by Matthew Robley

The 2026 Winter Olympics are underway, and there has been much anticipation from the Hockey community. NHL players are returning to the Winter Olympics for the first time on over a decade. Since 2014, National Hockey League players were not allowed to play in the tournament because of expensive costs and insurance concerns. In 2018, The IOC (International Olympic Committee) refused to cover travel, insurance, and accommodation costs for NHL players, which it had previously paid. The NHL refused to pay these costs, which were estimated to be around $20 million. There was hope that NHL players would return to the Olympics back in 2022, but we were still recovering from the pandemic so the player’s return to Olympic competition was delayed until this year.

 On February 6th, the Winter Olympics in Milan, Italy began, and hockey is back on the center stage. Stars such as Connor McDavid (Canada), Auston Matthews (United States), Matthew Tkachuk (United States), Leon Draisaitl (Germany) are participating in the games. The Winter Olympics run from Friday, February 6th to Sunday, February 23rd. Key games such as Finland vs. Sweden and the United States vs. Germany begin later this week with the medal round beginning Monday, February 17th. This Olympic hockey tournament is expected to be a fierce battle between the greatest hockey players in the world bringing the NHL back into the international spotlight.