The men’s hockey tournament at the 2026 Winter Olympics has generated a lot of attention leading up to the Milan-Cortina Games, with the inclusion of NHL players for the first time in 12 years. With an influx of stars

A look back at why, after competing in the 2014 Olympics, NHL players were prohibited from competing in the Winter Olympics in 2018 and 2022.

“NHLers haven’t been able to play in the Olympics in a really long time,” said New Jersey Devils center Jack Hughes, who will represent the United States. “It is a dream come true.” NHL players have participated in five Olympics: Nagano in 1998, Salt Lake in 2002, Torino in 2006, Vancouver in 2010 and Sochi in 2014.

NHL players are back in the Olympics, and the talent is off the charts.

After his Team Canada Olympics debut, Macklin Celebrini was called one of the NHL's best players by former MVP Nathan MacKinnon.

The last time NHL players were in the Olympics, the entertainment level was off the charts. T.J. Oshie made a national name for himself with his shootout heroics to help the U.S. beat Russia on its home soil, and Canada had a clinical march to gold.

Slafkovsky is the only NHL player with at least 20 goals, 100 shots on goal (117), 80 hits (83) and 40 blocks (53) this season. He scored seven goals in seven games for Slovakia to lead the entire 2022 Olympics in Beijing and was also tied for the most points (seven) in that tournament.

National Hockey League stars are adapting to different rinks, rules and routines at the Milano Cortina Games, where rivals-turned-team mates will compete for gold beginning on Wednesday after the NHL's 12-year absence from the Olympics.