The 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Milan have started. Although the build-up to the Games has not been smooth, the NHL’s superstars will return to Winter Olympic bringing with them thousands of fans from across the globe. Starting on Wednesday, teams from 12 nations will compete; for the first time since the 2014 Games in Sochi, NHL players will be competing for the majority of the nations.
2026 Ice Hockey Tournament:
Although the build-up to the Games has not been smooth, the NHL’s superstars will return to Winter Olympic action later on Wednesday, bringing with them thousands of fans from across the globe. Twelve years have passed since the NHL last participated in the Olympics; due to the epidemic, the league chose not to send players to the 2022 Games and declined to let players compete in the 2018 edition, claiming the competition would interfere with the hockey season.
There is a lot of excitement in Milan as the men’s tournament begins on Wednesday with Slovakia’s match against Finland, followed on Thursday by Team USA’s first match against Latvia.
It will be quite thrilling. Last month, IOC Sports Director Pierre Ducrey told reporters, “We are thrilled that they are returning.” “It took a lot of work from many people over the course of twelve years to make this happen.”
Ducrey may have understated the amount of effort required on all fronts to guarantee the presence of the NHL players.
Facts to know before Switzerland vs. France match in 2026:
At Santagiulia Arena, Team Switzerland, which is attempting to snap a 78-year Olympic medal drought, will play Team France in Group A to start the tournament. After losing to the United States in the final game last year and Czechia in 2024, Switzerland has finished second at the IIHF World final the last two years. Two club captains, Nico Hischier of the New Jersey Devils and Roman Josi of the Nashville Predators, lead their ten NHL regulars.
Josi will be the Olympic captain for Switzerland. With four NHL-experienced players on the roster, including forward Alexandre Texier of the Montreal Canadiens, the only player currently playing, Team France will try to pull off the upset. The other NHL-experienced players on France’s roster are Stephane Da Costa, Yohann Auvitu, and Pierre-Edouard Bellemare.
Facts to know before Czechia vs. Canada match in 2026:
At Santagiulia Arena, Team Canada takes on Team Czechia in a tough match to start Group A play. But after winning gold at the 2010 Vancouver and 2014 Sochi Olympics, as well as the World Cup of Hockey 2016 and the 4 Nations Face-Off last year, the Canadians are confident after taking first place in each of the last four international best-on-best competitions.
The United States, Sweden, and Canada are the only three teams made up completely of NHL players. Who will start as the goaltender is the most important question going into the first game. Three Stanley Cup winners are available to coach Jon Cooper: Logan Thompson (2023) of the Washington Capitals, Darcy Kuemper (2022) of the Los Angeles Kings, and Jordan Binnington (2019) of the St. Louis Blues.
After starting each of the four games at the 4 Nations Face-Off, Binnington is probably the favorite. Czechia, which has 17 players from the gold-winning squad from the 2024 IIHF World Championship (10 forwards, 5 defenseman, and 2 goalies), will undoubtedly provide a threat to anyone Canada chooses to put in goal. Leading that excellent bunch is forward David Pastrnak, who has 71 points (22 goals, 49 assists) in 52 games with the Boston Bruins, good for sixth place in the NHL.
Facts to know before Latvia vs. United States match in 2026:
At Santagiulia Arena, Team USA will meet Team Latvia in the opening round of Group C. With the exception of Minnesota Wild defenseman Quinn Hughes, who missed four Nations due to injury, 21 out of 25 players who participated in the four Nations are back thanks to U.S. general manager Bill Guerin and his team. Charlie McAvoy and Hughes were teamed during Tuesday’s practice. For the first time since the “Miracle on Ice” at the 1980 Lake Placid Olympics, the United States is attempting to capture an Olympic gold medal in men’s hockey.
For the first time since the 1996 World Cup of Hockey, the Americans are also attempting to win a best-on-best competition. It’s important to remember that Latvia lost all three of their games in the 2014 Sochi preliminary round, then defeated Switzerland 3-1 in the qualification round before falling to Canada 2-1 in the quarterfinals. Latvia’s roster consists of six NHL players: goalies Elvis Merzlikins and Arturs Silovs, defenseman Uvis Balinskis, and forwards Zemgus Girgensons, Teddy Blueger, and Sandis Vilmanis.
Facts to know before Germany vs. Denmark match in 2026:
With Edmonton Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl, the greatest NHL player in German history with 1,036 points (428 goals, 608 assists) in 845 games, Team Germany undoubtedly has some elite talent to rely on as it begins play in Group C. Six other NHL players join him, including goalie Philipp Grubauer, defenseman Moritz Seider, and forwards Tim Stutzle, JJ Peterka, Josh Samanski, and Nico Sturm.
When NHL players did not compete in the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics, Germany took home silver. The six NHL players on Team Denmark are goalies Frederik Andersen and Mads Sogaard, as well as forwards Oscar Fisker Molgaard, Nikolaj Ehlers, Lars Eller, and Oliver Bjorkstrand. Only 19 players from the nation have played in the NHL.
Facts to know before 2026 Ice Hockey Tournament:
For weeks last year, the Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena and secondary Rho facility in Milan were the focus of media attention due to construction delays and worries over the safety of the ice. At one time, NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly issued a warning, saying that if there were any safety concerns, the league would not send its players.
To everyone’s relief, it led to the NHL sending its own specialists to try events at the sites in January, and everything went smoothly. Even if the stadiums aren’t ideal, they can accommodate the top players and their supporters from around the globe.
Since the “Miracle on Ice” in 1980, Team USA has failed to win the men’s Olympic gold medal, and during the NHL’s 12-year hiatus, an entire generation of athletes has yet to compete in an Olympics. It implies that side USA, who enters Milan Cortina as maybe the side most likely to defeat favorite Canada, is under some pressure.
“The ice was a little bit beat up when we were practicing today, but there have been a lot of teams on it,” Team USA coach Mike Sullivan told reporters following the team’s first practice sessions this weekend. History, however, shows that the Canadians will be difficult to defeat—they won gold in the last two Winter Olympics that featured NHL players.
“We’re excited to be here and we enjoy every minute of it because, at the end of the day, both teams got to play on the same surface.” Before the tournament began, Sidney Crosby, a star for the Pittsburgh Penguins and Canada, stated, “Playing for Team Canada over the years is something you learn is part of it, that expectation and that responsibility.”
“You have to go out there and play and do everything that is required to try to win; we know that and have high expectations ourselves. We know that’s the expectation, but you can’t look too far ahead.
Twelve countries, divided into three groups of four, will vie for medals in Milan Cortina. A round-robin stage consisting of three games kicks off the competition. The top runner-up overall and the three group winners go to the quarterfinals.
To advance, the remaining eight countries, who are ranked 5–12 on points, must play a single-game qualifying encounter. The competition switches to a conventional knockout style when the quarterfinal field is determined, culminating on February 22 with the final.
