The first Olympic Winter Games took place in 1924, but Olympic men's hockey was first contested in the 1920 Summer Olympics in Belgium. Canada defeated the United States 2-0, as seven nations competed in the Games. Canada has won the most medals in men's hockey with 16, while the United States has the second-most medals with 11.
Women's ice hockey was added to Olympic play for the first time at the 1998 Winter Olympics in Japan. The United States defeated Canada 3-1 in the gold medal game.
Check out key facts about ice hockey at the 2026 Winter Olympics below:
Where and when will ice hockey take place in the 2026 Winter Olympics?
Ice hockey will be played at two venues located in Milan: the Palaltalia Santa Giulia and the Fiera Milano. The Palaltalia, or Arena Milano, was under construction for the 2026 Olympics and will be the largest venue for sporting and entertainment in Milan.
Women's ice hockey play will stretch from Feb. 5 through the medal games on Feb. 19. Men's ice hockey will start Feb. 11 and run through Feb. 22.
What is the format for Olympic hockey?
The men's ice hockey tournament will feature three groups of four teams participating in a round-robin format to determine seeding for the knockout rounds. Group winners and the highest-ranked remaining team will receive a bye into the second round of the elimination games.
Play proceeds in a single-elimination format until the winner of the gold medal is determined. Losers in the semifinal round will face off for the bronze medal.
Teams can have a maximum of 25 players (22 skaters and 3 goalies).
The women's tournament has 10 teams split into two groups of five teams. Each team will play every team in their group to determine seeding.
All five teams from Group A will reach the quarterfinal rounds, while only the top three from Group B will move on. The knockout system following the group stage will mirror the men's tournament.
Teams can have a maximum of 23 players (20 skaters and 3 goalies).
How does Olympic hockey differ from the National Hockey League?
NHL players will participate in the Winter Olympics for the first time since 2014 in Sochi. Both versions of the game have three 20-minute periods, but there are some key differences between the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) rules and the NHL.
Rink size: The first major difference historically has been the size of the ice. Olympic rinks are traditionally 197 feet long by 98.5 feet wide. NHL arenas boast longer, but thinner ice, measuring in at 200 feet long by 85 feet wide. This year, Olympic play will utilize NHL-sized arenas, marking the third time in Olympic history this has happened (2010 & 2022)
Intermission: Intermission will also be shorter for Olympic play (15 minutes) than typical NHL play (18 minutes), and overtime rules will differ depending on the round of the tournament.
Overtime rules: In the early rounds, teams tied after regulation will play a five-minute 3-on-3 and then proceed to a five-skater shootout. Once reaching the quarterfinals, teams will play a 10-minute 3-on-3 overtime before a five-skater shootout. The gold medal game will be played like traditional playoff hockey -- full 5-on-5 periods until a golden goal winner.
Fighting: Fighting is prohibited in international play and is punishable by an in-game penalty, up to and including ejection from the game.
Who is skating for Team USA in Milan?
Women's ice hockey -- Cayla Barnes (PWHL Seattle), Hannah Bilka (PWHL Seattle), Alex Carpenter (PWHL Seattle), Kendall Coyne Schofield (Minnesota Frost), Britta Curl-Salemme (Minnesota Frost), Joy Dunne (Ohio State University), Laila Edwards (University of Wisconsin), Aerin Frankel (Boston Fleet), Rory Guilday (Ottawa Charge), Caroline Harvey (University of Wisconsin), Taylor Heise (Minnesota Frost), Tessa Janecke (Penn State University), Meagan Keller (Boston Fleet), Hilary Knight (PWHL Seattle), Ava McNaughton (University of Wisconsin), Abbey Murphy (University of Minnesota), Kelly Pannek (Minnesota Frost), Gwyneth Philips (Ottawa Charge), Hayley Scamurra (Montreal Victoire), Kirsten Simms (University of Wisconsin), Lee Stecklein (Minnesota Frost), Haley Winn (Boston Fleet), Grace Zumwinkle (Minnesota Frost)
Men's ice hockey -- Matt Boldy (Minnesota Wild), Kyle Connor (Winnipeg Jets), Jack Eichel (Vegas Golden Knights), Brock Faber (Minnesota Wild), Jake Guentzel (Tampa Bay Lightning), Noah Hanifin (Vegas Golden Knights), Connor Hellebuyck (Winnipeg Jets), Jack Hughes (New Jersey Devils), Quinn Hughes (Minnesota Wild), Clayton Keller (Utah Mammoth), Jackson LaCombe (Anaheim Ducks), Dylan Larkin (Detroit Red Wings), Auston Matthews (Toronto Maple Leafs), Charlie McAvoy (Boston Bruins), J.T. Miller (New York Rangers), Brock Nelson (Colorado Avalanche), Jake Oettinger (Dallas Stars), Jake Sanderson (Ottawa Senators), Jaccob Slavin (Carolina Hurricanes), Jeremy Swayman (Boston Bruins), Tage Thompson (Buffalo Sabres), Brady Tkachuk (Ottawa Senators), Matthew Tkachuk (Florida Panthers), Vincent Trocheck (New York Rangers), Zach Werenski (Columbus Blue Jackets)
For more Olympics updates, check out the ESPN hub page.