Hockey fans enjoyed an appetizer of elite international competition in 2025. Early next year, they'll get the main course.

The Opening Ceremony for the 2026 Milan Cortina Olympics is six months away, and among the biggest storylines entering the Winter Games is the long-awaited return of NHL players to the Olympic stage. The last time NHL players competed in the Olympics was all the way back at the 2014 Sochi Games .

The 2026 Games will be held a year after the NHL's highly successful 4 Nations Face-Off , a midseason tournament featuring the United States, Canada, Finland and Sweden. The 4 Nations Face-Off marked the first best-on-best international hockey tournament since the 2016 World Cup of Hockey .

Team USA went 2-1 in 4 Nations round robin play, highlighted by a 3-1

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