NHL Players’ First Olympic Appearance Since 2014 Reignites International Hockey’s Biggest Stage
U.S. Men Begin Their Pursuit of First Olympic Medal Since 2010 Against Latvia on Thursday, Feb. 12, at 3:10 p.m. ET on Peacock and USA Network
U.S. Women Meet Canada in High‑Stakes Group Play Showdown on Tuesday, Feb. 10, at 2:10 p.m. ET on Peacock and USA Network
Opening Ceremony of the Milan Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games is Feb. 6 on NBC and Peacock
STAMFORD, Conn. – January 15, 2026 – NBC Olympics today announced the preliminary round media schedule for the U.S. men’s and women’s hockey teams at the Milan Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games, which begin next month. Coverage will showcase the long-awaited return of NHL players to the men’s tournament and the renewal of the fierce USA-Canada women’s rivalry in Group Play. The Opening Ceremony airs Friday, Feb. 6, on NBC and Peacock, live and in primetime.
The U.S. men open Group Play against Latvia on Thursday, Feb. 12, at 3:10 p.m. ET on Peacock and USA Network, marking the first time since 2014 that NHL players will compete in the Olympic Winter Games. Team USA is led by Auston Matthews of the Toronto Maple Leafs, the most prolific goal scorer in the NHL since his arrival in 2016-17, as well as three-time NHL All-Stars Jack Eichel of the Vegas Golden Knights and Brady Tkachuk of the Ottawa Senators. Minnesota Wild defenseman Quinn Hughes, who earned the Norris Trophy as the NHL’s top defenseman in 2023-24, and goaltender Connor Hellebuyck of the Winnipeg Jets, the 2024-25 Hart Trophy winner as the league MVP and a three-time Vezina Trophy recipient as the NHL’s top goaltender, also highlight a roster that features 19 first-round NHL draft picks. The full men’s roster is available here.
The U.S. men have captured two Olympic gold medals, in 1960 and 1980, and earned silver at the 2010 Vancouver Games in an unforgettable overtime final against Canada. That game, which averaged 27.6 million viewers, remains the most-watched hockey game in the United States since the 1980 gold-medal victory vs. Finland (32.8 million on ABC). Canada also defeated the United States in the 2002 gold medal game on American ice in Salt Lake City.
Team USA enters the women’s tournament as one of the most consistent medal‑winners in Olympic history, having reached the podium at every Games since women’s hockey debuted in 1998. The U.S. women have earned two gold medals (1998, 2018), silver medals in 2002, 2010, 2014, and 2022, and a bronze medal in 2006, underscoring their stellar run of success on the Olympic stage.
The U.S. women face longtime rival Canada on Tuesday, Feb. 10, at 2:10 p.m. ET on Peacock and USA Network in the most anticipated matchup of Group Play. The two nations have met in the gold medal game at each of the last four Winter Olympics dating back to 2010, with Canada winning three of those four. Played in the early morning hours in the U.S., Team USA’s dramatic 2018 victory in PyeongChang averaged 3.7 million viewers, becoming the most-watched late-night program in NBCSN history at the time.
Team USA is led by Hilary Knight, a four-time Olympic medalist making her fifth Olympic appearance, a record for a U.S. hockey player. Kendall Coyne Schofield and Lee Stecklein, each three-time Olympic medalists and seven-time world champions, return for their fourth Games. The full women’s roster is available here.
The Milan Cortina Winter Olympic hockey tournaments begin with Group Play. For the men, there will be three groups of four countries, and for the women, there will be two groups of five teams each. All teams will play each other team in their group once in preliminary play. The Olympic point system is as follows: three points for the winning team in regulation, zero for the losing team in regulation, two for the winning team in overtime or a shootout, and one for the losing team in overtime or a shootout.
The U.S. women are in Group A with Canada, Finland, Czechia, and Switzerland. Canada has won the gold medal five times (2002, 2006, 2010, 2014, 2022) and silver twice (1998, 2018), Finland has won the bronze medal four times (1998, 2010, 2018, 2022), Switzerland has won bronze once (2014), while Czechia has never earned a medal. The men compete in Group C with Germany, Latvia, and Denmark. Germany most recently won the 2018 silver medal, while Latvia and Denmark have never earned medals.
NBC Olympics announced its hockey commentators for the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics in October. For more details, click here.
A comprehensive Milan Cortina 2026 programming schedule, including broadcast details for the quarterfinals, semifinals, and medal games, will be released soon. USA Network is owned and operated by Versant.
NBC SPORTS’ MILAN CORTINA WINTER OLYMPICS TEAM USA MEN’S AND WOMEN’S HOCKEY PRELIMINARY SCHEDULE
| Date | Matchup | Time (ET) | Platform(s) |
| Thurs., Feb. 5 | U.S. Women vs. Czechia | 10:40 a.m. | Peacock, USA Network |
| U.S. Women vs. Czechia | 5:30 p.m. | USA Network* | |
| Fri., Feb. 6 | U.S. Women vs. Czechia | 10:30 a.m. | USA Network* |
| Sat., Feb. 7 | U.S. Women vs. Finland | 10:40 a.m. | Peacock, USA Network |
| U.S. Women vs. Finland | 6 p.m. | USA Network* | |
| U.S. Women vs. Finland | 11 p.m. | USA Network* | |
| Mon., Feb. 9 | U.S. Women vs. Switzerland | 2:40 p.m. | Peacock, USA Network |
| U.S. Women vs. Switzerland | 11 p.m. | USA Network* | |
| Tues., Feb. 10 | U.S. Women vs. Canada | 2:10 p.m. | Peacock, USA Network |
| U.S. Women vs. Canada | 11 p.m. | USA Network* | |
| Thurs., Feb. 12 | U.S. Men vs. Latvia | 3:10 p.m. | Peacock, USA Network |
| U.S. Men vs. Latvia | 11 p.m. | USA Network* | |
| Sat., Feb. 14 | U.S. Men vs. Denmark | 3:10 p.m. | Peacock, USA Network |
| U.S. Men vs. Denmark | 11 p.m. | USA Network* | |
| Sun., Feb. 15 | U.S. Men vs. Germany | 3:10 p.m. | Peacock, USA Network |
| U.S. Men vs. Germany | 11 p.m. | USA Network* |
*Encore presentation
***
With unique and unforgettable backdrops throughout northern Italy, the 2026 Winter Olympics will span from Milan to Cortina with events taking place across multiple venues and regions. This will be the second time the Olympics are held in Cortina (1956 Winter Olympics) and the fourth time overall that Italy has hosted an Olympic Games (1960 Summer Olympics in Rome and 2006 Winter Olympics in Torino, the last time the Winter Games were held in the Central European Time Zone).
The NBC broadcast network and streaming service Peacock will be the company’s primary platforms for its coverage of the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics, scheduled for Feb. 6-22, 2026. Click here for more programming information and here for information about the Paralympics, which will take place March 6-15, 2026.
NBCUniversal owns the U.S. media rights to the Olympic Games through 2036, which are scheduled for Milan Cortina (2026), Los Angeles (2028), French Alps (2030), Brisbane (2032), Utah (2034), and the 2036 Summer Games.
–MILAN CORTINA 2026 OLYMPIC WINTER GAMES–
