US Edition‘Very Exciting’: Canadian Athletes Happy See NHL Players Back at Winter Olympics
The NHL suspends its season for three weeks so top players can compete in the 2026 Milan-Cortina Olympic men's hockey tournament, the first best-on-best event since 2014.
- On Feb. 6, 2026, the NHL announced a three-week pause so many top non-Russian skaters can compete at Milan-Cortina, which opens when the first puck drops February 11.
- After a 12‑year absence from best‑on‑best Olympic play, global interest has climbed due to the NHL's international push, last year's Four Nations tournament and the TV series Heated Rivalry.
- Most squads feature star-studded rosters, with Canada fielding Connor McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar, Mitch Marner, and Macklin Celebrini, while Finland, Sweden, Czechia, Switzerland, and Germany bring NHL All-Stars.
- The pause affects NHL teams like the Edmonton Oilers and boosts ticket demand, with organizers monitoring Santagiulia Arena amid construction delays during the women's hockey tournament.
- Preliminary rounds run February 11–15, 2026, followed by a playoff on February 17, 2026, with Finland vs. Sweden on February 13, 2026, Canada vs. USA on February 19, 2026, and a gold medal game on February 22, 2026.
15 Articles
15 Articles
Jack Hughes has every right to play in Olympics — what he doesn’t deserve is Team USA entitlement
NHL players returning to the Olympic Games for the first time in 12 years is a direct result of how much NHL players care about representing their countries. It is a right they bargained for, and something for which they’ve accommodated a three-week interruption to the season.
With NHL Players No Longer Iced Out, Olympics Men’s Hockey Tournament Will Be A Power Play In Milan-Cortina
It’s been a dirty dozen years since NHL players took part in the Olympics, but our long international nightmare is almost over. After a drought that kept most of world’s best hockey players — and several all-time greats — out of the Games since 2014, the 2026 men’s tournament in Milan-Cortina should be one for the ages. In an Olympics that doesn’t boast a plethora of big names, the ice will provide some serious star wattage. The NHL is pausi…
12 years without best-on-best at the Olympics has cost some players prime opportunity to play - Daily Faceoff
Now that we’re less than a week away from the men’s hockey tournament at the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics, it’s remarkable to think that the last time NHLers went to the Olympics in 2014, current-day stars like Connor McDavid, Auston Matthews, and Jack Eichel hadn’t even arrived in the NHL yet. Each of those players will represent their country at the upcoming games, but there’s an entire generation of players whose primes came and went w…
Canadian Olympic athletes happy to see NHLers back
MILAN – Ivanie Blondin remembers the moment Sidney Crosby walked through the door. Canada had table tennis set up in the country’s athlete lounge at the 2014 Olympics. The hockey icon picked up a paddle. Blondin did the same. “I was really young, but you always get those star-struck moments,” said the long-track speedskater from Ottawa. “I couldn’t even get a word out. I just started playing with him, and I just was like, ‘Holy crap, what just h…
Love it or hate it, it’s time for Olympic Hockey
For some members of the Tampa Bay Lightning, a much-needed break in the regular season gets underway today. The NHL is officially shut down for the next few weeks as the attention of the hockey world shifts to Italy and the 2026 Winter Olympics. After 12 years, NHL players are back for a best-on-best tournament (minus, of course, the Russians) and the players are excited to be heading overseas for… Source
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