Ice hockey at the 2026 Winter Olympics – Men's tournament

Notes

The twelve teams were split into three groups of four teams, and played each team in the group once. A knockout system was used after the group stage. The top team of each group and the best second-ranked team advanced to the quarterfinals, while all other teams played in the qualification playoffs.

NHL participation

On 2 February 2024, the IIHF announced that an agreement had been reached with the National Hockey League (NHL) for a break in its regular season to allow the league's players to participate in the Olympics for the first time since 2014. The NHL was originally scheduled to compete in 2022 as well but opted out due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

14 referees and 12 linesmen were selected for the tournament, consisting of both IIHF and NHL officials.

All times are local (UTC+1).

Tiebreak criteria

In each group, teams were ranked according to the following criteria:

1. Number of points (three points for a regulation-time win, two points for an overtime or shootout win, one point for an overtime or shootout defeat, no points for a regulation-time defeat);
2. In case two teams were tied on points, the result of their head-to-head game determined the ranking;
3. In case three or four teams were tied on points, the following criteria applied (if, after applying a criterion, only two teams remained tied, the result of their head-to-head game determined their ranking):
   1. Points obtained in head-to-head games between the teams concerned;
   2. Goal differential in head-to-head games between the teams concerned;
   3. Number of goals scored in head-to-head games between the teams concerned;
   4. If three teams remained tied, result of head-to-head games between each of the teams concerned and the remaining team in the group (points, goal difference, goals scored);
   5. Pre-tournament seeding.

Group A

Game reference Leonardo Genoni Goalies Antoine Keller Referees:
Brian Pochmara
André Schrader
Linesmen:
Jake Davis
Jonny Murray 8 min Penalties 10 min 43 Shots 27

Game reference Lukáš Dostál Goalies Jordan Binnington Referees:
Michael Holm
Wes McCauley
Linesmen:
Nick Briganti
Scott Cherrey 6 min Penalties 2 min 26 Shots 36

Game reference Martin Neckar
Julian Junca Goalies Daniel Vladař Referees:
Andris Ansons
Eric Furlatt
Linesmen:
Matt MacPherson
Tarrington Wyonzek 6 min Penalties 4 min 12 Shots 38

Game reference Logan Thompson Goalies Akira Schmid Referees:
Jan Hribik
Dan O'Rourke
Linesmen:
Albert Ankerstjerne
David Brisebois 6 min Penalties 6 min 39 Shots 25

Game reference Leonardo Genoni Goalies Lukáš Dostál Referees:
Michael Campbell
Chris Rooney
Linesmen:
Onni Hautamäki
Libor Suchánek 8 min Penalties 6 min 29 Shots 32

Game reference Jordan Binnington Goalies Julian Junca
Antoine Keller Referees:
Christopher Holm
Kyle Rehman
Linesmen:
Ryan Daisy
Daniel Hynek 33 min Penalties 35 min 46 Shots 14

Group B

Game reference Samuel Hlavaj Goalies Juuse Saros Referees:
Eric Furlatt
Sean MacFarlane
Linesmen:
Ryan Daisy
Tarrington Wyonzek 4 min Penalties 4 min 25 Shots 40

Game reference Filip Gustavsson Goalies Damian Clara
Davide Fadani Referees:
Jan Hribik
Dan O'Rourke
Linesmen:
David Brisebois
Onni Hautamäki 2 min Penalties 2 min 60 Shots 22

Game reference Juuse Saros Goalies Filip Gustavsson Referees:
Gord Dwyer
Chris Rooney
Linesmen:
Scott Cherrey
Jake Davis 18 min Penalties 14 min 24 Shots 35

Game reference Davide Fadani
Damian Clara Goalies Stanislav Škorvánek Referees:
Brian Pochmara
André Schrader
Linesmen:
Nick Briganti
Jonny Murray 12 min Penalties 12 min 22 Shots 38

Game reference Jacob Markström Goalies Samuel Hlavaj Referees:
Andris Ansons
Kyle Rehman
Linesmen:
Daniel Hynek
Libor Suchánek 14 min Penalties 14 min 51 Shots 32

Game reference Juuse Saros Goalies Damian Clara
Davide Fadani Referees:
Christopher Holm
Wes McCauley
Linesmen:
Albert Ankerstjerne
Matt MacPherson 0 min Penalties 8 min 62 Shots 15

Group C

Game reference Elvis Merzļikins
Artūrs Šilovs Goalies Connor Hellebuyck Referees:
Michael Campbell
Kyle Rehman
Linesmen:
Albert Ankerstjerne
Libor Suchánek 8 min Penalties 8 min 18 Shots 38

Game reference Philipp Grubauer Goalies Frederik Andersen Referees:
Andris Ansons
Christopher Holm
Linesmen:
Daniel Hynek
Matt MacPherson 0 min Penalties 4 min 26 Shots 38

Game reference Philipp Grubauer Goalies Artūrs Šilovs Referees:
Gord Dwyer
Sean MacFarlane
Linesmen:
Scott Cherrey
Onni Hautamäki 8 min Penalties 8 min 29 Shots 22

Game reference Jeremy Swayman Goalies Mads Søgaard
Frederik Dichow Referees:
Michael Holm
Dan O'Rourke
Linesmen:
Ryan Daisy
Tarrington Wyonzek 6 min Penalties 4 min 47 Shots 21

Game reference Frederik Andersen Goalies Artūrs Šilovs Referees:
Eric Furlatt
André Schrader
Linesmen:
David Brisebois
Jake Davis 10 min Penalties 10 min 21 Shots 35

Game reference Connor Hellebuyck Goalies Maximilian Franzreb Referees:
Jan Hribik
Wes McCauley
Linesmen:
Nick Briganti
Jonny Murray 6 min Penalties 4 min 37 Shots 24

Ranking after preliminary round

Following the completion of the preliminary round, all teams were ranked 1D through 12D. The semi-finals will be reseeded according to this ranking. To determine this ranking, the following criteria were used in the order presented:

1. higher position in the group
2. higher number of points
3. better goal difference
4. higher number of goals scored for
5. better 2023 IIHF World Ranking.

Source: IIHF

Bracket

Teams were reseeded after the quarterfinals based on the preliminary round ranking.

Qualification playoffs

Game reference Philipp Grubauer Goalies Julian Junca
Antoine Keller Referees:
Michael Campbell
Christopher Holm
Linesmen:
Albert Ankerstjerne
David Brisebois 4 min Penalties 6 min 36 Shots 31

Game reference Leonardo Genoni Goalies Damian Clara Referees:
Jan Hribik
André Schrader
Linesmen:
Libor Suchánek
Tarrington Wyonzek 6 min Penalties 12 min 51 Shots 20

Game reference Lukáš Dostál Goalies Frederik Andersen Referees:
Dan O'Rourke
Kyle Rehman
Linesmen:
Nick Briganti
Jake Davis 8 min Penalties 4 min 31 Shots 26

Game reference Jacob Markström Goalies Elvis Merzļikins Referees:
Gord Dwyer
Sean MacFarlane
Linesmen:
Daniel Hynek
Jonny Murray 6 min Penalties 4 min 28 Shots 21

Quarterfinals

Game reference Samuel Hlavaj Goalies Philipp Grubauer Referees:
Dan O'Rourke
Kyle Rehman
Linesmen:
Albert Ankerstjerne
Matt MacPherson 8 min Penalties 6 min 35 Shots 27

Game reference Jordan Binnington Goalies Lukáš Dostál Referees:
Mikael Holm
Chris Rooney
Linesmen:
David Brisebois
Jonny Murray 4 min Penalties 6 min 41 Shots 24

Game reference Juuse Saros Goalies Leonardo Genoni Referees:
Michael Campbell
Gord Dwyer
Linesmen:
Ryan Daisy
Libor Suchánek 4 min Penalties 4 min 31 Shots 23

Game reference Connor Hellebuyck Goalies Jacob Markström Referees:
Eric Furlatt
Wes McCauley
Linesmen:
Scott Cherrey
Onni Hautamäki 2 min Penalties 4 min 40 Shots 29

Semifinals

Game reference Jordan Binnington Goalies Juuse Saros Referees:
Eric Furlatt
Dan O'Rourke
Linesmen:
Albert Ankerstjerne
Ryan Daisy 4 min Penalties 8 min 39 Shots 17

Game reference Connor Hellebuyck Goalies Samuel Hlavaj
Stanislav Škorvánek Referees:
Gord Dwyer
Chris Rooney
Linesmen:
Scott Cherrey
Onni Hautamäki 30 min Penalties 20 min 39 Shots 24

Bronze medal game

Game reference Samuel Hlavaj Goalies Juuse Saros Referees:
Michael Campbell
Michael Holm
Linesmen:
Daniel Hynek
Libor Suchánek 6 min Penalties 4 min 31 Shots 35

Gold medal game

Game reference Jordan Binnington Goalies Connor Hellebuyck Referees:
Gord Dwyer
Chris Rooney
Linesmen:
Scott Cherrey
Onni Hautamäki 6 min Penalties 6 min 42 Shots 28

The gold medal game was played on 22 February 2026 at PalaItalia in Milan. The United States defeated Canada 2–1 in overtime, claiming the country's first men's Olympic ice hockey gold medal in the event since the 1980 Winter Olympics. Coincidentally, the game took place on the 46th anniversary of the "Miracle on Ice".

Jack Hughes scored the winning goal 1 minute 41 seconds into overtime, assisted by Zach Werenski and goaltender Connor Hellebuyck, who made 41 saves in regulation and overtime, as Canada outshot the United States 42–28. Hellebuyck was named Best Goaltender of the tournament and Quinn Hughes Best Defenceman by the Tournament Directorate. The United States finished the tournament with a 6–0 record, outscoring opponents 26–9. Canada played without captain Sidney Crosby, who was sidelined after an injury in the quarterfinals against Czechia. Connor McDavid led all scorers with 13 points and was named the tournament's MVP by the Directorate.

The gold medal game and bronze medal game determined the top 4 teams. Losers of the quarterfinals were ranked 5th–8th and losers of the qualification playoffs were ranked 9th–12th; within these, teams were ranked according to the preliminary round ranking.

2026 Men's Olympic champions
United States 3rd title

Scoring leaders

The list shows the top ten skaters sorted by points, then goals.

Source: IIHF.com

Leading goaltenders

The list shows the top five goaltenders, based on save percentage, who have played at least 40% of their team's minutes.

Source: IIHF.com

The awards were announced on 22 February 2026.

Media All-Stars

Individual awards

Notable firsts

Although not an official award, the first known Gordie Howe hat trick in Olympic ice hockey history was achieved by Tom Wilson of Team Canada on 15 February 2026, when he fought French skater Pierre Crinon in retaliation for Crinon's forearm hit to Nathan MacKinnon's jaw earlier in the game. Wilson and Crinon were both ejected from the game for fighting. It was Wilson's first Olympic goal that contributed to the feat.

United States FBI Director Kash Patel took part in the locker room celebrations of the US men's team after their gold medal win, with Matthew Tkachuk draping a medal around Patel. Patel's presence received criticisms from Democratic politicians, political commentators and others in the American public who questioned his leadership and use of government resources to travel to Milan. Patel had previously said his trip to Italy during the Games was for the purpose of meeting with Italian law enforcement counterparts and American agencies providing security at the event, and later defended his inclusion in the locker room celebration. Patel stated on social media that he had been invited into the locker room by the team to celebrate their win.

Additionally, video of the celebrations showed President Donald Trump calling the men's team to congratulate them on their win while joking about the gold-medal winning US women's ice hockey team. After inviting the men to his State of the Union address, Trump commented "I must tell you we're going to have to bring the women too; you do know that. Believe me, I probably would be impeached, okay?" Players were recorded laughing along with his joke, with at least one player shouting "Absolutely!", and another shouting "two-for-two", reportedly acknowledging gold medal wins by both the men and women's teams. Also heard in the video is an individual shouting to "close the northern border", which was attributed to player Brady Tkachuk, who later denied making the comment. The day after the win, the team landed in Miami after being diverted due to the blizzard in the North East and continued celebrating together at the COTE Korean Steakhouse and E11EVEN Miami.

The resulting video of the inclusion of Patel and the phone call sparked backlash for its sexist nature and potentially diminishing the US women's achievement of winning their third Olympic gold. Additional criticism was raised by members of the American public who felt that players of the men's team should have not laughed, or should have raised an objection during the call or apologized to the women's team members. Dominik Hašek, a Hall of Fame former NHL goalie, called Trump a liar and fraud who used his position to insult and bully others after it was announced that the women's team declined to visit the White House or attend the State of the Union. Female athletes such as Abby Wambach, Julie Foudy, Ilona Maher, and Megan Rapinoe also posted on social media in support of the women's team and to express their outrage at the men's team's conduct and Trump's joke.

Player Jack Hughes later pushed back on accusations that the team was undermining the US women's team's accomplishments, describing the men's team's relationship with the women as "tight", and deriding that "everything is so political" and "people are so negative about things." Player Jeremy Swayman told reporters that the US men's team should have reacted differently to Trump's comments and that there is shared respect and excitement between both teams. Other players like Charlie McAvoy, Jake Sanderson, and captain Auston Matthews also expressed regret for the situation and reiterated their support and appreciation for the women's team and their accomplishments. Others such as Jackson LaCombe stated that Trump was merely trying to be funny during the call, while Brady Tkachuk reasoned he was caught up in the excitement of the moment. US men's hockey general manager Bill Guerin dismissed the backlash, stating "People react to everything nowadays" and that nothing about the celebration was political or meant to harm anyone, and that the win was for the country regardless of political stance, gender or race.

Members of the US Women's Olympic team responded by emphasizing unity between the programs. Captain Hilary Knight described the president's remark as a "distasteful joke", but stated that the focus should remain on the historic achievement of both teams winning Olympic gold. Knight also stressed that the incident could have been a great teaching moment for how women athletes should be championed, but instead, "Now I have to sit...in front of you and explain someone else's behavior. It's not my responsibility." Players Megan Keller and Abbey Murphy similarly noted the close relationship between the men's and women's teams and said there was no underlying animosity, stressing that the dual gold medals were the defining story of the Games. Player Kelly Pannek lamented that while she felt support and respect from the men's team throughout the Games, she felt the phone call and the men's reaction to Trump was unsurprising. Several members of the women's national team appeared to like social media posts critical of both Trump's comments and the actions of the men's national team shortly after the video of the celebration was posted.

Following the call and resulting backlash, the majority of the men's hockey team accepted Trump's invitation to visit the White House and later attend the State of the Union. Five players including Kyle Connor, Jake Guentzel, Brock Nelson, Jackson LaCombe and Jake Oettinger, all declined the invite for a variety of reasons. Players who attended the State of Union were congratulated by Trump and received a standing ovation. During the State of the Union, Trump announced that goalie Connor Hellebuyck would receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Following both the gold medal win and backlash, Jack Hughes and his brother Quinn embarked on a media tour, appearing on morning talk shows, Saturday Night Live, and The Tonight Show with women's team members Hilary Knight and Megan Keller. The Hughes brothers' appearance on a Saturday Night Live episode hosted by Connor Storrie, star of the queer hockey show Heated Rivalry, drew backlash from fans and the author of the Heated Rivalry book series Rachel Reid, who felt that Heated Rivalry and the women's national team were being used by the men's national team as part of their damage control.

During and following the tournament, the American players paid tribute to teammate Johnny Gaudreau after he and his brother Matthew were killed in 2024 on the eve of their sister Katie's wedding in a crash at the hands of a drunk driver. Gaudreau, who was 31 years-old, was in his 11th NHL season and his second with the Columbus Blue Jackets, and was a member of the United States' 2024 IIHF World Championship roster a few months prior. Family members, including the Gaudreaus' parents, his widow Meredith, and their children Johnny Jr. and Noa, attended the gold medal game, and the American players also kept a Team USA #13 Gaudreau jersey with them and brought it out onto the ice after winning gold. They displayed it in the team photo following the medal ceremony and brought Johnny Jr., who turned two the day of the gold medal game, and Noa out of the stands to join the photo.

The puck that Jack Hughes scored with to win the gold medal game was collected and added to the Hockey Hall of Fame (HHOF) Olympics '26 collection, which includes other artifacts such as jerseys, sticks, and the puck from women's team member Megan Keller's golden goal. Shortly after the game, Hughes stated that he didn't know the status of the puck and that "I sure as hell don't have it", in mid-March, Hughes revisited the topic of the puck, stating it was "bullshit" for the HHOF to have the puck. Hughes initially expressed his desire to present the puck to his father and keep it in the family, while also questioning why Keller was unable to keep her puck. In response, the HHOF released a statement explaining that it has curated defining hockey artifacts provided by the IIHF since the 1998 Winter Olympics, including previous golden goal pucks from Sidney Crosby and Natalie Darwitz. Crosby was asked about Hughes' comments, where he stated that he was happy and honored to score the 2010 goal and didn't really think about keeping the puck. The following day, Hughes clarified his stance, stating he was honored by its inclusion in the HHOF exhibit, and would not pursue the matter further.