Get to know the basics of Olympic hockey — learn how the men’s and women’s tournaments are structured, how games are scored and decided, what rules differ from the NHL, and who the top medal contenders are for Milan Cortina 2026.

There have been construction delays at the Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena, concerns about the ice quality, a shorter-than-expected ice surface and questions about whether it will be safe for NHL players heading to the Olympics for the first time since 2014.