Olympic ice hockey is one of the most thrilling and fast-paced team sports at the Winter Games. Played on an ice rink, two teams of six players—including a goaltender—compete to score goals by shooting a puck into the opposing team’s net using hockey sticks. With its combination of speed, skill and physicality, ice hockey at the Winter Olympics is a showcase of elite talent from around the world.
Ice hockey made its Olympic debut at the Olympic Winter Games Antwerp 1920 before transitioning to the Winter Games at the Olympic Winter Games Chamonix 1924. Since then, hockey at the Olympics has been a mainstay of the Winter Games, growing in popularity and competitiveness. Women’s Olympic ice hockey was introduced at the Olympic Winter Games Nagano 1998, marking a significant step for the sport’s global reach and development.
The USA Olympic hockey team first competed at the Antwerp 1920, winning a silver medal. Since then, the team has delivered unforgettable moments, including the "Miracle on Ice" victory at the Olympic Winter Games Lake Placid 1980. On the women’s side, Team USA won the first-ever gold medal in women’s Olympic ice hockey at Nagano 1998 and continues to be a dominant force in international competition.
Olympic ice hockey consists of two distinct tournaments: the men’s and women’s competitions. Each event follows a group-stage format leading into knockout rounds, culminating in the gold medal game. Matches are played in three 20-minute periods, with sudden-death overtime and shootouts determining the winner if necessary.
Follow along the figure skaters' road to the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026.
Check out all the events Team USA athletes will be competing in on the road to Milano Cortina 2026.
| name | sport | education | hometown | medals | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Jeremy Abbott Figure Skating Olympian 2010, 2014 Aspen, CO Number of olympic medals this Athlete has won
| Figure Skating | Aspen, CO | Number of olympic medals this Athlete has won
| ||||||
 Tenley Albright Figure Skating Olympian 1952, 1956 Radcliffe College; Harvard Medical School Newton Center, MA Number of olympic medals this Athlete has won
| Figure Skating | Radcliffe College; Harvard Medical School | Newton Center, MA | Number of olympic medals this Athlete has won
| |||||
 | Figure Skating | Los Angeles, CA | |||||||
 | Figure Skating | Kamiak High School (Mukilteo, Wash.) | Edmonds, WA | ||||||
 Evan Bates Figure Skating Olympian 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022 University of Michigan ‘13 Northville, MI Number of olympic medals this Athlete has won
| Figure Skating | University of Michigan ‘13 | Northville, MI | Number of olympic medals this Athlete has won
| |||||
 | Figure Skating | Ralston Valley High School (Arvada, Colo.) '14 | Monument, CO | ||||||
 Brian Boitano Figure Skating Olympian 1984, 1988, 1994 Peterson High School (Santa Clara, Calif.), Santa Clara High School (Santa Clara, Calif.) De Anza College Sunnyvale, CA Number of olympic medals this Athlete has won
| Figure Skating | Peterson High School (Santa Clara, Calif.), Santa Clara High School (Santa Clara, Calif.) De Anza College | Sunnyvale, CA | Number of olympic medals this Athlete has won
| |||||
 Jason Brown Figure Skating Olympian 2014, 2022 University of Colorado Colorado Springs ‘18 Highland Park, IL Number of olympic medals this Athlete has won
| Figure Skating | University of Colorado Colorado Springs ‘18 | Highland Park, IL | Number of olympic medals this Athlete has won
| |||||
 Dick Button Figure Skating Olympian 1948, 1952 Englewood School for Boys (Englewood, N.J.) Harvard College; Harvard Law School Englewood, NJ Number of olympic medals this Athlete has won
| Figure Skating | Englewood School for Boys (Englewood, N.J.) Harvard College; Harvard Law School | Englewood, NJ | Number of olympic medals this Athlete has won
| |||||
 | Figure Skating | University of Michigan '21 | Northville, MI | ||||||
The primary equipment in Olympic ice hockey includes a composite or wooden hockey stick and a vulcanized rubber puck. The puck is 1 inch thick and 3 inches in circumference, designed to glide smoothly across the ice at high speeds.
The standard Olympic ice hockey rink measures 60 meters in length and 30 meters in width, slightly larger than NHL rinks. The playing surface includes marked zones, face-off circles and goal creases, which dictate player positioning and gameplay strategies.
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