Sidney Crosby knows what an Olympic victory feels like. © APA/afp / JONATHAN NACKSTRAND

Ice excellence in Milan: For Canada, only gold counts.

Twelve years after Sochi, the men's Olympic ice hockey tournament returns with the stars of the National Hockey League. Who will win the gold medal in Milan?

February 10, 2026

From: dpa/sn

Led by the world's best forwards, Canada enters the tournament in Milan, which begins on Wednesday, as the favorite, while the equally star-studded US team is considered its strongest challenger. Sweden's NHL team, defending champion Finland with its strong NHL roster, the Czech Republic, and Switzerland are considered the European teams with the best medal chances.

Russia (2018) and Finland (2022) capitalized on the absence of NHL players to achieve Olympic triumphs. This time, the path to gold leads once again through Canada, which won the last two tournaments with NHL participation (Vancouver 2010 and Sochi 2014) and, with nine titles, is joint record holder with the Soviet Union/Russia.

"It will be a failure if we don't win gold."

Head coach Jon Cooper, a two-time Stanley Cup winner with the Tampa Bay Lightning, has three of the NHL's four leading scorers at his disposal: Connor McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon, and rising star Macklin Celebrini. Sidney Crosby is already a legend in the hockey-mad nation. The 38-year-old scored the game-winning goal in overtime in the finals in Vancouver, securing gold for Canada, and led them to victory again four years later. Cale Makar, considered by many experts to be the best defenseman on the team, also wears the maple leaf jersey.

Sidney Crosby (center) aims to lead Canada to its third gold medal. © ANSA / Anders Wiklund

The Canadians also won the most recent showdown of top players, the Four Nations, in February of last year. Canada's self-image is that the ice hockey team always aims for victory. "I think it's a failure if we don't win gold," Drew Doughty stated clearly, addressing the high expectations. The defenseman and Crosby could be the first NHL players to win three Olympic gold medals.

The USA hopes for its first triumph in 46 years

The USA is yearning for its first Olympic gold since the "Miracle on Ice" in Lake Placid in 1980. Auston Matthews and Jack Eichel lead a powerful offense, Quinn Hughes, Zach Werenski, Charlie McAvoy and Lane Hutson bring plenty of quality to the defense, and in goal the Americans can rely on Connor Hellebuyck, who has won the Vezina Trophy as the best NHL goaltender in the past two seasons.

General Manager Bill Guerin declared the mission to go for gold back in August. "I think we all feel the same way. We should be fighting for gold," explained Captain Matthews.

Canada, USA – and who else?

From Europe, Sweden, Finland, the Czech Republic, and Switzerland are considered the most promising medal contenders. Sweden, like the two North American teams, relies exclusively on players from the world's strongest league. Finland arrives as defending champion with 24 NHL professionals. The Czech Republic boasts two of the world's best forwards in David Pastrnak and Martin Necas, while Switzerland has established itself as a top nation with two consecutive World Championship silver medals. "Our strength is that we've been playing together for years. The core of the group is largely the same," said Swiss forward Nino Niederreiter.