2026 Winter Olympics: How to watch ice hockey events

With nearly 1.2 million tickets sold across the men’s and women’s tournaments, the ice hockey events are among the hottest tickets in the tournament. Milan-Cortina matches. Interest appears to have skyrocketed due to the return of NHL players to the men’s event for the first time since Sochi 2014.

Team USA will be led by two-time Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers Matthew Tkachuk. Among others, he will be joined by New Jersey Devils brothers Luke and Jack Hughes, while Canada boasts veterans of Vancouver 2010 and Sochi 2014 winners Drew Doughty and Sidney Crosby.

As with the men’s event, Canada enters the women’s tournament as the favorite. However, the defending champions head to Italy looking to bounce back after falling to the top flight A one-sided defeat to Team USA in the Rivalry Series last month.

Ice hockey action at the Milan-Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games will take place at the Milan Rho and Milan Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arenas, beginning with preliminary round matches on Thursday, February 5, and continuing through the men’s gold medal game on Sunday, February 22. The full schedule of ice hockey events can be found below.

How to watch ice hockey events at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics in the US without cable

NBC has once again acquired exclusive Olympic broadcast rights in America, and all events will be broadcast on NBCUniversal’s Peacock channel. Coverage of the ice hockey events will be syndicated across the NBC, USA Network and CNBC linear channels, with USA Network broadcasting the opening USA men’s and women’s group stage games as well as the majority of the games leading up to the medal rounds.

Every ice hockey match at the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics will be available to watch live and in full on Peacock in 4K. Live TV Platforms like YouTube TV, DirecTV, and Hulu Plus Live TV carry NBC, USA, and NBC Sports Network.

Read more: The best TV shows for Super Bowl 2026: The only TVs our tech experts recommend for live sports

Peacock offers two premium plans, and after recent price increases, the ad-supported Premium plan costs $11 per month and the ad-free Premium Plus plan costs $17 per month.

Milan-Cortina ice hockey schedule for the 2026 Winter Olympics

Women’s ice hockey

• Thursday 5 February
• Sweden vs. Germany: 6:10 a.m. ET/3:10 a.m. PT (Peacock)
• Italy vs. France: 8:40 a.m. ET/5:40 a.m. PT (Peacock)
• USA vs. Czech Republic: 10:40 a.m. ET/7:40 a.m. PT (USA Network, Peacock)
• Finland vs. Canada: 12:10 PM ET/9:10 AM PT (Peacock)
• Friday, February 6
• France vs. Japan: 6:10 a.m. ET/3:10 a.m. PT (Peacock)
• Czech Republic vs. Switzerland: 8:40 a.m. ET/5:40 a.m. PT (Peacock)
• Saturday 7 February
• Germany vs. Japan: 6:10 a.m. ET/3:10 a.m. PT (Peacock)
• Sweden vs. Italy: 8:40 a.m. ET/5:40 a.m. PT (Peacock)
• USA vs. Finland: 10:40 a.m. ET/7:40 a.m. PT (USA Network, Peacock)
• Switzerland vs. Canada: 12:10 PM ET/9:10 AM PT (Peacock)
• Monday 9 February
• Switzerland vs. USA: 2:40 PM ET / 11:40 AM PT (USA Network, Peacock)
• Canada vs. Czech Republic: 3:10 PM ET / 12:10 PM PT (Peacock)
• Tuesday 10 February
• Canada vs. USA: 2:10 PM ET / 11:10 AM PT (USA Network, Peacock)

• Friday, February 13th

• Quarterfinals – TBC vs. TBC: 10:40 AM ET / 7:40 AM PT (Peacock)
• Quarterfinals – TBC vs. TBC: 3:10 PM ET / 12:10 PM (Peacock)

• Saturday, February 14th

• Quarterfinals – TBC vs. TBC: 10:40 AM ET / 7:40 AM PT (Peacock)
• Quarterfinals – TBC vs. TBC: 3:10 PM ET / 12:10 PM PT (Peacock)

• Monday, February 16

• Semifinals – TBC vs. TBC: 10:40 a.m. ET/7:40 a.m. PT (Peacock, USA Network)
• Semifinals – TBC vs. TBC: 3:10 PM ET / 12:10 PM PT (Peacock, USA Network)

Medal games

• Thursday 19 February
• Bronze Medal Game: 8:40 a.m. ET/5:40 a.m. PT (USA Network)
• Gold Medal Game: 1:10 p.m. ET/10:10 a.m. PT (NBC, Peacock)

Men’s ice hockey

• Wednesday 11 February
• Slovakia vs. Finland: 10:40 a.m. ET/7:40 a.m. PT (USA Network)
• Sweden vs. Italy: 3:10 PM ET/12:10 PM PT (USA Network)
• Thursday 12 February
• Switzerland vs. France: 6:10 a.m. ET/3:10 a.m. PT (Peacock)
• Czech Republic vs. Canada: 10:40 a.m. ET/7:40 a.m. PT (USA Network, Peacock)
• Latvia vs. USA: 3:10 PM ET/12:10 PM PT (USA Network, Peacock)
• Friday 13 February
• Finland vs. Sweden: 6:10 a.m. ET/3:10 a.m. PT (USA Network)
• Canada vs. Switzerland: 3:10 PM ET/12:10 PM PT (Peacock)
• Saturday 14 February
• USA vs. Denmark: 3:10 PM ET/12:10 PM PT (USA Network, Peacock)
• Sunday 15 February
• Canada vs. France: 10:40 a.m. ET/7:40 a.m. PT (USA Network, Peacock)
• USA vs. Germany: 3:10pm ET/12:10pm PT (USA Network, Peacock)

• Tuesday 17 February
• Qualifying Playoff: TBD vs. TBD: 12:10 PM ET/9:10 AM PT (USA Network, Peacock)
• Qualifying Playoff: TBD vs. TBD: 3:10pm ET/12:10pm PT (USA Network, Peacock)
• Qualifying Playoff: TBD vs. TBD: 8:10 PM ET/5:10 PM PT (Peacock)

• Wednesday 18 February
• Quarterfinals: TBD vs. TBD: 10:40 a.m. ET/7:40 a.m. PT (USA Network, Peacock)
• Quarterfinals: TBD vs. TBD: 1:10 PM ET/10:10 AM PT (USA Network, Peacock)
• Quarterfinals: TBD vs. TBD: 3:10 PM ET/12:10 PM PT (Peacock)
• Quarterfinals: TBD vs. TBD: 6:10pm ET/3:10pm PT (USA Network, Peacock)

• Friday, February 20
• Semifinals: TBD vs. TBD: 11:50 a.m. ET/8:50 a.m. PT (USA Network, Peacock)
• Semifinals: TBD vs. TBD: 3:10 PM ET/12:10 PM PT (Peacock)

Medal games

• Saturday 21 February
• Bronze Medal Game: 2:40 PM ET/11:40 AM PT (USA Network)
• Sunday 22 February
• Gold Medal Game: 8:10 a.m. ET/5:10 a.m. PT (NBC, Peacock)

How to watch the 2026 Winter Olympics with a VPN

If you’re traveling abroad and want to catch the 2026 Winter Olympics while away from home, a VPN can help Enhance your privacy and security when streaming.

It encrypts your traffic and prevents your ISP from throttling your speeds, and can also come in handy when connecting to public Wi-Fi networks while traveling, adding an extra layer of protection for your devices and logins. VPNs are legal in many countries, including the United States and Canada, and can be used for legitimate purposes such as improving online privacy and security.

However, some streaming services may have policies that restrict the use of a VPN to access region-specific content. If you’re considering using a VPN for streaming, check the platform’s terms of service to ensure compliance.

If you choose to use a VPN, follow your service provider’s installation instructions, ensuring that you are connected securely and in compliance with applicable laws and service agreements. Some streaming platforms may block access when a VPN is detected, so checking if your streaming subscription allows the use of a VPN is crucial.

ExpressVPN is Our current top VPN pick For people who want a reliable, secure VPN that works on a variety of devices. Prices start at $3.49 per month on a 2-year plan for the basic tier of the service.

Note that ExpressVPN offers a 30-day money-back guarantee.