June 17th, 2025, 6:19pm
The International Ice Hockey Federation announced the schedule for the men’s and women’s tournaments at the 2026 Olympics held in Milan and Cortina on Tuesday.
Women’s hockey will face the US against the Czech Republic, Canada and Finland in the opening game on February 5th. The US and Canada renew their rivalry in the preliminary round on February 10th, with the gold medal match set for February 19th.
Men’s hockey, with NHL players returning, will face Finland in Slovakia the next day, bringing Italy to face Sweden. Without Russia in the 12-team field, the US is grouped with Germany, Latvia and Denmark, each playing with round robins.
The US will open on February 12th against Latvia, the same day Canada faces the Czech Republic. The NHL’s Best is the first time in Sochi since 2014.
“It’s great that NHL players are back at the Olympics,” said Bill Guerin, general manager of the United States. “Obviously, it’s the largest sports stage in the world and we’re all pleased that we’re involved.”
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No teams will be excluded from group play on the male side. The top four advanced to the quarterfinals, with the remaining eight participating in the qualifying round.
The game will be played on NHL size links for Milano Santagiulia and Milano Rho Arenas. The final is scheduled for February 22 as the final event of the Olympics before the closing ceremony.
The release of the schedule came the day after the coalition announced the first six players to be named to their respective rosters. The US chose all the skaters: Matthew and Brady Tokachuk, Orton Matthews and Jack Ayschel, and defensemen Quinn Hughes and Charlie McAvoy.
Finland was the 2022 defensive Olympic champion from the Beijing bubble, with the NHL withdrawing due to pandemic-related scheduling issues and the Russians won in 2018.
“I’m excited about our group,” Armstrong said. “Our group wants to go there and want their best feet to move forward. There is no guarantee for this sport, but we’re going to go with the right attitude.”
