2022 Winter Olympics: A guide to Men’s Hockey at the Beijing Winter Games

The official dates for the 2022 Winter Olympics are Friday, February 4 through Sunday, February 20, in Beijing, China. The competition begins as early as Wednesday, February 2–two days before the Opening Ceremony–with curling.

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Men’s hockey begins on Wednesday, February 9 with a match-up between the Russian Olympic Committee and Switzerland (3:50 a.m. ET on USA Network). The U.S. men’s team has its first game in Beijing against China on Thursday, February 10 (8:10 a.m. ET on USA Network). See below for the full 2022 Winter Olympics Men’s Hockey TV schedule.

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Hockey will take place at two venues in Beijing: National Indoor Stadium and the Wukesong Sports Centre. National Indoor Stadium previously hosted rhythmic gymnastics, trampoline, and handball at the 2008 Summer Olympics. The venue is nicknamed “The Fan” because of its design that resembles a traditional Chinese folding fan. The Wukesong Sports Centre currently serves as the home arena for HC Kunlun Red Star of the KHL in addition to Beijing’s basketball and arena football teams. The venue was also the home for basketball at the 2008 Games.

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NHL players were originally set to return to the lineup in Beijing after missing the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics–their first Olympic absence since 1994–but the league made the decision to withdraw in late December 2021 due to a surge in COVID-19 cases that impacted the NHL’s schedule.

Although some NHL players have expressed frustration they won’t get to compete in Beijing,