Hockey, one of the premier events at the Winter Olympics and one that is welcoming NHL players back for the first time in more than a decade, will take place on ice shorter than NHL-regulation size.

Men's and women's games at two arenas will be played in rinks that are 196.85 feet long by 85.3 feet wide. NHL dimensions are 200 by 85 feet so the Olympic ice will be slightly wider and more than three feet shorter.

The International Ice Hockey Federation approved the Milan rinks, which fit one of the governing body's standard sizes and was used by the Pittsburgh Penguins and Nashville Predators for two games in Stockholm in November.

The IIHF shifted to the NHL dimensions at the Olympics beginning in 2018 and used again in 2022. The 2026 Games in February mark the first time NHL players wi

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