The 2026 Olympic men's hockey tournament officially begins on Wednesday, Feb. 11, with the preliminary rounds, and it's shaping up to be an intense run of games between 12 teams. What makes the 2026 Olympics stand of is that it brings the return of NHL players,

It's been a long time since NHL players competed at the Olympics. But that drought is about to officially come to end.

Here's what you need to know about when Olympics men's hockey starts this year.

The women’s ice hockey tournament runs February 5-19.