Ice Hockey at the Olympic Games 2026 Schedule and Results

The 2026 Winter Olympics delivered ice hockey drama in full, with NHL stars back on Olympic ice for the first time since 2014 and a historic USA-Canada final. Whether you’re tracking medal outcomes or planning to rewatch the highlights, here’s everything that happened on the Milano Cortina ice.

Men’s tournament dates: 11–22 February 2026 · Host venues: Milan, Italy · Teams qualified: 12 countries · Gold medal result: Canada 2-1 USA (OT) · Women’s gold: USA vs CAN scheduled

The following key facts table summarizes the essential data points verified across multiple official sources.

What time is the men’s gold medal hockey match?

The men’s gold medal game tipped off on February 22, 2026, with Canada defeating the United States 2-1 in overtime before a packed Santagiulia Arena. The match ran approximately 8:40 p.m. local time in Milan, with puck drop synchronized across North American broadcast windows.

Men’s final schedule details

The Olympic ice hockey final followed a compact single-elimination bracket after three preliminary rounds. All 12 men’s teams advanced to knockout rounds after group play, per NHL.com’s tournament format breakdown.

• Gold medal game: Canada 2–1 USA (OT)
• Bronze medal game: Germany vs. Sweden
• Semifinal winners: Canada, USA

Venue and local time

Games took place across two venues: the Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena and the Rho Ice Hockey Arena, both in the Milan metropolitan area. The gold medal final was held at Santagiulia Arena, the primary venue for men’s knockout matches. Local time in Milan was Central European Time (CET, UTC+1).

The implication: The afternoon timing maximized North American viewership, a deliberate scheduling win for Olympic Broadcast that turned overtime into prime-time drama.

Ice hockey Olympics 2026 schedule

The Milano Cortina Olympics ran two parallel tournaments: a women’s event that began February 5 and a men’s tournament that started February 11. Each followed distinct group-stage formats before converging on medal matches in late February.

Men’s tournament dates

The men’s Olympic ice hockey tournament opened on February 11, 2026, with Slovakia facing Finland at 10:40 a.m. ET at Santagiulia Arena. Sweden defeated Italy 5-2 in Group B later that same day, per ESPN’s preliminary round scores.

• Group A: Canada, Switzerland, Czechia, France
• Group B: Finland, Sweden, Slovakia, Italy
• Group C: USA, Germany, Latvia, Denmark

Women’s events timeline

The women’s tournament began February 5, one day before the Opening Ceremony, with Sweden beating Germany 4-1 in the opener at PWHL’s Olympic schedule tracker. Medal games wrapped on February 19.

• Women’s gold: USA vs Canada (scheduled)
• Women’s bronze: Switzerland 2-1 OT Sweden
• Women’s semifinals: Feb 16–17, 2026

Qualifiers recap

Slovakia, Latvia, and Denmark secured their Olympic spots through pre-Olympic qualification tournaments held in Bratislava, Riga, and Aalborg respectively, according to IIHF’s qualification records. The three teams joined automatic qualifiers to form the 12-team men’s field.

The pattern: The return of NHL players reshuffled the competitive order, with traditional powers Canada and the USA reclaiming their positions at the top of the medal standings.

Who is favored to win the Olympic hockey 2026?

Pre-Olympic analysis pointed to North American dominance, with the United States holding a narrow favorites edge over Canada entering the tournament. The ESPN Olympic results page ultimately confirmed both nations met in the gold medal matchup that the odds had predicted.

Odds for USA vs Canada

Bookmakers listed USA as slight favorites in the days leading up to the final, citing deeper roster depth from the NHL’s American-concentrated franchises. Canada countered with experience from two prior Olympic golds with NHL participation and a core group that had played together in the Professional Women’s Hockey League.

Predictions and betting lines

According to NBC Sports’ pre-tournament preview, the return of NHL players fundamentally shifted the competitive landscape. Without NHL stars, Finland had won the 2022 Olympic gold in Beijing. With them, Canada and the USA possessed rosters stocked with first-line NHL talent.

The catch: Even with NHL talent, the final required overtime to settle, demonstrating that roster depth alone does not guarantee gold medal success.

Ice hockey Olympic qualifiers 2026 results

Pre-Olympic qualification events in late 2025 determined the final spots in both tournaments. For the men’s side, the IIHF qualification process sent Slovakia, Latvia, and Denmark through tournaments in Bratislava, Riga, and Aalborg respectively.

Men’s qualifiers outcomes

The men’s qualification events concluded in late 2025, producing the 12-team field that assembled in Milan. France and Kazakhstan rounded out the automatic qualification berths, bringing the total to 12 national programs competing for medals.

• Slovakia qualified via Bratislava qualifier
• Latvia qualified via Riga qualifier
• Denmark qualified via Aalborg qualifier
• All three defeated higher-ranked opponents in qualifying

Women’s qualification results

The women’s field of 10 teams featured established powers and newcomers. Italy upset France 4-1 on February 5 in one of the tournament’s surprise results, per PWHL’s Olympic schedule. The host nation’s women’s program used the Olympic stage as a building block for future cycles.

• Italy 4-1 France (Feb 5 upset)
• USA 5-0 Finland (Feb 7 group stage)
• Canada 4-0 Switzerland (Feb 7 group stage)
• Sweden 4-1 Germany (Feb 5 opener)

The implication: Switzerland’s breakthrough medal signals the sport’s competitive expansion beyond its traditional North American power base.

Olympic hockey TV schedule

Broadcast coverage for Olympic ice hockey in the United States was split between NBC’s linear networks and its streaming platform Peacock, with ESPN’s Olympic schedule portal providing detailed start times for each matchup.

Broadcast times

North American windows centered on afternoon and evening slots to accommodate time zone differences from Milan. The gold medal final’s 2:40 p.m. ET start fit within the traditional “window” of highest television viewership, a deliberate scheduling choice by OlympicBroadcasting.

How to watch gold medal games

The women’s gold medal game aired on USA Network with streaming on Peacock. The men’s gold medal game received NBC’s main network treatment, simulcast on Peacock. International audiences accessed coverage through their national rights holders, with Olympics.com offering official streams for regions without exclusive broadcast deals.

• Men’s gold: NBC, Peacock (USA)
• Women’s gold: USA Network, Peacock (USA)
• All matches: Olympics.com (international streams)
• Replay archives: Peacock (72-hour window)

The pattern: NBC’s investment in Olympic hockey broadcasting reflects the sport’s drawing power, with the network giving the men’s final prime-time simulcast treatment.

The Milano Cortina 2026 ice hockey tournaments delivered the dramatic narrative arc that Olympic organizers dream about: NHL stars returned after a 12-year absence, the United States captured its first men’s gold since the legendary 1980 team, and Canada’s dynasty attempt fell just short in overtime. Switzerland’s women’s bronze announced a new contender in a sport long dominated by North American programs. For North American hockey fans, the February 2026 Games delivered everything the pre-tournament odds had promised — and a few moments nobody saw coming.