National Hockey League (NHL) players will return to the Winter Olympics for the first time in 12 years when the men’s hockey tournament begins Feb. 11 in Milan, marking the sport’s first best-on-best Olympic competition since 2014.
The preliminary round runs Feb. 11-15, followed by the knockout round beginning Feb. 17, with the gold medal game set for Feb. 22. For hockey fans, the event has been years in the making and could not come sooner.
“The Olympics are such a cool event for hockey fans,” said sophomore Nolan Keegan. “I remember watching T.J. Oshie’s shootout heroics with Team USA in 2014 and hope this tournament brings similar moments.”
In February 2025, the introduction of the Four Nations Face-Off replaced the traditional NHL All-Star Game, pitting Canada, the United States, Sweden and Finland against each other in a weeklong tournament. The event was a resounding success, ending with Canada defeating the U.S. in overtime and leaving even casual fans wanting more.
Source: Simon Hastegard, AP Photo
“The tournament helped me become more interested in the game because it brought a familiar and popular format to a sport I’m less familiar with compared to others,” said junior Nick Scerbak. “The national aspect is something that gets you fired up, so it was exciting to see hockey do that.”
With little time between international competitions, rivalries will carry over into this year’s games. Canada enters the tournament as the favorite, widely viewed as the gold standard after winning the last two Olympics that featured NHL players. The roster features living legends such as Sidney Crosby alongside modern stars Cale Makar, Connor McDavid and Nathan MacKinnon, as well as rising talent Macklin Celebrini, who is expected to make a significant impact.
“I’m very excited to see Crosby and Celebrini play together,” said Keegan. “Crosby has been the face of the league for most of my life, and Celebrini looks like he could have a similar career.”
The United States is considered Canada’s biggest challenger, aiming to avenge losses in the 2010 Olympic gold medal game and last year’s Four Nations tournament. Led by Auston Matthews, Quinn Hughes and Matthew Tkachuk, the Americans hope to capture their first Olympic gold since the 1980 “Miracle on Ice” team. With several of the league’s top American-born players in their prime, the team enters the tournament with its deepest roster in decades.
Beyond Canada and the U.S., the tournament features a deep pool of competitive teams. Sweden, despite missing star forward Leo Carlsson, still boasts one of the deepest rosters in the field, while Finland, which won gold in 2022, will bring a lineup full of NHL talent.
The Czech Republic and Germany will rely on superstars David Pastrnak and Leon Draisaitl, respectively, to make surprising medal runs and emerge as fan favorites.
“Watching the smaller European countries compete is always fun because it’s their chance to show the world who they are,” said junior Will Thompson.
The tournament begins Feb. 11 with Slovakia facing Finland at 10:40 a.m. EST, followed by Sweden taking on the host nation, Italy, at 3:10 p.m. EST.
