NHL, NHLPA, IIHF, IOC officially sign 2026 Olympic agreement

Due to a lack of common ground and the COVID-19 pandemic, the NHL hasn’t allowed its players to compete at the Winter Games since the Sochi Games in 2014.

It’s going to be an exciting tournament, with so many big names from around the world getting the chance to represent their countries on sport’s biggest stage. Players like Canada’s Connor McDavid and Nathan MacKinnon, Finland’s Sebastian Aho and Mikko Rantanen, as well as Auston Matthews and Matthew Tkachuk from the United States, are expected to be in Italy next February, with their sights set on taking home the gold medal.

In the men’s draw, Canada will be going up against Switzerland, France and a talented Czechia squad in Group A. Scandinavian rivals Sweden and Finland headline a Group B that includes Slovakia and host Italy, while the U.S. has an “easy” group with Germany, Latvia and Denmark.

Canada won gold in three of the first five Olympics that included NHLers, taking home the top spot in 2002, 2010 and 2014. Czechia, formerly known as the Czech Republic, stunned the world with its run to gold in Nagano in 1998, the first tournament to be a true best-on-best event. Sweden took down Finland in a thrilling 2006 tournament in Turin, the last time the Games were held in Italy.

In the last two Olympics without NHL participation, the Olympic Athletes of Russia won gold in 2018, before Finland finished atop the podium for the first time in 2022.

Per the IOC’s ruling, Russian teams remained banned from Olympic competition, a continuation of the IIHF’s ruling that has kept Russia and Belarus from top competition since 2022.

The men’s tournament in Milano begins on Feb. 11, 2026, with the group stage wrapping up four days later. The playoffs are set for Feb. 17, with the quarterfinals taking place on Feb. 18. The semifinals are scheduled for Feb. 20, followed by the bronze medal and gold medal games on Feb. 21 and Feb. 22, respectively.