The men’s hockey tournament at the 2026 Winter Olympics is down to four nations and there’s a stark contrast in NHL payrolls on each team.
Team USA is joined by Canada, Finland and Slovakia in the final four of the competition with many NHL stars competing in the semifinals.
Canada and America are still on a collision course to meet in the gold medal match. However, there’s been lots of talk about how all four teams reached the semifinals with very different squads.
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Of the four remaining Semi Final teams:
25 / 25 Canadians 🇨🇦 are current NHLers
25 / 25 United States 🇺🇸 are current NHLers
24 / 25 Finland 🇫🇮 players are current NHLers (Mikko Lehtonen isn’t)
6 / 25 Slovakia 🇸🇰 players are current NHLers
Look at those payrolls 😳 pic.twitter.com/ccNzHa5Kzm
Of the four remaining teams, Canada, Finland and USA have all made the final four with NHL-heavy squads. Additionally, the NHL payrolls for the three leading nations are massive in comparison to Slovakia.
The European nation is ranked eighth at the Winter Olympics with an NHL payroll value of nearly $20 million. That number is nearly $180 million less than the United States and Canada.
Slovakia’s squad only features six NHL players, while their other 19 team members primarily compete in Czech Republic, Sweden or other European countries.
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Jaccob Slavin and Connor Hellebuyck in action in a men’s ice hockey game during the 2026 Winter Olympics. Mandatory Credit: Marton Monus/Reuters via Imagn Images
Finland remains the most intriguing team out of the four still competing after winning the 2022 Olympics. That victory marked the country’s first gold medal in men’s hockey.
United States – $199.3 million
Canada – $191.5 million
Finland – $118.8 million
Slovakia – $19.9 million
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