{"id":452665,"date":"2026-02-06T15:02:11","date_gmt":"2026-02-06T15:02:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/452665\/"},"modified":"2026-02-06T15:02:11","modified_gmt":"2026-02-06T15:02:11","slug":"nhl-players-make-2026-winter-olympics-hockey-tournament-a-hot-ticket","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/452665\/","title":{"rendered":"NHL Players Make 2026 Winter Olympics Hockey Tournament A Hot Ticket"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\tIt\u2019s been a dirty dozen years since NHL<\/a> players took part in the Olympics<\/a>, but our long international nightmare is almost over.<\/p>\n

\n\tAfter a drought that kept most of world\u2019s best hockey players \u2014 and several all-time greats \u2014 out of the Games since 2014, the 2026 men\u2019s tournament in Milan-Cortina should be one for the ages. In an Olympics that doesn\u2019t boast a plethora of big names<\/a>, the ice will provide some serious star wattage.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe NHL is pausing its season for three weeks as many of its top (non-Russian) skaters and goalies do battle in Italy. When the first puck drops February 11 in Milan, it will launch the most anticipated international hockey event since the Obama administration. And, really, the marquee event of the Games.<\/p>\n

\n\tIt\u2019s a big opportunity for the NHL and the world\u2019s fastest sport \u2014 both of which are having a moment. There\u2019s growing interest around the planet, fueled by the league\u2019s serious international push, last year\u2019s thrilling and widely watched Four Nations tournament<\/a> and, of course, TV\u2019s wildly popular Heated Rivalry. More on that later, we promise.<\/p>\n

\n\tRELATED: \u2018Heated Rivalry\u2019 Exec Teases Possible Bonus Episode For Holidays: \u201cCan\u2019t Rush The Process\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n

\n\tFour Nations was for NHL players only and was a rather unexpected sensation, but it included only the U.S., Canada, Finland and Sweden. So this Olympics will be the men\u2019s hockey\u2019s first \u201cbest-on-best\u201d faceoff since the 2014 Sochi Games, meaning many of the greatest players in the game will be representing their countries as adults for the first time. That\u2019s a really big deal \u2014 for them and for those who love the game.<\/p>\n

\n\tMost of the 12-team men\u2019s tourney rosters are stacked. The squad from hockey-mad Canada will suit up Connor McDavid<\/a>, the world\u2019s most dominant player of the past decade and among the best ever to lace up skates. He\u2019ll be teamed with such stone-cold superstars as Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar, Mitch Marner and breakout teenager Macklin Celebrini. Two of the Great White North\u2019s players \u2014 future Hall of Famers Sidney Crosby and Drew Doughty \u2014 are among the handful of NHL Olympians who were around for the 2014 Games; both, in fact, also played in the 2010 Vancouver Olympics.<\/p>\n

\n\tMcDavid\u2019s Edmonton Oilers are in the thick of the NHL playoff race, but playing for the Maple Leaf on the world\u2019s biggest stage for the first time in a decade certainly has his attention. \u201cIt\u2019s the biggest sporting event in the world, and to do it together with 25 of Canada\u2019s best hockey players, it\u2019s a dream come true, it really is,\u201d he told<\/a> NHL. com recently. \u201cI know everybody feels the same way, and we\u2019re just looking for the opportunity to go over and play.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tTeam USA is equally formidable, with such stars as brothers Matthew and Brady Tkachuk, Quinn Hughes, Jack Eichel and Connor Hellebuyck, who has won the Vezina Trophy as the NHL\u2019s best goaltender the past two years. He even won the Hart Trophy as the league\u2019s MVP last season \u2014 one of only eight goalies to pull that off since the award was launched in 1924.<\/p>\n

\n\tRELATED: 2026 Winter Olympics: 10 Breakout Stars To Watch At Milan-Cortina<\/a><\/p>\n

\n\tBut unlike many past international tournaments, this one won\u2019t necessarily be The Battle of North America. Euro archrivals Finland and Sweden are loaded with NHL All-Stars: The Finns have Mikko Rantanen, Miro Heiskanen\u00a0and Sebastian Aho, and Swedes include William Nylander, Victor Hedman and Jesper Bratt. At least three other countries and their pro standouts have at least a shot at a medal as well: The Czech Republic \u2014 officially called Czechia at these Games \u2014 is powered by David Pastrnak and Tom\u00e1\u0161 Hertl; Switzerland with Nico Hischier, Kevin Fiala and Timo Meyer; and Germany, which boasts Leon Draisaitl and Tim St\u00fctzle.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Leon<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t(L-R) Germany\u2019s Leon Draisaitl, Czechia\u2019s David Pastrnak, Switzerland\u2019s Kevin Fiala and Slovakia\u2019s Erik Cernak<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tGetty Images<\/p>\n

\n\tBut there is an elephant missing from the room. Russia has been banned from Olympic team competitions since its 2022 invasion of Ukraine, meaning several Hall of Fame-bound players won\u2019t be on the ice. Sidelined are such all-timers as Alexander Ovechkin, who last year broke Wayne Gretzky\u2019s \u201cunbreakable\u201d 30-year-old NHL record for most career goals. Also watching from home will be the likes of Nikita Kucherov, Kirill Kaprizov, Artemi Panarin and two of the world\u2019s finest goalies in Andrei Vasilevskiy\u00a0and Igor Shesterkin.<\/p>\n

\n\tRELATED: \u2018Heated Rivalry\u2019s Connor Storrie & Hudson Williams Carry Winter Olympics Torch In Italy<\/a><\/p>\n

\n\tMeanwhile, the sport certainly gained some heat in recent months as Jacob Tierney\u2019s Crave\/HBO Max series\u00a0Heated Rivalry\u00a0has taken global audiences by storm. A steamy TV adaptation of Rachel Reid\u2019s homoerotic\u00a0Game Changer\u00a0romantasy hockey novels, it follows two rival pro players who battle on the ice but have an intimate relationship off it.<\/p>\n

\n\tWhile female and LGBTQ audiences are hooked on the show\u2019s depictions of love and sex, the success has seemingly translated to the sport, as the NHL has experienced a spike in ticket sales since the show launched around Thanksgiving. And TikTok has rebranded hockey rinks as \u201cboy aquariums.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tWith the acclaimed show\u00a0renewed for Season 2<\/a>,\u00a0Heated Rivalry\u00a0star Connor Storrie is slated to host Saturday Night Live<\/a> in late February. He and co-lead Hudson Williams will carry the Olympic torch in Italy<\/a> after presenting at the Golden Globes<\/a> in January. Meanwhile, their co-star Fran\u00e7ois Arnaud has called on the\u00a0league\u00a0to\u00a0do better about showing its support<\/a>\u00a0for the LGBTQ community.<\/p>\n

\n\tRELATED: \u2018Heated Rivalry\u2019 Creator Explains Why Finale\u2019s Sex Scenes Are His Favorite, Teases Season 2 & Beyond \u201cWill Always Be Centered Around\u201d Shane & Ilya<\/a><\/p>\n

\n\tStill, the publicity has been plentiful for and welcomed by the NHL and the hockey world. And there\u2019s also the Letterkenny spinoff Shoresy, which follows a senior-league hockey squad led by its title character, a explicit, notorious uber-chirper. It recently was renewed for a sixth season on Hulu<\/a>, ahead of its Season 5 premiere.<\/p>\n

\n\tAlso boosting the sport\u2019s international profile is the NHL\u2019s Global Series, which has put regular-season games in such offshore markets as Finland, Sweden, England and Czechia. The league has been courting non-North American fans for decades, starting with the first in-season game played in Tokyo in 1997. Several seasons during the 2010s began with overseas games, and every non-Covid season since 2017-18 has launched in a foreign land.<\/p>\n

\n\tRELATED: \u2018Heated Rivalry\u2019s Hudson Williams Gets \u201cLovely Anonymous Emails\u201d From Closeted Pro Athletes<\/a><\/p>\n

\n\tSo the world stage is set for what should be an epic and competitive tournament. Preliminary-round games run February 11-15<\/a>, with each team playing the others in its group, followed by a playoff on February 17 and the medal round. The biggest early matchup certainly is Finland vs. Sweden on February 13, with the neighboring nations mired in the same Group B.<\/p>\n

\n\t A champion will be crowned in the gold medal game February 22 at Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena, airing on NBC in the U.S. Speaking of that venue, NHL execs, players, media and even fans have been sweating out construction delays that has called its readiness into question for months. The rink itself is ready, by most accounts, but the arena itself is still being worked on. The arena already is being tested, as the women\u2019s hockey tournament is underway. That one isn\u2019t likely to be as competitive, with the unfriendly rivals from Team Canada and Team USA expected to battle for gold on February 19 at Santagiulia.<\/p>\n

\n\tRELATED: Olympian Gus Kenworthy Says He Was \u201cSo Moved\u201d By \u2018Heated Rivalry\u2019 & How It Paralleled His Experience: \u201cThat Was Me For So Many Years\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n

\n\tThat distraction aside, evidence of the sheer anticipation of the 2026 Olympic tournament is evident. The fervent hockey media has been abuzz about it for several months \u2014 which is telling during what has been one of the most competitive and exciting seasons in memory.<\/p>\n

\n\tNote to casual fans who were wowed by the three wild fights in the first 10 seconds of the Four Nations final between Canada and Team USA: The Olympics are played under international rules, which strictly prohibit fisticuffs. <\/p>\n

\n\tGlenn Garner contributed to this report.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"It\u2019s been a dirty dozen years since NHL players took part in the Olympics, but our long international…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":452666,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[66],"tags":[113110,15802,385,1082,99],"class_list":{"0":"post-452665","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nhl","8":"tag-2026-winter-olympics","9":"tag-connor-mcdavid","10":"tag-nhl","11":"tag-olympics","12":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/452665","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=452665"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/452665\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/452666"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=452665"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=452665"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=452665"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}