Every four years, the greatest athletes from around the world gather for the Winter Olympics. Their dream? To bring home Olympic gold. Whether it’s figure skating, curling, or skiing—because it’s the Olympics, we’ll be glued to our televisions watching the best of the best perform at the highest level. But when hockey comes on, it feels different. The game moves faster, the pressure is evident, and the game leaves you on the edge of your seat.
That tension and drama are greatly more noticeable this time around because National Hockey League players are eligible to compete again after a twelve-year absence following the 2014 games in Sochi, Russia. Now, the best players in the world are back, representing their countries. Players like Connor McDavid of Canada, Matthew Tkachuk of the United States, Nico Hischier of Switzerland, and many more understand the importance of this tournament.
Olympic hockey has delivered unforgettable moments that outlast the Games themselves. The most memorable example is the Miracle on Ice when a young U.S. team, made up of college hockey players beat the formidable Soviet Union, a team that dominated international hockey and was viewed as simply unbeatable.
What makes that game memorable isn’t just the upset but what surrounded it. The political and global unrest involving the Cold War, economic uncertainty and what would eventually unite a country around that team. That team to this day is highlighted more than forty-years later and shows what Olympic hockey can be at its finest.
Olympic hockey isn’t just about the past but about the rivalries that pull us into that feeling of national pride, no matter the era.
The greatest rivalry to date is the United States versus Canada. When those two teams play one another, it never feels like just another matchup. U.S.–Canada games constantly feel intense, faster, and certainly mean a whole lot. The best example of this rivalry is when the U.S. and Canada played for the gold medal in the 2010 Winter Olympics where Canada would go on to win in overtime. There’s an immense sense of pride involved. There’s history. And there’s no doubt that if they were to meet again for the gold it will be remembered forever.
The Winter Olympics also feel like an extension of recent international play, specifically following the Four Nations Tournament in 2025. Although it was only four countries which include the United States, Canada, Sweden, and Finland, that event reminded hockey fans what happens when NHL elite players compete for their nations. The Winter Olympics take that equivalent momentum and increase the stakes even higher.
Hockey particularly stands out because it’s considered the ultimate team sport. Out of the sixteen sports that take place, only two revolve around a team: curling and hockey. You need team players who know where their teammates will be at all times. Line changes, responsible defensively, and goaltending all play substantial roles. With the other Olympic sports inherently centered around individual performances, hockey truly brings out the importance of teamwork and chemistry needed for success.
This is certainly not meant to take away from the rest of the Winter Games. Figure skating is challenging in its own difficult way. Snowboarding and skiing require an enormous degree of courage soaring through the air at great heights. Speed skating is severely physical. Each and every sport deserves its praises and attention. But hockey extends something unique compared to those sports: nonstop drama. Anything can happen, and where the end result will constantly leave your eyes glued to your television.
When hockey is on during the Olympics, it manages to become the center of interest. People tend to gather together around it. Years later, you might forget who won gold in the skiing event or who medaled in figure skating, but you will most likely remember the enormous overtime goal scored by your country.
That’s why hockey to me isn’t just another Winter Olympic sport. It’s the one that brings so much of everything together—history, pressure, rivalry, and national pride—in an everlasting way that keeps people watching and talking about long after the Winter Olympics are over.
