How does Olympic ice hockey work? Format, scoring, rules - ESPN

The first Olympic Winter Games took place in 1924, but Olympic men's hockey was first contested in the 1920 Summer Olympics in Belgium. Canada defeated the United States 2-0, as seven nations competed in the Games. Canada has won the most medals in men's hockey with 16, while the United States has the second-most medals with 11.

Women's ice hockey was added to Olympic play for the first time at the 1998 Winter Olympics in Japan. The United States defeated Canada 3-1 in the gold medal game.

Check out key facts about ice hockey at the 2026 Winter Olympics below:

Where and when will ice hockey take place in the 2026 Winter Olympics?

Ice hockey will be played at two venues located in Milan: the Palaltalia Santa Giulia and the Fiera Milano. The Palaltalia, or Arena Milano, was under construction for the 2026 Olympics and will be the largest venue for sporting and entertainment in Milan.

Women's ice hockey play will stretch from Feb. 5 through the medal games on Feb. 19. Men's ice hockey will start Feb. 11 and run through Feb. 22.

What is the format for Olympic hockey?

The men's ice hockey tournament will feature three groups of four teams participating in a round-robin format to determine seeding for the knockout rounds. Group winners and the highest-ranked remaining team will receive a bye into the second round of the elimination games.

Play proceeds in a single-elimination format until the winner of the gold medal is determined. Losers in the semifinal round will face off for the bronze medal.

Teams can have a maximum of 25 players (22 skaters and 3 goalies).

The women's tournament has 10 teams split into two groups of five teams. Each team will play every team in their group to determine seeding.

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