The Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026 have begun. The men's hockey tournament, the first at the Olympics with NHL players in 12 years, begins Wednesday.
It will be the sixth time NHL players have participated in the Winter Olympics, with Canada winning gold three times, including two in a row, 2010 in Vancouver and 2014 in Sochi, Russia.
According to a panel of NHL.com editors and writers, they are the favorites to win gold again.
Of the 19 staff members polled, nine think Canada will bring home the gold medal. Six staffers think the United States can win its first gold medal in men's hockey since the 1980 "Miracle On Ice," while four believe Sweden can repeat its gold-medal performance from 2008 in Turin, Italy.
The tournament will feature all 12 teams playing three preliminary games in their respective groups, then all 12 moving on to a single-elimination playoff that will conclude with the gold medal game Feb. 22.
In addition to picking the medal winners, the NHL.com staffers predicted which team will win each group, and what players would be named best goalie, best defenseman, best forward and MVP.
