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Men’s Olympic Ice Hockey Odds: Team Canada Favored, NHL Players Concerned With Unfinished Arena

Jeff Hawkins Written by Sports EditorJeff Hawkins
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Men’s Olympic Ice Hockey Odds: Team Canada Favored, NHL Players Concerned With Unfinished Arena

The December words of NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly reverberated throughout international hockey circles. 

During the NHL’s annual Board of Governors meetings in Colorado Springs, Colo., the construction of the Olympic ice hockey arena in Milan, Italy, remained a top topic of conversation. 

To update: Santagiulia Arena is not done and will not be when the 2026 Winter Olympic Games begin in February. 

Noting concerns regarding an ice surface initially built with incorrect dimensions, Daly said: “If the players believe that ice isn’t safe, then we’re not going to play. It’s as simple as that.” 

Well, not so simple, considering the NHL players were slated to come out of their 12-year Olympic hiatus. Solving many of the owners’ and players’ hurdles, such as commercial licensing rights, insurance, and travel accommodations, the NHL and NHLPA agreed to alter the regular season and go dark for three weeks and strike a deal with the IIHF and IOC last July. Several of North America’s top ice technicians were sent to Italy to help ensure the players’ safety. 

The rink may be three feet shorter than what the NHL players called for, but the Milan-Cortina Games will go on and feature stars like the Hughes brothers and Tkachuk brothers, Nathan MacKinnon and Sidney Crosby, who seeks his third Gold Medal at 38 years old with favored Team Canada. 

Led by MacKinnon, the NHL’s second-leading scorer, the Canadians (+140) received the top sports-betting odds to capture the Gold Medal, according to ESPN. Backed by Jack and Quinn Hughes and Brady and Matthew Tkachuk, Team USA (+200) received the second-best odds. 

The men’s Olympic ice hockey tournament is scheduled to begin at an unfinished complex Feb. 11. The Gold Medal game will be Feb. 22. 

Men’s Olympic Ice Hockey Odds

Here is a look at the men’s Olympic ice hockey odds to win the Gold Medal during the upcoming Milan Games, according to ESPN.com:

Teams Men’s Olympic Ice Hockey Odds
Team Canada +140
Team USA +200
Team Sweden +500
Team Finland +900
Team Czechia 12-1
Team Switzerland 16-1
Team Slovakia 80-1
Team Germany 80-1
Team Latvia  250-1
Team Denmark 250-1
Team Italy  400-1
Team France 400-1

Jeff Hawkins Written by Sports EditorJeff Hawkins
Jeff Hawkins is an award-winning sportswriter with more than four decades in the industry, in both print and digital media. He joined the Sportscasting team in 2021 following a decade of freelancing. He spent his early career as a reporter for various newspapers in Illinois, New York, Florida, North Carolina, and Michigan, with a particular emphasis as a beat reporter for the Chicago Blackhawks. Jeff earned his bachelor's degree in journalism from Oakland University. Over the course of his career he earned several sports writing awards, including two national awards from the Associated Press Sports Editors for column writing and news reporting. One of the five prized columns included a commentary on NASCAR's increasing corporate influences, particularly in northern racetracks — commentary which you might find Jeff building on as part of the Motorsports writing team at Sportscasting now.  
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