t like … It was a collaborative effort.’
One person not involved in the planning is Haley. Like the rest of the world, the star defender doesn’t know her brothers’ outfits ahead of time and she prefers it that way.
‘We told her that we were going to be bringing some crazy outfits, so she was kind of aware. But she wanted all the outfits to be a surprise, so she didn’t know exactly what was coming,’ said Tommy Winn, who added that his more introverted younger sister may be ‘a little embarrassed’ by their larger-than-life personalities and outfits.
Haley said that couldn’t be further from the truth.
‘I’m so grateful, obviously, that they’re so passionate and supportive,’ Haley told USA TODAY Sports. ‘I’m definitely glad that they’re taking more of the social media heat. That’s awesome. But no, I mean no embarrassment that they’re supporting us.’
Winn said it’s ‘so surreal’ to have her family and friends in Milan as her Olympic dream becomes reality. And now a gold medal is in reach. Winn and the U.S. women’s hockey team will face off against rival Canada on Thursday in pursuit of the team’s first Olympic gold since 2018. Winn will walk away with her first Olympic medal.
She said she ‘wouldn’t be here’ on the biggest stage in the world without her family: ‘You’re kind of at a loss of words, obviously. I’m so blessed that they’re here … it’s so special to have those kind of people in your corner.’
Tommy Winn said watching his younger sister reach her goals ‘means the world to us and to Haley.’
‘It’s been her dream for as long as I can remember and it honestly turned into my dream just for her to make it here,’ he added. ‘And it’s a privilege for her to be able to play for the United States, for us to be here and watching. It’s been a great experience.’
When asked what the Winn brothers’ plan to wear for the gold medal match, Tommy Winn surprisingly said they have a ‘calmer’ look picked out so all the attention is rightfully on the women playing their hearts out on the ice.
‘Obviously we just love supporting Haley and the entire US women’s hockey team, but we want just more eyes reaching them and reaching just women’s sports in general,’ Tommy Winn said. ‘That gold medal game, we want all eyes on them. So we’re going to keep it calm and most likely just break out some jerseys.’
Spoken like a true big brother.
Follow USA Today’s National Women’s Sports reporter, Cydney Henderson, on Twitter at @CydHenderson
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