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Ryan S. Clark
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Kristen Shilton
Jan 1, 2026, 07:00 AM ET
For the fundamental time since 2014, NHL gamers will be competing within the Olympic Video games — minus these that call Russia dwelling.
On the women folks’s aspect, the supreme gamers were taking piece with out restriction this entire time.
That it is likely you’ll want to plenty of questions in accordance with these two sentences.
ESPN reporters Ryan S. Clark and Kristen Shilton are here with solutions to those — and loads extra concerning the format, favorites, and so on. — because the start of the Milan-Cortina Video games approaches in early February.
When attain the tournaments initiate?
As pop poet laureate Taylor Swift would suppose: Runt one, let the Video games initiate!
In this twenty fifth iteration of the enduring winter sports showcase, hockey’s perfect will compete over 18 days. The women folks’s aspect kicks things off Feb. 5, with spherical-robin circulate extending to Feb. 10. The boys ranking started Feb. 11 with their be pleased spherical-robin going except Feb. 18.
Quarterfinals for the women folks will open Feb. 13, and the boys would possibly perchance well be pleased qualification playoff video games starting Feb. 17. Extra quarterfinal and semifinal matchups will put together, leading into medal rounds slated for Feb. 19 (both bronze and gold on the women folks’s conclude) after which Feb. 21 (bronze) and Feb. 22 (gold) for the boys. — Shilton
Which countries are competing?
Twelve nations will compete within the boys’s division, while 10 nations will comprise the women folks’s division.
Men’s hockey used to be first introduced as an Olympic sport all by the 1920 Summer season Olympics, but used to be then made a everlasting sport on the 1924 Frosty weather Video games.
Canada used to be the fundamental nation to get gold in men’s hockey, worthwhile four consecutively; in total, Canada has obtained gold 9 instances — the most of any nation. The U.S. is tied for third all time with two gold medals, while its eight silver medals are the most of any nation in men’s hockey.
Finland enters the match because the reigning men’s champion, with the nation worthwhile its first-ever gold in 2022. The Finns are seeking to vary into the fundamental country since Canada in 2010 and 2014 to get consecutive gold medals. It will are trying and pull off that fulfillment in a field that can also feature Canada, Czechia, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Latvia, Slovakia, Sweden, Switzerland and the U.S.
Ladies folks’s hockey used to be introduced on the 1998 Frosty weather Video games in Nagano, Japan.
The U.S. used to be the fundamental country to get gold in women folks’s hockey when it defeated Canada. Since then, there used to be correct one Olympics (2006 Torino) wherein the gold medal recreation hasn’t been performed between the two North American opponents. The Canadians obtained their first gold in 2002, and stored these gold medals coming except they were defeated by the U.S. in 2018 in Pyeongchang, South Korea. Canada would strike succor in 2022 to get its fifth gold medal in six tries.
Each and each Canada and the U.S., which are the supreme countries to get a gold medal in women folks’s hockey, are succor in 2026. They’re going to be joined by Czechia, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Sweden and Switzerland. — Clark
Why is it a broad deal that NHL gamers are taking piece on the boys’s aspect?
The NHL is succor competing on the Olympics for the fundamental time since the 2014 occasion in Sochi. There had been league gamers taking piece on the Frosty weather Olympics since 1998, however the NHL at closing had a metamorphosis of heart about being intelligent. The NHL opted to quit taking Olympic breaks, disallowing its athletes from going to the 2018 showcase.
There were a preference of causes for that alternative cited by NHL officers, starting from pricing and value concerns with the World Olympic Committee and World Ice Hockey Federation (specifically when it got here to insurance, shuttle and lodging). Moreover, there used to be consideration for the impression of shutting down for a month on the NHL’s base line, no longer to suppose the logistical gymnastics fascinated about a shortened season. Generally, the NHL householders did no longer mediate there used to be ample income to seeing their gamers swimsuit up for their countries.
It wasn’t except the NHLPA pushed succor on the collective bargaining table and labored Olympic participation succor into the labor guidelines that it modified into an choice every other time. NHL gamers were slated to near succor for the 2022 Video games, but on legend of of frequent COVID-19 outbreaks within the meanwhile, the league stepped in and barred its gamers again — this time for health causes — from heading to Beijing.
Those days are on the succor of us now although. The NHL is all-in, and capable of produce on the supreme-on-perfect momentum from closing February’s 4 Worldwide locations Face-Off — Shilton
What’s the format of the match, and what guidelines are assorted from the NHL’s?
The match is easy for the women folks: 10 countries will be represented, spread all the blueprint in which by two groups of 5 teams every. All teams will play every assorted once in preliminary circulate. From there, all five teams from Community A and the tip three teams from Community B will advance to the quarterfinals. Same old knockout guidelines apply once the spherical-robin is finished.
The boys’s downside is a tad extra advanced.
We’ve already covered about a of the basics: There are 12 teams competing, seeded all the blueprint in which by three groups of 4. Each and each group will play three spherical-robin video games. When that preliminary spherical ends, all 12 golf equipment will be reranked in accordance to a particular blueprint: Which group had the elevated situation within the neighborhood, which had extra facets, which had the higher purpose differential, which had the elevated preference of targets scored and which had a elevated IIHF ranking in 2020.
At that point, teams rated 1-4 would possibly perchance well be pleased a bye into the quarterfinals. Teams 5-12 will participate in a qualifying spherical that pits 5 vs. 12, 6 vs. 11, 7 vs. 10 and 8 vs. 9. The four winners from that mini match will advance to the quarterfinals, the attach the matchup blueprint (top vs. lowest seed) will maintain on. Ditto into the semifinals, after which the gold and bronze medal video games will be performed by the winners and losers of the semis. The group with the elevated preliminary spherical ranking will be concept of because the home squad in every closing spherical recreation.
There would possibly perchance well even be some differences from what guidelines and procedures govern the NHL.
The Olympic occasion’s outcomes will be trip by a facets blueprint: three for the worthwhile group in regulation, zero for the shedding group in regulation, two for the worthwhile group in overtime or a shootout and one for the shedding group in overtime or a shootout. One day of the preliminary circulate, overtime will closing five minutes sooner than the perimeters hasten to a shootout. On the Olympics, there will be five preliminary shooters per aspect in its attach of the NHL’s extraordinary three. In qualifying, quarterfinal and semifinal video games, there will be a 10-minute overtime followed by a shootout. In medal rounds, overtime courses will closing 20 minutes except someone ratings.
Intermissions would possibly perchance well even be shorter — quarter-hour, in desire to 18 within the NHL. Men’s teams can elevate 25 skaters (together with three goalies) and ice a recreation-day roster of 20 gamers.
Oh, and as frequently, there would possibly perchance be no longer any combating allowed on the Olympics (or any IIHF hockey events). Sorry, Tkachuk brothers! — Shilton
What’s the most modern on the enhance of a fresh rink?
Environment up the distance the attach both male and feminine gamers will compete has been an onerous process ahead of these Video games. Varied delays put laborers on the succor of time table, and by mid-December — correct seven weeks from when the women folks’s hockey teams are slated to start taking part in — the ice surface within Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena had no longer been installed.
The IOC executive board has made assurances that the sphere will be ready by February, regardless that previously planned pre-Olympic events to inspect the pending ice surface wanted to be canceled. There are reported to be thousands of workers on blueprint spherical the clock on a fashioned basis to assemble determined the final closing dates are made.
NHL commissioner Gary Bettman has persistently acknowledged the NHL had nothing to realize with the sphere constructing process, and deputy commissioner Bill Daly reiterated fair currently that the protection of NHL gamers stays the league’s fundamental downside in phrases of any arena setbacks. — Shilton
What occurs if the rink just isn’t in actual fact finished? Is there a closing date for a name?
Formally, there would possibly perchance be no longer any Diagram B if the Milano Santaguila rink just isn’t in actual fact finished in time and deemed trusty for the athletes. In say for the NHL to assemble that designation, there has to be some extra or much less hockey performed within the sphere so that ice can also additionally be examined by itself and when the 16,000-particular person ability venue has precise other folk within. Bettman and Daly be pleased both acknowledged that if the league doesn’t feel the rink is sufficiently ready and vetted they is no longer any longer going to send gamers as planned.
NHL officers were on the bottom in Milan to search spherical for what growth there used to be, and on a form of trips found the dimension of the ice surface will measure 196.85 toes by 85.3 toes, one thing the IIHF agreed upon but used to be a surprise to the league (which has its be pleased extraordinary rinks at 200 toes by 85 toes). World tournaments were performed on smaller ice surfaces than that within the past, but it completely will be shorter and wider than what athletes be pleased experienced sooner than. The IIHF defended itself in opposition to any backlash while transferring ahead with their plans.
“While these dimensions differ slightly from a typical NHL rink, they are consistent with IIHF regulations, match the rink size used at the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games and are fully consistent with the dimensions the NHL requires as part of its Global Series Game arena specifications,” the federation acknowledged in a observation. “All involved — the IIHF, the organizing committee, NHL, NHLPA, International Olympic Committee and the relevant venue authorities — agree that the differences in rink specifications are insignificant and should not impact either the safety or quality of game play.”
Restful, it is but one other wrench in an increasingly stressful downside for both Olympic organizers and men’s and girls folks’s league executives who’re searching for to search spherical for their gamers properly showcased but with out risking their health within the formulation.
“We have offered [to help with the construction] and they are utilizing our ice experts and technicians and outside providers,” Daly acknowledged. “We’re basically moving everybody there to try to help get this done in a way that is acceptable for NHL athletes.”
There has been no publicly introduced closing date as of but that would tag how noteworthy runway the organizers be pleased sooner than the NHL or any of the women folks’s teams would tumble out of the match. — Shilton
Who’re about a of the tip women folks’s gamers who I be pleased to know?
Canada is anticipated to be led by its established stars, and that begins with its captain Marie-Philip Poulin. She’s a 3-time Olympic gold medalist, a four-time women folks’s world champion, the reigning IIHF Ladies folks’s Player of the Year, and is even handed to be one of many supreme gamers of all time.
Poulin is correct one of two Player of the Year recipients who’re anticipated to play for Canada. Natalie Spooner obtained the award in 2024 and has obtained two Olympic golds and three world championships. Canada’s expose for a consecutive gold medal would perchance be more likely to be carefully bolstered by assorted stars similar to Erin Ambrose, Renata Fast, Sarah Fillier, Brianne Jenner, Sarah Nurse and Blayre Turnbull.
The U.S. has its be pleased sequence of stars who will be led by captain Hilary Knight. She is a four-time Olympic medalist who used to be piece of the U.S. group that obtained gold in 2018 and would perchance be a 10-time world champion. Knight used to be the fundamental recipient of the IIHF Ladies folks’s Player of the Year succor in 2023.
The usa’s direction for a gold would perchance be anticipated to feature Alex Carpenter, Kendall Coyne Schofield, Britta Curl-Salemme, Aerin Frankel and Lee Stecklein. Laila Edwards and Caroline Harvey, teammates on the University of Wisconsin, are also anticipated to be on the roster.
Outside of the North American powers, there would possibly perchance be Finland duo Jenni Hiirikoski and Michelle Karvinen, who’re concept of as to be two of the supreme gamers within the arena. Switzerland’s Alina Muller would possibly perchance well well presumably be a familiar title, with the forward worthwhile a bronze medal when she used to be 15 on the 2014 Olympics.
One other country to witness is Czechia, which has been amongst the tip four women folks’s teams over the past four years on legend of of gamers similar to Kristyna Kaltounkova, Natalie Mlynkova, Katerina Mrazova and Aneta Tejralova. — Clark
Who’re the fundamental non-NHL gamers to know on the boys’s aspect?
The U.S., Canada, Finland and Sweden are anticipated to field rosters that exclusively feature NHL gamers. Even though it is imaginable Finland would perchance be pleased to count on skaters taking part in in different locations pondering what number of anticipated roster gamers are out on legend of of harm, led by Florida Panthers megastar Aleksander Barkov.
Czechia, Germany and Switzerland would possibly perchance well be pleased NHL gamers on their respective rosters but will need gamers from leagues beyond the NHL in say to field a corpulent group. Czechia is anticipated to count on Ondrej Beranek, Roman Cervenka and Jakub Flek, alongside with assorted gamers who be pleased old NHL ride fancy Libor Hajek, Michal Kempny and Dominik Kubalik.
Switzerland would possibly perchance well well presumably be an under-the-radar medal possibility. As properly as to NHL gamers fancy Nico Hischier and Timo Meier, it also has gamers who either be pleased NHL ride or be pleased performed in North American leagues. It be a community that contains Sven Andrighetto, Dean Kukan and Denis Malgin. There are also gamers who’ve stayed in Europe for their entire careers similar to Swiss goalie Leonardo Genoni, a old of virtually 90 video games for his country on the senior level. — Clark
Who’re the medal favorites?
Segment of what made the 4 Worldwide locations Face-Off intelligent is that it used to be viewed as a fancy dress rehearsal for the Olympics. Canada and the U.S. were the heavy favorites and showed why with Canada worthwhile in overtime within the final. The tight margins between these two teams is extra evidence that either would possibly perchance well well get the boys’s match. That fable used to be enhanced by the U.S. worthwhile its first men’s world championships gold medal since 1960 this past spring.
HISTORY MADE. FOR THE FIRST TIME IN 92 YEARS, TEAM USA IS BRINGING HOME THE #MENSWORLDS GOLD 🇺🇸🏆 pic.twitter.com/4qqRdIc3VF
— USA Hockey (@usahockey) Would possibly well presumably additionally simply 25, 2025
That acknowledged, Czechia, Finland and Sweden all be pleased a sturdy history of finding cohesion at loads of global tournaments en path to either worthwhile gold or being somewhere on the podium. And as properly-known above, Switzerland would possibly perchance well well produce upon its consecutive 2d-situation finishes on the two most most modern men’s world championships and parlay that genuine into a situation on the medal stand.
On the women folks’s aspect, the U.S. and Canada are concept of as to be the two strongest nations in phrases of abilities and infrastructure, and so that they enter the match because the favorites for gold.
That is no longer any longer to advocate that others would possibly perchance well well no longer pressure the location and give the Olympics its 2d-ever gold medal recreation that can no longer in actual fact performed between Canada and the U.S.; the two in all probability candidates to realize so seem to be Finland and Czechia.
Finland has obtained bronze in three of the four most most modern Olympics. The Finns be pleased also obtained bronze within the two most most modern women folks’s world championships.
Each and each of these third-situation finishes for Finland were in opposition to a surging Czechia. The 2022 Olympics used to be Czechia’s first time on the Video games, and so that they finished seventh. They were the bronze medalists on the women folks’s world championships in 2022 and 2023, shedding the bronze to Finland the past two years. — Clark
Why just isn’t in actual fact Russia within the match?
The IOC is persevering with its ban on teams from Russia (and Belarus) competing in both men’s and girls folks’s hockey on the 2026 Video games. That is also the 2d straight Olympics the attach these countries would possibly perchance well well no longer be represented in community sports, despite the indisputable truth that sure individual athletes will be allowed to compete as Individual Fair Athletes.
The IOC before every little thing had its executive board name for sanctions in opposition to Russia in accordance to their invasion of Ukraine — with Belarus’ give a defend shut to — in 2022. Those suggestions were made in 2023, and for this reason Russia and Belarus were barred from the summer 2024 Video games in Paris. The IOC requested the IIHF for a projected time table and groupings in Would possibly well presumably additionally simply for the 2026 Video games, making their decision to uphold the old suggestions in opposition to Russia and Belarus on the conclude of that month.
This is no longer in actual fact the fundamental time the IOC has taken a stance in opposition to Russia. When a pronounce-sponsored doping program used to be uncovered there in 2016, the IOC and World Doping Company determined as punishment that Russia’s title, flag and anthem be banned from all upcoming Video games. As such, Russia’s closing two Olympic teams competed as “Olympic Athletes from Russia” in 2018 and “Russia Olympic Committee” in 2022. — Shilton