The men’s tournament in Milan officially gets underway on Wednesday, as Finland opens up Group B play of the 2026 Winter Olympics against Slovakia.

Welcome back to… record scratch… Welcome to our first edition of Olympic hockey predictions here at Last Word On Hockey, where we will be covering the men’s ice hockey tournament at the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics each day throughout the preliminary round and beyond.

The superstars of the NHL will return to Winter Olympic action later on Wednesday, bringing with them thousands of fans from across the world, but it’s been far from a smooth buildup to the Games.

The 2026 Winter Olympic Games are underway in Italy and several Devils are taking part, representing their countries in Men’s Ice Hockey: Nico Hischier, Timo Meier and Jonas Siegenthaler (Switzerland),

San Jose Sharks forward Pavol Regenda would love his second trip to the Winter Olympic Games to go as well as his first. Regenda was part of a Slovakian team in 2022 that at first had modest expectations going into the Games in Beijing.

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 and Switzerland. Finland, Italy, Sweden and Slovakia will play in Group B. Group C features Denmark, Germany, Latvia and the United States.

Get to know how the Olympic tournament is set up ahead of the preliminary round.

The 2026 Winter Olympics, featuring 16 sports with 116 medal events, will take place from Feb. 4 to Feb. 22 in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy. Preliminary events began Feb. 4 and the closing ceremony will be Feb.

The Men's Olympic Hockey Tournament opens on February 11, 2026, when Sweden battles Italy and Finland takes on Slovakia. What hockey bets are we making today?

Can Slovakia and Italy pull off stunning upsets? Discover key matchups, roster strengths, and thrilling underdog stories in this Olympic hockey betting breakdown.