Ice hockey will run the entire length of the Olympics, and feature some of the world’s best players.
The 2026 Winter Olympics on NBC and Peacock feature several marquee sports that’ll take the primetime spotlight for viewers around the world, and one of the most-watched is without question ice hockey.
In Milan Cortina, 22 different teams will compete across the men’s and women’s hockey events, in two separate tournaments to determine who will get Olympic gold. The two brackets are so vast, it takes the entire Games to complete, so as the best hockey players in the world begin to take the ice, let’s take a closer look at the 2026 edition of Olympic hockey, and what you can expect.
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Members of Team United States participate in a training session on day minus two of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic games at Milano Rho Ice Hockey Arena on February 04, 2026 in Milan, Italy.
The Milan Cortina Games will feature 12 teams competing in the final tournament in men’s ice hockey, and 10 teams in the women’s event. The teams for the men in 2026 are:
The teams for the women are:
Here’s the full roster for Team USA Men’s Hockey at the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Games, including which NHL team they play for…
Forwards: Matt Boldy (Wild), Kyle Connor (Jets), Jack Eichel (Golden Knights), Jake Guentzel (Lightning), Jack Hughes (Devils), Clayton Keller (Mammoth), Dylan Larkin (Red Wings), Auston Matthews (Maple Leafs), J.T. Miller (Rangers), Brock Nelson (Islanders), Tage Thompson (Sabres), Brady Tkachuk (Senators), Matthew Tkachuk (Panthers), Vincent Trocheck (Rangers)
Defense: Brock Faber (Wild), Noah Hanifin (Golden Knights), Quinn Hughes (Canucks), Jackson LaCombe (Ducks), Charlie McAvoy (Bruins), Jake Sanderson (Senators), Jaccob Slavin (Hurricanes), Zach Werenski (Blue Jackets)
Goaltenders: Connor Hellebuyck (Jets), Jake Oettinger (Stars), Jeremy Swayman (Bruins)
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Women’s Ice Hockey: 2022 Winter Olympics: USA Caroline Harvey (4), Grace Zumwinkle (13) and Dani Cameranesi (24) on ice during game vs Canada during Gold Medal Game at Wukesong Sports Centre during the 2022 Winter Olympics
Check out the full roster for Team USA Women’s Hockey at the 2026 Winter Games…
Forwards: Kirsten Simms, Kelly Pannek, Grace Zumwinkle, Hayley Scamurra, Britta Curl-Salemme, Hilary Knight, Tessa Janecke, Hannah Bilka, Joy Dunne, Alex Carpenter, Kendall Coyne Schofield, Taylor Heise, Abbey Murphy
Defenders: Lee Stecklein, Cayla Barnes, Caroline Harvey, Megan Keller, Rory Guilday, Haley Winn, Laila Edwards
Goaltenders: Ava McNaughton, Aerin Frankel, Gwyneth Phillips
The rules for Olympic hockey are almost identical to typical professional hockey rules, with a couple of exceptions. No fighting is allowed in Olympic hockey, roster sizes are different (25 players for the men and 23 for the women), and the Olympics have their own overtime rules. Olympic ice rinks are often bigger than standard NHL size, but as in the 2022 games, the 2026 edition will keep the NHL-sized rink. This will also be the first Games in a decade in which NHL players will be allowed time out of their season to compete in the games, upping the talent level on the ice.
For the tournament, teams will be divided into groups, three groups of four for the men and two groups of five for the women. The members of each group will play each other in a series of preliminary round games to determine seeding in the final tournament. In the men’s tournament, the winner of each group, along with the highest-ranked remaining second place team, will advance automatically to the quarterfinals, while the remaining teams will head to a playoff to determine the other four advancing teams. The women’s tournament will advance all teams from Group A to the playoffs, along with the top three teams from Group B, for a total of eight teams in the playoffs.
From there, it becomes a basic elimination tournament, with matchups determined based on the remaining seeds in the bracket. If a game has to go to overtime, teams will play one 5-minute period of sudden death overtime, and if the score is still tied at the end of that period, the games will go to a shootout. The only exception is the Gold Medal game, which in case of a tie will be decided by marathon sudden death overtime, simply playing until someone scores.
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Ice hockey at the Milan Cortina games actually started the day before today’s Opening Ceremony, on February 5, and continue all the way up to the closing day of the games on February 22.
Preliminary games for the women’s tournament began on February 5, with the quarterfinals starting February 13 and both Bronze and Gold Medal games set for February 19. The men’s tournament begins with preliminary group play on February 11, with the playoffs starting February 17, the Bronze Medal game on February 21, and the Gold Medal Game on February 22.
Select games, including the Gold and Bronze Medal finals, will be broadcast across the NBC family of networks. And of course, every game will be streaming live on Peacock, so you won’t miss a second of your favorite team. Check out the complete viewing schedule HERE.
The 2026 Olympic Winter Games take place February 6-22 in Milan, and you can watch them all on Peacock. Anywhere. Any time.
Every event in the Games — yes, every one! — is streaming live and on-demand on Peacock. And with features like Multiview and Rinkside Live, you’re not just watching the competition: You’re experiencing it.
Visit the Olympics hub on Peacock to access these features during the Games:
Multiview: Stream multiple live Olympic events on one screen simultaneously. With Discovery Multiview, watch up to four different events at once; with Traditional Multiview, focus on the action within one sport (e.g. curling or hockey).
Rinkside Live: An immersive viewing mode for figure skating and hockey, featuring an interactive, mobile-first view with multiple camera angles and live highlights that give fans complete control over their Olympics experience.
Can’t Miss Highlights: Swipe through vertical stories to get quick recaps of the Games, athlete stories, and other big moments, only on the Peacock mobile app.
Gold Zone: “Whip around” coverage of the biggest moments from the Winter Games, delivering live updates on all the happenings from Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo.
Prediction Games: Guess outcomes, track results, and more, only on the Peacock mobile app. Test your Olympics knowledge with trivia questions on history, sports, athletes, and interesting facts.
Got more questions about the 2026 Olympic Winter Games? OLI, NBCUniversal’s AI-powered Olympic guide, has answers. Read more about OLI here.
Sign up for Peacock now to make sure you’re not missing a second of the 2026 Olympics!
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