Ice hockey at the 2026 Winter Olympics – Men's tournament

Ice hockey at the 2026 Winter Olympics – Men's tournament

The men's ice hockey tournament at the 2026 Winter Olympics happened in Milan, Italy, from 11 to 22 February 2026. Twelve teams took part. Eight teams got their spots by ranking by the IIHF. Three more teams qualified through special tournaments, and Italy played as the host country. Russia and Belarus could not compete because of their invasion of Ukraine.

The United States won the gold medal for the first time since a long time, beating Canada 2–1 after extra time in the final match. Finland were the previous Olympic winners, but they lost to Canada in the semifinals and won the bronze medal against Slovakia.

Venues

Qualified teams

Main article: Ice hockey at the 2026 Winter Olympics – Men's qualification

Notes

1. ^a The 2023 IIHF World Ranking used results from many big hockey events. These events were the 2020 World Championship, 2021 World Championship, 2022 Winter Olympic Games, 2022 World Championship, and 2023 World Championship.

2. ^b The cities of Tampere and Riga hosted the 2023 IIHF World Championship. This event decided the final rankings and who could qualify.

3. ^c France took Russia's place in both the men's and women's tournaments. Russia was not allowed to compete.

Format

The twelve teams were split into three groups of four teams each. Each team played the others in its group once. After this, a knockout system was used. The top team from each group and the best second-placed team went to the quarterfinals. The other teams played in qualification playoffs.

Rosters

Main article: Ice hockey at the 2026 Winter Olympics – Men's team rosters

NHL participation

On February 2, 2024, players from the National Hockey League were given a break from their regular games. This let them play in the Olympics for the first time since 2014. The NHL had planned to join in 2022 but decided not to because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Officials

Fourteen referees and twelve linesmen were picked to watch the ice hockey games. These referees came from both the IIHF and the NHL.

Preliminary round

All times are local (UTC+1).

Teams in each group were ranked using simple rules. They earned points for their wins—three points for a win, two for a win after extra time or a shootout, one for a loss after extra time or a shootout, and no points for a loss. If two teams had the same points, the result of their game against each other decided who was higher ranked. For groups with three or four teams tied on points, more detailed rules were used.

Group A

Source: IIHF
Rules for classification: Tiebreak criteria

Group B

Source: IIHF
Rules for classification: Tiebreak criteria
(H) Host

Group C

Source: IIHF
Rules for classification: Tiebreak criteria

Ranking after preliminary round

After the preliminary round, all teams were ranked from 1D to 12D. This ranking helped decide the order for the semi-finals. The ranking was based on a team's group position, number of points, goal difference, goals scored, and their 2023 IIHF World Ranking.

Source: IIHF

Playoff round

The gold medal game was on February 22, 2026, at PalaItalia in Milan. The United States beat Canada with a score of 2–1 after extra time. This was the United States' first men's Olympic ice hockey gold medal since 1980.

Jack Hughes scored the winning goal in extra time. Connor Hellebuyck, the team's goalie, made many saves and was named the best goalie of the tournament. The United States won all six of their games. Connor McDavid was the top scorer with 13 points and was named the tournament's most valuable player. Canada played without their captain, Sidney Crosby, who was hurt in an earlier game.

Medalists

The men's ice hockey tournament at the 2026 Winter Olympics will be held in Milan, Italy, from February 11 to February 22, 2026. Twelve teams will play. Eight teams will qualify through rankings, three through qualification tournaments, and Italy as the host nation. Russia and Belarus will not be allowed to participate because of the invasion of Ukraine.

Final ranking

The gold and bronze medal games decided the top four teams. Teams that lost earlier were ranked lower. The rankings were based on how they played in the early stages of the tournament.

Source: IIHF.com, Olympics.com
(H) Host

Statistics

This section shows top players from the ice hockey tournament at the 2026 Winter Olympics.

The first list shows the top ten skaters ranked by points and then goals.

Source: IIHF.com

The second list shows the top five goaltenders, ranked by save percentage, who played at least 40% of their team's time.

Source: IIHF.com

Awards

The awards for the men's ice hockey tournament at the 2026 Winter Olympics were announced on February 22, 2026.

Media All-Stars

Individual awards

Aftermath

The United States men's ice hockey team celebrated their gold medal win at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, Italy. Some people felt it was unusual for an important official to join the team in their locker room celebration. The president called the team to congratulate them.

Despite this, many players from both the men's and women's teams talked about their good relationship and shared success. The women's team celebrated their historic gold medal win. The event led to discussions about respect and support among athletes.

Legacy

After the tournament, the American players honored their teammate Johnny Gaudreau. Johnny and his brother were sadly killed in a car crash in 2024. Johnny was a skilled hockey player who had just played for the United States in the 2024 IIHF World Championship. His family watched the gold medal game. The team kept Johnny’s jersey, number 13, with them and showed it after winning the gold medal. They also invited Johnny’s children to join the team’s photo.

The puck used to win the gold medal game was saved and put in the Hockey Hall of Fame with other important items from the Olympics. Some players felt unsure about this, but the Hall of Fame explained that they collect items to remember big moments in hockey history.