Ryan S. ClarkCloseRyan S. ClarkESPN NHL reporterRyan S. Clark is an NHL reporter for ESPN.Follow on XKristen ShiltonCloseKristen ShiltonESPN NHL reporterKristen Shilton is a national NHL reporter for ESPN.Follow on XJan 1, 2026, 07:00 AM ET
Bennett, Bedard among players left off Team Canada’s roster (1:31)Greg Wyshynski breaks down the biggest snubs from Team Canada’s roster, including Sam Bennett and Connor Bedard. (1:31)
Why is it a big deal that NHL players are participating on the men’s side?
What is the format of the tournament, and what rules are different from the NHL’s?
What’s the latest on the construction of a new rink?
What happens if the rink isn’t finished? Is there a deadline for a decision?
Who are some of the top women’s players who I need to know?
Who are the key non-NHL players to know on the men’s side?
In this 25th iteration of the iconic winter sports showcase, hockey’s best will compete over 18 days. The women’s side kicks things off Feb. 5, with round-robin action extending to Feb. 10. The men get started Feb. 11 with their own round-robin going until Feb. 18.
Quarterfinals for the women will open Feb. 13, and the men will have qualification playoff games starting Feb. 17. Further quarterfinal and semifinal matchups will follow, leading into medal rounds slated for Feb. 19 (both bronze and gold on the women’s end) and then Feb. 21 (bronze) and Feb. 22 (gold) for the men. — Shilton
Twelve nations will compete in the men’s division, while 10 nations will comprise the women’s division.
Men’s hockey was first introduced as an Olympic sport during the 1920 Summer Olympics, but was then made a permanent sport at the 1924 Winter Games.
Canada was the first nation to win gold in men’s hockey, winning four consecutively; in total, Canada has won gold nine times — 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 tournament as the reigning men’s champion, with the nation winning its first-ever gold in 2022. The Finns are seeking to become the first country since Canada in 2010 and 2014 to win consecutive gold medals. It’ll try to pull off that achievement in a field that will also feature Canada, Czechia, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Latvia, Slovakia, Sweden, Switzerland and the U.S.
The U.S. was the first country to win gold in women’s hockey when it defeated Canada. Since then, there has been just one Olympics (2006 Torino) in which the gold medal game hasn’t been played between the two North American rivals. The Canadians won their first gold in 2002, and kept those gold medals coming until they were defeated by the U.S. in 2018 in Pyeongchang, South Korea. Canada would strike back in 2022 to win its fifth gold medal in six tries.
Both Canada and the U.S., which are the only countries to win a gold medal in women’s hockey, are back in 2026. They’ll be joined by Czechia, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Sweden and Switzerland. — Clark
It wasn’t until the NHLPA pushed back at the collective bargaining table and worked Olympic participation back into the labor laws that it became an option once again. NHL players were slated to return for the 2022 Games, but because of widespread COVID-19 outbreaks at that time, the league stepped in and barred its players again — this time for health reasons — from heading to Beijing.
Those days are behind us now though. The NHL is all-in, and ready to build on the best-on-best momentum from last February’s 4 Nations Face-Off — Shilton
The tournament is straightforward for the women: 10 countries will be represented, spread across two groups of five teams each. All teams will play each other once in preliminary action. From there, all five teams from Group A and the top three teams from Group B will advance to the quarterfinals. Standard knockout rules apply once the round-robin is done.
We’ve already covered some of the basics: There are 12 teams competing, seeded across three groups of four. Each team will play three round-robin games. When that preliminary round ends, all 12 clubs will be reranked according to a specific system: Which team had the higher position in the group, which had more points, which had the better goal differential, which had the higher number of goals scored and which had a higher IIHF ranking in 2020.
Intermissions will also be shorter — 15 minutes, as opposed to 18 in the NHL. Men’s teams can bring 25 skaters (including three goalies) and ice a game-day roster of 20 players.
Oh, and as always, there is no fighting allowed at the Olympics (or any IIHF hockey events). Sorry, Tkachuk brothers! — Shilton
Creating the space where both male and female players will compete has been an arduous process ahead of these Games. Various delays put laborers behind schedule, and by mid-December — just seven weeks from when the women’s hockey teams are slated to start playing — the ice surface inside Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena had not been installed.
The IOC executive board has made assurances that the arena will be ready by February, even though previously planned pre-Olympic events to test out the pending ice surface had to be canceled. There are reported to be thousands of workers on site around the clock each day to ensure the final deadlines are made.
NHL commissioner Gary Bettman has repeatedly said the NHL had nothing to do with the arena construction process, and deputy commissioner Bill Daly reiterated recently that the safety of NHL players remains the league’s primary concern when it comes to any arena setbacks. — Shilton
Officially, there is no Plan B if the Milano Santaguila rink isn’t finished in time and deemed safe for the athletes. In order for the NHL to make that designation, there has to be some kind of hockey played in the arena so that ice can be tested on its own and when the 16,000-person capacity venue has actual people inside. Bettman and Daly have both stated that if the league doesn’t feel the rink is adequately prepared and vetted they will not send players as planned.
Still, it’s yet another wrench in an increasingly stressful situation for both Olympic organizers and men’s and women’s league executives who want to see their players properly showcased but without risking their health in the process.
“We have offered [to help with the construction] and they are utilizing our ice experts and technicians and outside providers,” Daly said. “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 announced cut-off date as of yet that would indicate how much runway the organizers have before the NHL or any of the women’s teams would drop out of the tournament. — Shilton
Canada is expected to be led by its established stars, and that starts with its captain Marie-Philip Poulin. She’s a three-time Olympic gold medalist, a four-time women’s world champion, the reigning IIHF Women’s Player of the Year, and is considered to be one of the greatest players of all time.
Poulin is just one of two Player of the Year recipients who are expected to play for Canada. Natalie Spooner won the award in 2024 and has won two Olympic golds and three world championships. Canada’s bid for a consecutive gold medal is also likely to be heavily bolstered by other stars such as Erin Ambrose, Renata Fast, Sarah Fillier, Brianne Jenner, Sarah Nurse and Blayre Turnbull.
The U.S. has its own collection of stars who will be led by captain Hilary Knight. She is a four-time Olympic medalist who was part of the U.S. team that won gold in 2018 and is also a 10-time world champion. Knight was the first recipient of the IIHF Women’s Player of the Year back in 2023.
America’s path for a gold is also expected to feature Alex Carpenter, Kendall Coyne Schofield, Britta Curl-Salemme, Aerin Frankel and Lee Stecklein. Laila Edwards and Caroline Harvey, teammates at the University of Wisconsin, are also expected to be on the roster.
Outside of the North American powers, there’s Finland duo Jenni Hiirikoski and Michelle Karvinen, who are considered to be two of the best players in the world. Switzerland’s Alina Muller might be a familiar name, with the forward winning a bronze medal when she was 15 at the 2014 Olympics.
Another country to watch is Czechia, which has been among the top four women’s teams over the past four years because of players such as Kristyna Kaltounkova, Natalie Mlynkova, Katerina Mrazova and Aneta Tejralova. — Clark
The U.S., Canada, Finland and Sweden are expected to field rosters that exclusively feature NHL players. Although it’s possible Finland could have to rely on skaters playing elsewhere considering how many expected roster players are out because of injury, led by Florida Panthers star Aleksander Barkov.
Czechia, Germany and Switzerland will have NHL players on their respective rosters but will need players from leagues beyond the NHL in order to field a full team. Czechia is expected to rely on Ondrej Beranek, Roman Cervenka and Jakub Flek, along with other players who have previous NHL experience like Libor Hajek, Michal Kempny and Dominik Kubalik.
Switzerland could be an under-the-radar medal threat. In addition to NHL players like Nico Hischier and Timo Meier, it also has players who either have NHL experience or have played in North American leagues. It’s a group that consists of Sven Andrighetto, Dean Kukan and Denis Malgin. There are also players who’ve stayed in Europe for their whole careers such as Swiss goalie Leonardo Genoni, a veteran of nearly 90 games for his country at the senior level. — Clark
Part of what made the 4 Nations Face-Off intriguing is that it was seen as a dress rehearsal for the Olympics. Canada and the U.S. were the heavy favorites and showed why with Canada winning in overtime in the final. The tight margins between those two teams is more evidence that either could win the men’s tournament. That narrative was enhanced by the U.S. winning its first men’s world championships gold medal since 1960 this past spring.