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

The men's tournament in ice hockey at the 2026 Winter Olympics took place in Milan, Italy, between 11 and 22 February 2026. Twelve countries qualified for the tournament; eight via ranking by the IIHF, three via qualification tournaments, and Italy as hosts. Russia and Belarus were banned from competing due to the countries' invasion of Ukraine.

The United States won their first gold medal since (/wiki/Ice_hockey_at_the_1980_Winter_Olympics), defeating Canada 2–1 in overtime in the gold medal game. Finland were the defending Olympic Champions, having won their title in (/wiki/Ice_hockey_at_the_2022_Winter_Olympics_–_Men's_tournament), but they were defeated by Canada in the semifinals and won the bronze medal over 2022 bronze medalists Slovakia.

Venues

Qualified teams

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

Notes

1. ^a The 2023 IIHF World Ranking included results from several big hockey events: 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, where final rankings and who could qualify were decided.

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

Format

The twelve teams were divided into three groups of four teams each. Each team played the other teams in its group once. After this group stage, a knockout system was used. The top team from each group and the best second-placed team moved on to the quarterfinals, while 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, it was announced that players from the National Hockey League would get a break from their regular games. This allowed them to 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 chosen to oversee the ice hockey matches. These officials came from both the IIHF and the NHL.

Preliminary round

All times are local (UTC+1).

Teams in each group were ranked based on several rules. First, they earned points for their wins—three points for a regular win, two for a win in extra time or a shootout, one for a loss in extra time or a shootout, and no points for a regular loss. If two teams had the same number of 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, like comparing goals scored and differences in their games against each other.

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

Jack Hughes scored the winning goal early 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, scoring 26 goals while letting in only 9. 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 got hurt in an earlier game.

Medalists

The men's ice hockey tournament at the 2026 Winter Olympics will take place in Milan, Italy, from February 11 to February 22, 2026. Twelve teams will compete, with eight teams qualifying through rankings, three through qualification tournaments, and Italy as the host nation. Due to the invasion of Ukraine, Russia and Belarus will not be allowed to participate.

Final ranking

The gold and bronze medal games decided the top four teams. Teams that lost in the quarterfinals were ranked 5th to 8th, and those that lost in the early rounds were ranked 9th to 12th. The exact rankings were based on how they performed in the early stages of the tournament.

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

Statistics

The 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. FBI Director Kash Patel joined the team in their locker room celebration, which drew some criticism. Some people felt it was inappropriate for him to be there. President Donald Trump called the team to congratulate them and made a joke about the women's team, which upset many people. Some players later said they wished they had reacted differently.

Despite the controversy, many players from both the men's and women's teams emphasized their strong relationship and shared success. The women's team focused on their historic achievement of winning gold, noting the importance of celebrating both teams' victories. The incident sparked discussions about respect and support among athletes.

Legacy

After the tournament, the American players honored their teammate Johnny Gaudreau. Sadly, Johnny and his brother were killed in a car crash in 2024 caused by a drunk driver. Johnny was a skilled hockey player who had just played for the United States in the 2024 IIHF World Championship. His family, including his wife and children, 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 along 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.