Ice hockey at the 2018 Winter Olympics
| Ice hockey at the XXIII Olympic Winter Games | |
 | |
| Venues | Gangneung Hockey Centre Kwandong Hockey Centre |
|---|---|
| Dates | 10–25 February 2018 |
| No. of events | 2 |
| Ice hockey at the 2018 Winter Olympics |
|---|
| Tournament |
| men women |
| Qualification |
| men women |
| Rosters |
| men women |
The ice hockey competitions of the 2018 Winter Olympics will be played at two venues, within the Gangneung Coastal Cluster in Pyeongchang, Korea. The Gangneung Hockey Centre, which will seat 10,000, and the Kwandong Hockey Centre, which will seat 6,000, are both scheduled to be completed in 2016.[1][2] Both venues are international sized (60 meters by 30 meters).
Twelve teams will compete in the men's tournament, which will be held from 13 to 25 February. Eight teams will compete in the women's tournament, from 10 to 22 February.
Men's tournament
The tournament will feature 12 countries, 8 qualifying through the IIHF World Ranking, 3 through subsequent qualifying tournaments, and the host South Korea men's national ice hockey team.[3] The format will be the same as 2010 and 2014; three groups of 4 to determine seeding, with four rounds of elimination games. Each group winner receives a bye into the second round, along with the best second place team while the remaining eight teams play a qualification game. Each quarter-final winner advances to the semis with the winners playing for the gold medal, and the losers the bronze.[4]
It is unknown whether the NHL will eventually agree to allow its players to participate in the tournament. The primary disagreement between the NHL, IIHF and the IOC is who will pay to insure players.[5] The IOC is concerned that if it continues to cover the costs of NHL players, other professional bodies (such as those in basketball, golf, and tennis) will start to demand similar compensation for their athletes when they go to the Winter or Summer Olympics.[6] The IIHF does not have the money to cover the costs themselves, and the NHL says that it is already sacrificing by shutting down its season and risking its players without earning any direct revenues from the Olympics.[5] NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman stated, "We don't make money going to the Olympics. In fact, we kind of disappear for two weeks because historically the IOC hasn't even let us join in promoting our participation in the Olympics."[5]
Qualification
Qualification for the men's tournament at the 2018 Winter Olympics will be determined by the IIHF World Ranking following the 2015 Men's World Ice Hockey Championships.[4] The top eight teams in the World Ranking will receive automatic berths into the Olympics, the host will receive an automatic berth, while all other teams have an opportunity to qualify for the remaining three spots in the Olympics. In April 2014 René Fasel indicated that the Koreans would need a ranking of 18th or better[7] however in September of the same year they apparently changed their policy allowing the hosts to participate automatically while ranking outside the top 20.[8]
Participating nations
Twelve nations will play in three pools. Nations listed below are certain of which group they will play in.
| Group A | Group B | Group C |
|---|---|---|
Women's tournament
The women's tournament will run from 10 to 22 February. Eight nations will contest the gold. The format will be the same as 2014, the top 4 seeded teams play in group A and the next four in group B. The bottom two group A teams played the top 2 teams in group B in the quarter finals, where the winners played either the first or second place team in group A.[4]
Qualification
Qualification for the women's tournament at the 2018 Winter Olympics was determined by the IIHF World Ranking following the 2016 IIHF Women's World Championship. The top five teams in the World Ranking receive automatic berths into the Olympics, South Korea gains direct entry by being host and all other teams have an opportunity to qualify for the remaining two spots in the Olympics.[4]
Participating nations
Eight nations will play in two pools. Nations listed below are certain of which group they will play in.
| Group A | Group B |
|---|---|
|
References
- ↑ "Pyeongchang 2018 Olympics Venues - Ice Sports". Pyeongchang2018.org. Retrieved 14 March 2015.
- ↑ "Pyeongchang 2018 volume 2" (PDF). Pyeongchang2018.org. Retrieved 14 March 2015.
- ↑ "Olympic format set". IIHF.com. Retrieved 14 March 2015.
- 1 2 3 4 "2018 Olympic Winter Games". IIHF.com. Retrieved 14 March 2015.
- 1 2 3 "Olympics and N.H.L. Face Off Over Who Pays to Insure Players". The New York Times. 19 May 2016. Retrieved 21 May 2016.
- ↑ "IOC decides not to cover costs for NHL players at Olympics". Sportsnet. 23 April 2016. Retrieved 21 May 2016.
- ↑ "Fasel, Wu address media". IIHF.com. Retrieved 14 March 2015.
- ↑ "Korea headed to the Olympics". IIHF.com. Retrieved 14 March 2015.
External links
- Olympic qualification schedule, at IIHF.com.
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