Men's Olympic Ice Hockey
2026 Olympic
Hockey
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Canada has routed France in its final preliminary game in men's hockey at the 2026 Winter Olympics, winning 10-2.
Nine different players scored for Canada: Macklin Celebrini with two, and one goal apiece from Tom Wilson, Devon Toews, Mark Stone, Cale Makar, Sidney Crosby, Connor McDavid, Bo Horvat and Brandon Hagel. Stone's goal came shorthanded, while Celebrini's first was scored on a penalty shot.
Floran Douay and Sacha Treille scored for France.
Canada is next in action in the quarterfinals on Wednesday, while France heads to the play-off round on Tuesday.
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The 12 teams in the men's hockey tournament are divided into three groups, with each team playing every team in their group once. Group winners advance directly to the quarterfinals, along with the best second-place finisher. The remaining eight teams compete in a play-in round, with the four winners of those games advancing to the quarterfinals.
There are no ties in Olympic hockey. Non-medal games proceed to a shootout if no team scores during one period of 3-on-3 sudden-death overtime. Wins in regulation are worth three points; wins in overtime are worth two points and losses in overtime are worth one point.
Within their respective groups, teams are ranked by total points. Teams across all groups are then ranked by (in order): group rank, total points, goal difference (goals scored minus goals allowed) and goals scored in group play. Last, if necessary, are International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) rankings.
One of the biggest changes since NHLers were last on the Olympic stage 12 years ago is how the games will be called.
Without much fanfare, the NHL and IIHF have spent the last five years or so diligently narrowing the gap between rulebooks.
“The last time the NHL players were at the Olympics, the rulebooks of the IIHF and the National Hockey League were significantly different,’’ Scott Zelkin, head of officiating for the IIHF, said in an interview with The Athletic on Tuesday. “Not only standards, how we penalize different fouls, but also just the pure and simple labeling of penalties and what you can call different fouls.
“In the last handful of years, those two rulebooks have come to the point where they are almost identical,’’ added Zelkin, a former NHL referee from 1997 to 2003. “There are a few nuances that are different, and the fans may see some differences, but in general, the rulebooks now are really, really close. So that’s the first thing that in our mind is helping to standardize the officiating really across the world.’’
It’s an IIHF tournament with an IIHF rulebook, but the overall sense is that a blended officiating standard will be on display at this men’s Olympic tournament.
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GO FURTHER
As NHL players return to Olympics, blended officiating will be on full display
There have been 25 editions of men's hockey at the Winter Olympics. Here are the six most successful nations:
Great Britain, Germany, Switzerland, Slovakia have also won medals in men's hockey.
Russia and Czechia's totals include medals won as predecessor nations.
The 2026 Milan Cortina Games marks the first time NHL players are competing in the Olympics since 2014.
2022 Beijing
2018 Pyeongchang
2014 Sochi
2010 Vancouver
2006 Turin
Russia competed as Olympic Athletes from Russia in 2018 and as Russian Olympic Committee in 2022 due to sanctions related to doping.
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Our comprehensive Milan Cortina coverage will continue until the Olympic flame is extinguished.
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Who will win gold in men's hockey? Which player are you most excited to watch? What has been your favorite moment of the Winter Games so far?
We’d love to hear your thoughts, opinions and predictions for the Milan Cortina Games.
Email us at live@theathletic.com, and we'll take the best submissions and feature them in our coverage here!
In Canada, you can watch the game on CBC, Sportsnet or TSN.
In the United States, the game will air on CNBC and stream on Peacock.
Today's men's hockey game between Canada and France is scheduled for 4:40 p.m. CET local time in Milan. That's 10:40 a.m. ET and 7:40 a.m. PT in North America.
Hello, and welcome to The Athletic's live coverage of today's men's hockey game between Canada and France at the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics.
Canada is off to a sparkling start in group play, winning its first two games of the tournament by a total margin of nine goals. Conversely, France is still looking for its first win of the competition, most recently losing 6-3 to Czech Republic.
Stay with us as we build to puck drop and then take you through the final horn with the latest news, analysis and play-by-play updates from members of The Athletic’s hockey staff.
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