MILAN -- The Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026 men’s hockey tournament begins Wednesday when the 12 nations compete in three groups. Group A consists of Canada, Czechia, France, Switzerland. Finland, Italy, Sweden and Switzerland will play in Group B. Group C features Denmark, Germany, Latvia and the United States.

Team Canada arrived at Malpensa Airport on Sunday morning ahead of the Milano Cortina 2026 men’s ice hockey tournament.

The NHL players are back in the Winter Olympics for the first time since the 2014 games in Sochi, Russia, and Canada is once again entering the tournament as one of the top favorites to win Gold.

After a 2022 Olympic performance that saw a high total medal count but a 30-year low in gold finishes, Team Canada is looking to put more athletes on the podium at the Milano-Cortina Winter Games. These charts show how Canada stacks up against its competition.

Of the 19 staff members polled, nine think Canada will bring home the gold medal. Six staffers think the United States can win its first gold medal in men's hockey since the 1980 "Miracle On Ice," while four believe Sweden can repeat its gold-medal performance from 2008 in Turin, Italy.

Canada has won nine Olympic gold medals in men’s ice hockey. Their first Olympic gold medal came in 1920 at the Antwerp Summer Olympics. The team dominated for three decades before the rise of the Soviet Union. Canada’s men’s Olympic hockey gold medals came in the following years:

Canadian speed skater Brooklyn McDougall has gone viral after giving her followers a sneak peek at her swag bag for the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics. The video was shared as athletes arrived for the event,

Norway’s Sander Eitrem took home gold in the men’s 5,000-meter speedskating competition, setting an Olympic record at 6:03.95. Czechia won gold in women’s parallel giant slalom, while Austria took gold in the men’s event.

As the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics begin, all eyes were on teams from around the globe proudly donning their countries' uniforms for the opening ceremony, including Team USA in outfits designed by Ralph Lauren.

Since their debut at the Milano Cortina opening ceremony, Team Canada’s Olympic outfits have sparked mixed reactions from Canadians.