San Jose Sharks forward Pavol Regenda would love his second trip to the Winter Olympic Games to go as well as his first. Regenda was part of a Slovakian team in 2022 that at first had modest expectations going into the Games in Beijing.

The NHL players compete in the Winter Olympics for the first time since 2014, as the 2026 Men's Hockey Tournament is scheduled to start on February 11 in Milan. There will be 12 teams competing in the group stage,

It’s Day 5 of the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics, with eight gold medals on the line. The first of those went to Switzerland’s Franjo von Allmen, who added Alpine skiing’s super-G to his downhill and team combined titles.

NHL players are returning to the Olympics for the first time since 2014. Here are the rosters and schedule, plus how to watch:

MILAN -- The Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026 men’s hockey tournament begins Wednesday when the 12 nations compete in three groups. Group A consists of Canada, Czechia, France and Switzerland. Finland, Italy, Sweden and Slovakia will play in Group B. Group C features Denmark, Germany, Latvia and the United States.

The superstars of the NHL will return to Winter Olympic action later on Wednesday, bringing with them thousands of fans from across the world, but it’s been far from a smooth buildup to the Games.

Can Slovakia and Italy pull off stunning upsets? Discover key matchups, roster strengths, and thrilling underdog stories in this Olympic hockey betting breakdown.

The 2026 Winter Olympics, featuring 16 sports with 116 medal events, will take place from Feb. 4 to Feb. 22 in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy. Preliminary events began Feb. 4 and the closing ceremony will be Feb.