NHL’s return to the Olympics lives up to the hype and sets the stage for 2028 World Cup of Hockey | National Sports

MILAN (AP) — The long wait for the best hockey players in the world taking the ice in an international tournament lived up to the hype.

Four of the seven games in the knockout round at the Milan Cortina Olympics went to overtime, including the U.S beating Canada in a fast-paced, back-and-forth final for the gold medal. The sport earned the spotlight it got in the NHL’s return to the Games following a dozen-year drought.

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