Winter Olympics Hockey Rules And Format: How The Tournament Works

The 2026 Winter Olympics are here, and ice hockey is set to deliver nonstop action. Not sure how the game works? Learn the rules and format below!

Feb 7, 2026 by Anderson Cooper

Winter Olympics Hockey Rules And Format: How The Tournament Works

Back after four years, the 2026 Winter Olympics Hockey takes the ice in Milan, Italy. The actions starts Thursday, Feb. 6 and will continue till Sunday, Feb. 22.

The best of the best hockey athletes will compete throughout the month of Feb. and will be streamed during the duration of the competition. Fans can watch the 2026 Winter Olympics live on Peacock TV and the NBCOlympics website. Other platforms such as your TV provider via NBCSN, NBC, CNBC, and USA Network are also streaming events all weekend.

Hockey is constantly delivering a fast and full force game through net-force impact and checking. Athlete's practice for days prioritizing affective tactics and using contact strategically at a high speed

To familiarize yourself with the game of hockey, learn below the winter hockey rules and format!

2026 Winter Olympics Hockey Rules And Format

Ice hockey draws a lot of attention during the winter olympics and is fast-paced intense sport. Arena's will soon began to fill up as teams will compete face-to-face to hopefully leave MIlan, Italy with an Olympic gold medal.

Twelve different countries will compete at the 2026 Ice Hockey Winter Olympics Tournament: Canada, Czechia, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Latvia, Slovakia, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United States.

Up to 25 players on each roster will compete during the tournaments including 22 skaters and three goaltenders on the ice for both teams.

All game points are awarded as three points for a regulation win, two for an overtime/shootout win, one for an overtime/shootout loss, and zero for a regulation loss.

If the game ends in a tie at the at the end of the regulation period, a five-minute overtime period will be played after a three-minute intermission.

Milan Cortina 2026 Live Coverage Coming To FloHockey

FloHockey is your source for the best coverage, live broadcasts, and all access content below the National Hockey League—over the next few weeks that includes coverage of the 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Italy.

Every day at 6:30 p.m. ET from Feb. 12-18, FloHockey analyst Chris Peters and co-host Robert Rabiak will be bringing you the latest coverage, analysis, and news from Milan Cortina 2026.

Here's when to tune in on the final weekend, Feb. 19-22:

Thursday, Feb. 19 - 4:30 p.m. ET
Friday, Feb. 20 - 6:30 p.m. ET
Saturday, Feb. 21 - 9:05 p.m. ET
Sunday, Feb. 22 - 11:30 a.m. ET

Tune in LIVE on the FloHockey 24/7 FAST channel, available on Prime Video and Fubo, or watch for free on FloHockey YouTube.

Watch The 2026 AHL All-Star Classic, Skills Competition And More

The 2026 AHL All-Star Classic presented by BMO will be held on February 10-11 in Rockford, Ill. at the home of the Chicago Blackhawks American Hockey League affiliate Rockford IceHogs.

The 2026 AHL All-Star Skills Competition takes place on Tuesday to open the on-ice action, starting at 8:00 p.m. ET. It's a battle of the best in the Eastern vs the best in the Western as players show off their elite talent in seven skills events.

Then, on Wednesday, the fun continues at 8:00 p.m. ET with the 2026 AHL All-Star Challenge—a four team, 3-on-3 round robin tournament—all leading to one eight-minute 3-on-3 championship finale game.

Follow along on FloHockey for the latest American Hockey League live streams, all access coverage and more.

Watch Hockey Live Streams Free On FloHockey

From the top 2026 NHL draft prospects to first-round picks looking to develop their game before making it in the National Hockey League—FloHockey has the best broadcast schedule for junior hockey and professional hockey below the NHL.

Each week, you can catch numerous Ontario Hockey League (OHL), Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL), American Hockey League (AHL), ECHL and many more games streaming live for free on FloHockey and YouTube.

When Does The NHL Season Pause For The Winter Olympics 2026

The National Hockey League (NHL) 2025-26 season will take a pause after the conclusion of games on Thursday, February 5th, through Wednesday, February 25.

The break will accommodate the 2026 Winter Olympic hockey games, scheduled from February 11-22 in Italy. Here are some more important dates for the upcoming NHL season.

Key Dates For The 2025-26 NHL Season

February 5 - Last games before break
February 11-22 - 2026 Winter Olympics
February 25 - Games return from break
April 16 - Last regular season games
April - Start of 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs
June - 2026 Stanley Cup Finals

When and Where Are The Winter Olympics - Milan Cortina 2026?

The 2026 Winter Olympics, known as Milan Cortina 2026, is scheduled to take place from February 6 to February 22, 2026.

Preliminary hockey rounds will begin on Thursday, February 5. Competition will continue throughout the week and conclude with the women's gold medal match on Thursday, February 19. The men's gold medal match will be played on Sunday, February 22 at Milano Santa Giulia Ice Hockey Arena.

The 2026 Winter Olympic Games will take place at multiple sites across Lombardy and Northeast Italy. Ice events will be hosted in Milan and other events to be hosted around Cortina and in the Valtellina and Fiemme valleys across Italy.

The joint-host were selected in 2019 and are the first Olympic Games to be co-hosted by multiple cities.

Who Won The Stanley Cup Playoffs In 2025?

The Florida Panthers won the Stanley Cup Playoffs in 2025. The defeated the Edmonton Oilers in the best-of-seven series 4-2.

Who was the first pick in the 2025 NHL Draft?

The first overall pick in the 2025 NHL Draft was made by the New York Islanders, who picked Matthew Schaefer, an elite defenseman with expert puck movement skills.

Other Overall Top Picks In 2025

Matthew Schaefer (D) - New York Islanders
Michael Misa (C) - San Jose Sharks
Anton Frondell (C) - Chicago Blackhawks
Caleb Desnoyers (C) - Utah Mammoth
Brady Martin (C) - Nashville Predators
Porter Martone (RW) - Philadelphia Flyers
James Hagens (C) - Boston Bruins
Jake O'Brien (C) - Seattle Kraken
Radim Mrtka (D) - Buffalo Sabres
Roger McQueen (C) - Anaheim Ducks

When is the 2026 NHL Draft?

The 64th annual NHL Entry Draft is expected to be held in the summer of 2026. In 2025, it was held on June 27 and 28.

NHL Prospect Coverage On FloHockey

The best, and most complete, coverage of the NHL minor league hockey and NHL Draft is found on FloHockey. Don't miss the latest new prospect guides, rankings and more from Chris Peters and the FloHockey staff.

Watch the AHL, ECHL, QMJHL, USHL, And More On FloHockey

FloHockey is the streaming home to some of the best hockey leagues in North America, including the ECHL and more. Check out the broadcast schedule to watch more hockey.

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