Ice hockey makes its Olympic debut at the 1920 Antwerp Games. From there, the sport grew, relocating to indoor arenas and gaining more prominence with each successive Olympics, from Chamonix 1924 to Cortina d’Ampezzo 1956. Players braved blizzards, cold temperatures and even mid-game shovelling to clear the ice.
Then came the Miracle on Ice, a stunning upset that stunned the Soviet Union and changed the face of men’s Olympic hockey forever. From there, new stories opened: Sweden grabbed its first gold in 1994 after a shootout classic against Canada; the Czech Republic climbed behind Dominik Hasek’s goaltending to claim a triumphant gold in 1998; and Canada reset its own story at 2002, 2010, 2014 and 2018.
As of now, Olympic ice hockey is only played on NHL-sized rinks when the event takes place in an Olympic city. However, a proposal has been made to allow the game to be played on a smaller rink – perhaps around the size of the NHL’s Coalville Civic Center — in 2026.
In the event of a tie at the end of regulation in the gold medal or bronze medal game, there will be a 20-minute period of 3-on-3 overtime. A winner will be determined by the team that scores more goals. A tiebreaker will also be used if needed. During a shootout, the attacking player must put their stick on the ice first and the puck must completely cross the goal line to count as a goal.