The Canada-Czechia quarter-final at the 2026 Olympics is a rematch of the preliminary-round game that the Canadians won 5-1.
photo: © INTERNATIONAL ICE HOCKEY FEDERATION / ANDREA CARDIN
The tournament directorate has finalized the schedule for the 2026 Olympic men’s hockey quarter-final pairings.
All four quarter-finals will take place on Wednesday, 18 February. Games will be played at the Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena except for the Finland-Switzerland quarter-final (Milano Rho Ice Hockey Arena).
All four quarter-finals will take place on Wednesday, 18 February. Games will be played at the Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena except for the Finland-Switzerland quarter-final (Milano Rho Ice Hockey Arena).
Slovakia earned its first Olympic medal (bronze) four years ago in Beijing and hopes to keep its chances of medaling again alive after topping Group B. Juraj Slafkovsky, the 2022 Olympic MVP, leads his team with six points so far. Slovakia beat Germany 4-0 in the 2022 Olympic quarter-final, which did not feature NHL players.
The Germans, who got three points from Leon Draisaitl in a 5-1 qualification playoff win over France, own just one medal in their post-1990 reunification history: 2018’s silver. That year was the only time Germany has won an Olympic quarter-final since the IIHF instituted the playoff system in 1992.
Canada has won Olympic gold three times (2002, 2010, 2014) in the “NHL Olympics” era and is targeting a fourth title. Perfect in Group A play, the Canadians – paced by tournament scoring leader Connor McDavid (nine points) – have outscored their opponents 20-3, including a 5-1 opening win over the Czechs. This is the first Canada-Czechia meeting in the Olympic playoffs with NHL rosters since the 1998 Czech 2-1 semi-final upset with goalie Dominik Hasek en route to gold in Nagano.
Canada has lost just twice in nine Olympic quarter-finals (2-0 to the Russians in 2006, 2-0 to the Swedes in 2022). Without NHLers, Canada defeated the Czechs 6-4 in the 2018 bronze medal game. The Czechs last medalled here in northern Italy in Turin 2006 (bronze). Martin Necas is tied with Switzerland’s Timo Meier for third in tournament scoring (seven points).
Finland, which won its first Olympic gold medal in 2022, came second here in Group B. It earned a quarter-final bye on goal difference by pounding host Italy 11-0. At “NHL Olympics,” the Finns have won four medals, more than any other nation, including silver (2006) and bronze (1998, 2010, 2014). Top power forward Mikko Rantanen is tied with three other Finns with four points apiece.
Their Swiss opponents, meanwhile, have never won an Olympic quarter-final. Their best placement – sixth – was in Turin 2006. Their stock has risen with back-to-back silver medals at the IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship. Like Finland, defence is their calling card. Goalie Leonardo Genoni, the last Worlds MVP, has two shutouts already.
The U.S. – the only undefeated team besides Canada – will battle Sweden in a clash of gold-medal contenders. Remarkably, it is the first time these nations have ever met in an Olympic playoff game. The Americans, who posted a 16-5 goal difference to top Group C, must win to preserve their dream of Olympic gold for the first time since the 1980 “Miracle on Ice” in Lake Placid. They have struggled to triumph in IIHF men’s hockey outside North America. But they ended a 92-year IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship gold-medal drought in 2025 with a 1-0 overtime win over Switzerland, deploying 2026 Olympians like Tage Thompson and Zach Werenski.
Lucas Raymond, ranked second in tournament scoring (eight points), had three assists as Sweden downed Latvia 5-1 in the qualification playoff game. Tre Kronor, who are highly reliable in World Championship quarter-finals, have lost in three of the five “NHL Olympics” quarter-finals (1998, 2002, 2010). They went on to win gold in 2006 and silver in 2014. Here, Sweden’s only preliminary-round loss was 4-1 to Nordic rival Finland.
The Germans, who got three points from Leon Draisaitl in a 5-1 qualification playoff win over France, own just one medal in their post-1990 reunification history: 2018’s silver. That year was the only time Germany has won an Olympic quarter-final since the IIHF instituted the playoff system in 1992.
Canada has won Olympic gold three times (2002, 2010, 2014) in the “NHL Olympics” era and is targeting a fourth title. Perfect in Group A play, the Canadians – paced by tournament scoring leader Connor McDavid (nine points) – have outscored their opponents 20-3, including a 5-1 opening win over the Czechs. This is the first Canada-Czechia meeting in the Olympic playoffs with NHL rosters since the 1998 Czech 2-1 semi-final upset with goalie Dominik Hasek en route to gold in Nagano.
Canada has lost just twice in nine Olympic quarter-finals (2-0 to the Russians in 2006, 2-0 to the Swedes in 2022). Without NHLers, Canada defeated the Czechs 6-4 in the 2018 bronze medal game. The Czechs last medalled here in northern Italy in Turin 2006 (bronze). Martin Necas is tied with Switzerland’s Timo Meier for third in tournament scoring (seven points).
Finland, which won its first Olympic gold medal in 2022, came second here in Group B. It earned a quarter-final bye on goal difference by pounding host Italy 11-0. At “NHL Olympics,” the Finns have won four medals, more than any other nation, including silver (2006) and bronze (1998, 2010, 2014). Top power forward Mikko Rantanen is tied with three other Finns with four points apiece.
Their Swiss opponents, meanwhile, have never won an Olympic quarter-final. Their best placement – sixth – was in Turin 2006. Their stock has risen with back-to-back silver medals at the IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship. Like Finland, defence is their calling card. Goalie Leonardo Genoni, the last Worlds MVP, has two shutouts already.
The U.S. – the only undefeated team besides Canada – will battle Sweden in a clash of gold-medal contenders. Remarkably, it is the first time these nations have ever met in an Olympic playoff game. The Americans, who posted a 16-5 goal difference to top Group C, must win to preserve their dream of Olympic gold for the first time since the 1980 “Miracle on Ice” in Lake Placid. They have struggled to triumph in IIHF men’s hockey outside North America. But they ended a 92-year IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship gold-medal drought in 2025 with a 1-0 overtime win over Switzerland, deploying 2026 Olympians like Tage Thompson and Zach Werenski.
Lucas Raymond, ranked second in tournament scoring (eight points), had three assists as Sweden downed Latvia 5-1 in the qualification playoff game. Tre Kronor, who are highly reliable in World Championship quarter-finals, have lost in three of the five “NHL Olympics” quarter-finals (1998, 2002, 2010). They went on to win gold in 2006 and silver in 2014. Here, Sweden’s only preliminary-round loss was 4-1 to Nordic rival Finland.