The National Hockey League (NHL) stars will be in action for almost the entire duration of the 2026 Winter Olympics as Milan gears up to host the top names from the sport. While the women’s tournament had already begun on February 5 (group stage), the men’s tournament begins on February 11 as thrilling action awaits the fans.

The knockout stage of the women’s tournament will start from February 13. The women’s final is scheduled for February 19 while the men’s final will be played three days later. Finland were the gold medal winners in the previous edition in 2022 in men’s category, while the yellow metal in the women’s tournament went to Canada.

The men’s tournament will have 12 teams competing for the ultimate prize, while 10 teams kicked-off the event in women’s category. For the unknown, Russia and Belarus aren’t allowed to compete at international championships through the International Ice Hockey Federation’s (IIHF) 2026 program because of their military aggression in Ukraine.

Ice hockey venues at 2026 Winter Olympics

The ice hockey matches at the 2026 Winter Olympics will be played across two venues in Milan. The brand-new Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena, a state-of-the-art facility, will host all the top matches including the semifinal and medal games. It has a seating capacity of 14000, which was made specifically for this event. The Milano Rho Ice Hockey Arena will play as a secondary venue, hosting mostly the preliminary round games.

NHL stars to look out for at 2026 Winter Olympics

The 2026 Winter Olympics brings the best from across the world in NHL to Milan. Among the stars to look out for are Canadians Sidney Crosby, Connor McDavid and Nathan MacKinnon. In fact, Team Canada are one of the favourites to win gold. Not to be left behind Team USA, who boasts the likes of captain Auston Matthews, Matthew Tkachuk and Charlie McAvoy.

Among other notable stars to watch out for are David Pastrnak (Czechia), Leon Draisaitl (Germany), and William Nylander (Sweden).

2026 Winter Olympics live streaming in India

In India, the live streaming of 2026 Winter Olympics will be available on JioStar app and website. As far as broadcast of 2026 Winter Olympics is concerned, Sports18 channels will live telecast selected events on television.