Five must-watch Olympic hockey games as the hunt for gold begins – The New York Times

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Team USA and Team Canada will face off in women's hockey on Tuesday. Leila Devlin / Getty Images
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Good morning, hockey folks. The Olympics are here! And so, too, is a pile of hockey news, including an outbreak, a postponed game, a couple of trades and a top prospect in hot water.
We have so much great stuff to talk through. Off we go.
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After seven games last night, the NHL calendar is officially dark for 19 straight days.
Not to fear. We’re starting to get hit with an avalanche of Olympic hockey, including the world’s best players competing on the men’s side for the first time in 12 years.
Because the Games are in Milan, there will be some wacky puck-drop times, which will make for some extra work to watch. To help you prioritize which days to skip work/school/Skee-Ball practice, here are my top five games not to miss in the prelim rounds. We’ll have live coverage of every U.S. and Canada game, so keep an eye on our Olympics page.
5. Canada vs. Finland (women’s)
Rescheduled for Feb. 12 at 8:30 a.m. (all times ET)
This battle between the world No. 2 and No. 3 teams was supposed to help kick off the Games yesterday afternoon. But the matchup has been moved to after the prelim round because Finland had 13 players infected or in quarantine due to a norovirus outbreak. Let’s hope that doesn’t derail any other teams/games. (The U.S. is scheduled to face the ailing Finns tomorrow after winning its opener over Czechia yesterday.)
4. USA vs. Germany (men’s)
Feb. 15 at 3:10 p.m.
The world No. 1-ranked Americans’ pursuit of their first Olympic gold since the 1980 Miracle on Ice goes through three hockey minnows in their group, with Latvia, Denmark and Germany all in for tough tests. This game against Leon Draisaitl and friends will likely be Team USA’s opportunity to finish the prelims as the top team, which would mean a weaker opponent in the do-or-die quarterfinals.
3. Canada vs. Czechia (men’s)
Feb. 12 at 10:40 a.m.
Captain Sidney Crosby and Team Canada begin their tournament against a plucky opponent that feels ready to play spoiler. This should be Canada’s toughest test in the prelims, as Switzerland and France are their other round-robin foes next week. The big question will be who starts in goal, given Jordan Binnington’s struggles in the NHL this season.
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2. Finland vs. Sweden (men’s)
Feb. 13 at 6:10 a.m.
Early birds can catch the only matchup in the prelims between countries that played in the 4 Nations Face-Off last year. These two rivals and neighbors always bring the drama — and the top spot in their group will likely be on the line.
1. USA vs. Canada (women’s)
Feb. 10 at 2:10 p.m.
One key thing the women’s event gets right: It doesn’t mess around by keeping the biggest fish separated during the early tournament games as the men’s tourney does. These are the world’s top two teams, and there’s a ton of history here. The Americans are riding the high of four straight wins against Canada in the Rivalry Series, though that’s obviously not the same stakes as the Olympics. So, grab your popcorn: This prelim game is likely a heated preview of the gold-medal game as the teams vie for tops in Group A going into the quarterfinals.
👀 Circle these dates:
Full Olympics schedule here — adjusted to your local time zone. Bookmark it, use it, love it.
If you blink, you might miss something spectacular in these two lightning-fast tournaments. Starting today, between the U.S. and Canada men’s and women’s teams alone, we’ll have 12 games in 10 days — and that’s just the preliminary round.
Thankfully, The Athletic has a small army of staff on the ground in Italy, including hockey writers Hailey Salvian, Michael Russo, Pierre LeBrun, Arpon Basu and Mark Lazerus. And they got us off to a strong start.
In addition to Team USA’s 5-1 win over Czechia, yesterday’s first day on the women’s side included Sweden downing Germany 4-1 and Italy scoring a historic 4-1 victory over France in front of a hometown crowd that had a “questo è figo” vibe in the stands.
If you’re just catching up — the opening ceremony is only happening today — here’s what to know and what’s coming this weekend:
There has been a bunch of Olympics roster changes of late, including Canada swapping in Seth Jarvis for Brayden Point just last night. In light of all those shifts, this is a trick question because the answer is different than a few weeks ago.
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Which NHL team is sending the most players to the Olympics, including a contingent of three Canadians, three Finns and two Latvians?
Answer at the bottom.
Breadman gets paid … again
If the Olympic frenzy isn’t enough, this week’s trade freeze certainly brought some fireworks around the NHL.
In addition to a small pile of players on waivers — including Oilers goaltender Calvin Pickard — there were two trades of note:
As part of the Panarin deal, the 34-year-old nicknamed Breadman immediately grabbed a new loaf by signing a two-year extension for $11 million a season.
We answered some burning questions about that deal in the links below:
We also heard from Panarin and his former teammates yesterday. With Breadman gone, yet another Rangers forward is atop Chris Johnston’s latest trade board. And there are still plenty of interesting names in play that will have to wait for the NHL’s roster freeze to thaw on Feb. 23.
Speaking of which: Here’s a good look at how that trade freeze works and how it might affect the upcoming March 6 trade deadline.
Not enough links for you? Well, I’m glad you feel that way …
📰 Gavin McKenna, the potential No. 1 pick at the 2026 NHL Draft, has been charged with felony assault after an altercation with another man. Keep an eye out for more on our hockey page as this story develops.
😢 Which stars missed their best chance at the Olympics during the past two NHL-less Games? Bring tissues.
🤔 Reminder: Russia is not allowed to compete in the Olympic hockey tournaments. But what if it were?
♨️ Our latest NHL player poll gets into where they think the league should expand next, among other burning questions.
🥊 The NHL has had two goalie fights this season, which begs the question: What’s the etiquette? Jesse Granger and Joshua Kloke investigate the rules of Goalie Fight Club.
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🏒 We love a good debut. The Penguins’ 23-year-old Avery Hayes potted two goals in his first NHL game last night, a big win over the surging Sabres. And 18-year-old Penguins rookie Ben Kindel picked up a couple goals of his own for good measure.
🪫 The Power Rankings guys answer: Which player needs to step up for each NHL team after the Olympic break?
🎤 On the latest episode of “The Athletic Hockey Show,” our hosts dig into all things surrounding the Panarin trade, Leon Draisaitl’s harsh words for the Oilers after another tough loss, and the McKenna assault charge. Listen or watch here.
Which NHL team is sending the most players to the Olympics?
The Florida Panthers, who reached a league-high 10 Olympians with Sam Bennett’s addition to Team Canada.
Extra special bonus points to anyone who can name the other nine Panthers Olympians. (Answer here, along with the list of players going from the 31 other NHL teams.)
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James Mirtle is a senior writer covering the NHL for The Athletic. James joined The Athletic as the inaugural editor in Canada in 2016 and served as senior managing editor of The Athletic NHL for four years. Previously, he spent 12 years as a sportswriter with The Globe and Mail. A native of Kamloops, B.C., he appears regularly on Sportsnet 590 The Fan and other radio stations across Canada. Follow James on Twitter @mirtle

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