Ice hockey at the 2022 Winter Olympics
Two venues, expanded women's field, no NHL players.
The ice hockey events at the 2022 Winter Olympics took place in two arenas in the Beijing area. The Beijing National Indoor Stadium, which holds 18,000 people, is located in the Olympic Green, while the Wukesong Arena seats 10,000. Both venues were originally constructed for the 2008 Summer Games. The men’s competition included 12 nations, and the women’s tournament featured 10 teams for the first time, two more than in 2018. Two medal events were held, one for men and one for women.
- Venues
- Beijing National Indoor Stadium (18,000 seats) and Wukesong Arena (10,000 seats)
- Men's teams
- 12
- Women's teams
- 10
- Men's format
- Three groups of four, then elimination rounds
- Women's format
- Six qualifiers via IIHF World Ranking, plus host and three qualifiers
- NHL participation
- NHL players did not participate due to COVID-19 schedule changes
Lore & Background
The men's tournament featured twelve countries: eight qualified through the IIHF World Ranking, host China, and three through qualifying tournaments. The format remained the same as the previous three Olympics: three groups of four played round-robin games to determine seeding, followed by four rounds of elimination. Each group winner received a bye into the second round, along with the highest-ranked remaining team. The remaining eight teams played a qualification game to advance to the quarter-finals. Due to the cancellation of the 2020 Men's Ice Hockey World Championships, groups were established on 24 April 2020 using IIHF world rankings. The NHL initially agreed to allow players to compete on 3 September 2021, but on 22 December 2021 the NHL and NHLPA announced that NHL players would not participate because COVID-19 had forced approximately 50 games to be postponed, and the league used the Olympic break to reschedule those games.
Reader's Guide
The 2022 Winter Olympics ice hockey tournaments are notable for the expansion of the women's field to ten teams for the first time, an increase of two from 2018. The men's tournament was significantly affected by the absence of NHL players, a decision announced on 22 December 2021 due to COVID-19-related schedule disruptions. Both venues—the Beijing National Indoor Stadium and Wukesong Arena—were repurposed from the 2008 Summer Olympics, highlighting the reuse of Olympic infrastructure. The men's team from China, lacking domestic ice hockey talent, recruited players from abroad, including eleven Canadians, nine Chinese, three Americans, and a Russian. The women's qualification was complicated by the cancellation of the 2020 Women's Ice Hockey World Championships, forcing the use of seeding from unplayed tournaments. These games represent a unique moment in Olympic ice hockey history, shaped by pandemic-related changes and the continued growth of the women's tournament.
Did You Know?
- The women's tournament expanded to 10 teams for the first time, an increase of two from 2018.
- NHL players were initially allowed to compete on 3 September 2021, but were later withdrawn on 22 December 2021 due to COVID-19 schedule changes.
- The men's Chinese team included eleven Canadians, nine Chinese, three Americans, and a Russian.
- Both venues were originally constructed for the 2008 Summer Olympics.
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