After a 12-year absence, NHL players are officially returning to the Winter Olympics.
Here’s everything you need to know about the ice hockey tournament at the 2026 Olympic Games in Milano Cortina, Italy.
NHL Players in the Olympics
NHL players have participated in the Olympics five times: Nagano 1998, Salt Lake City 2002, Turin 2006, Vancouver 2010, and Sochi 2014. Since then, NHL players have only competed internationally at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey and the 2025 4 Nations Face-Off. However, in February 2024, the NHL announced their return to the Olympics, meaning powerhouse teams like Canada, the USA, Finland, Sweden, Czechia, and potentially Russia will feature the world’s best players once again.
Superstars such as Connor McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon, Auston Matthews, and Sidney Crosby are expected to headline the tournament, marking the first Olympic appearances for McDavid and MacKinnon.
When is the 2026 Olympics?
The men’s hockey tournament begins on February 11, 2026, the fifth day of the Olympics. The gold medal game will be played on Sunday, February 22, 2026.
Olympic Hockey Schedule
The full tournament schedule has not yet been released.
Olympic Hockey Groups
The groups were determined based on the 2023 IIHF World Championship rankings. However, it remains uncertain whether Russia will be allowed to compete due to their ongoing IIHF ban. If Russia remains banned through 2026, France will take their place.
Group A:
Canada, Sweden, Switzerland, Italy
Group B:
Finland, Germany, Czechia, Denmark
Group C:
Russia/France, United States, Slovakia, Latvia
Olympic Hockey Rosters
Rosters for the tournament have not yet been announced.
Recap of the 2022 Olympics
The 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing featured a tournament without NHL players. Despite this, the competition delivered historic moments:
- Finland won its first-ever Olympic gold medal, defeating the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) in the final.
- Slovakia made history by claiming their first Olympic hockey medal, defeating Sweden 4-0 in the bronze medal game.
- Canada and the USA were eliminated in the quarterfinals, marking a disappointing finish for the North American powerhouses.
