Olympic men’s ice hockey remains the undisputed crown jewel of the Winter Games, a high-stakes theater where national pride is forged on the blade of a skate. Over the last several decades, the tournament has evolved from a battleground

While Norway rules the 2026 medal table, its hockey teams are at home — a stark difference from its Nordic neighbors Sweden and Finland.

Welcome to Last Word On Hockey’s 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics men’s ice hockey Predictions. Each day, our writers here look at the games and give in-depth analysis.

Complete results from the 2026 Olympic men's hockey tournament in Milan.

Slovakia opened the 2026 Winter Olympics with a decisive 4–1 victory over defending champion Finland, powered by two goals from Juraj Slafkovský and a 38-save performance from Samuel Hlavaj.

The Finns defeated the Swedes in Olympic hockey for the first time since the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City.

MILAN (AP) — Finland defender Jenni Hiirikoski’s fifth and potentially final Olympic Games are over due to an upper-body injury that will require surgery, the Finnish Ice Hockey Association announced on Saturday.

A trip to the semifinals will be on the line at the 2026 Winter Olympics men's hockey competition on Wednesday. Finland meets Switzerland,

Rasmus Dahlin scored a power-play goal and Gustavsson made 20 saves for Sweden (1-0-1-0), which lost a preliminary round game involving NHL players for the first time in eight outings, dating to a 3-0 loss to Slovakia in Turin 20 years ago. Sweden defeated Finland in the gold-medal game a week later.

Finland’s national women’s hockey team canceled practice due to a stomach illness affecting at least four players, a team spokesman confirmed to The Associated Press.