Olympic Games Ice hockey tournaments have been staged at the Olympic Games since 1920 . The men ' s tournament was introduced at the 1920 Summer Olympics and was transferred permanently to the Winter Olympic Games programme in 1924 . The women ' s tournament was first held at the 1998 Winter Olympics . The Olympic Games were originally intended for amateur athletes until 1988 , and the National Hockey League ( NHL ) did not allow its players to compete until 1998 . From 1924 to 1988 , the tournament started with a round - robin series of games and ended with the medal round . Medals were awarded based on points accumulated during that round . The games of the tournament follow the rules of the International Ice Hockey Federation ( IIHF ) , which differ slightly from the rules used in the NHL . The tournament follows the World Anti - Doping Agency ' s ( WADA ) rules on Use of performance enhancing drugs and the IIHF maintains a Registered Testing Pool , a list of top players who are subjected to random in - competition and out - of - competition drug tests . Several players have tested positive for banned substances since the 1972 Winter Olympics . In the men ' s tournament , Canada was the most successful team of the first three decades , winning six of seven gold medals . Czechoslovakia , Sweden and the United States were also competitive during this period and won multiple medals . Between 1920 and 1968 , the Olympic hockey tournament was also counted as the Ice Hockey World Championship for that year . The Soviet Union first participated in 1956 and overtook Canada as the dominant international team , winning seven of the nine tournaments in which they participated . The United States won gold medals in 1960 and in 1980 , which included their " Miracle on Ice " upset of the Soviet Union . Canada went 50 years without a gold medal , before winning one in 2002 , and following it up with another in 2010 . Other nations to win gold include Great Britain in 1936 , the Unified Team in 1992 , Sweden in 1994 and 2006 and the Czech Republic ] ] in 1998 . Other medal - winning nations include Switzerland , Germany , Finland and Russia ] ] . In 1986 , the International Olympic Committee ( IOC ) voted to allow all athletes to compete in Olympic Games held after 1988 . The NHL was initially reluctant to allow its players to compete because the Olympics are held in the middle of the NHL season , and the league would have to halt play if many of its players participated . However , NHL players were allowed to compete starting in 1998 . The format of the tournament was adjusted to accommodate the NHL schedule ; a preliminary round was played without NHL players or the top six teams — Canada , the Czech Republic , Finland , Russia , Sweden and the United States — followed by a final round which included them . The tournament format was changed again in 2006 ; every team played five preliminary games with the full use of NHL players . In July 1992 , the IOC voted to approve women ' s hockey as an Olympic event ; it was first held at the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano . The Nagano Organizing Committee was hesitant to include the event because of the additional costs of staging the tournament , but an agreement was reached that limited the field to six teams , and ensured that no additional facilities would be built . The Canadian and American teams have dominated the event , typically losing only to each other . The United States won the first tournament in 1998 , while Canada won in 2002 , 2006 and 2010 . Inception as an Olympic sport . The first Olympic ice hockey tournament took place at the 1920 Summer Olympics in Antwerp , Belgium . At the time , organised international ice hockey was still relatively new . The International Ice Hockey Federation ( IIHF ) , the sport ' s governing body , was created on May 15 , 1908 , under the name " Ligue Internationale de Hockey sur Glace " . At the 1914 Olympic Congress in Paris , ice hockey was added to the list of optional sports that Olympics organisers could include . The decision to include ice hockey for the 1920 Summer Olympics was made in January , three months before the start of the Games . Several occurrences led to the sport ' s inclusion in the programme . Five European nations had committed to participating in the tournament and the managers of Antwerp ' s Palais de Glace stadium refused to allow the building to be used for figure skating unless ice hockey was included . The IIHF considers the 1920 tournament to be the first Ice Hockey World Championship . From then on , the two events occurred concurrently , and every Olympic tournament until 1968 is counted as the World Championship . The Olympic Games were originally intended for amateur athletes , so the players of the National Hockey League ( NHL ) and other professional leagues were not allowed to play . The first Winter Olympic Games were held in 1924 in Chamonix , France . Chapter 1 , article 6 , of the 2007 edition of the Olympic Charter defines winter sports as " sports which are practised on snow or ice " . Ice hockey and figure skating were permanently integrated in the Winter Olympics programme . The IOC made the Winter Games a permanent fixture and they were held the same year as the Summer Games until 1992 . Following that , further Winter Games have been held on the third year of each Olympiad . Events . Men ' s tournament . 1920 Summer Olympics . The men ' s tournament held at the 1920 Summer Olympics was organised by a committee that included future IIHF president Paul Loicq . The tournament used the Bergvall System , in which three rounds were played . The first round was an elimination tournament that determined the gold medal winner . The second round consisted of the teams that were defeated by the gold medal winner ; the winner of that round was awarded the silver medal . The final round was played between teams that had lost to the gold or silver medal winners ; the winner of that round received the bronze medal . The tournament was played from April 23 to April 29 and seven teams participated : Canada Czechoslovakia , the United States , Switzerland , Sweden , France and Belgium . Canada chose to send the Allan Cup - winning Winnipeg Falcons . The Americans began a tournament to determine their representative team but abandoned it , deciding instead to send an all - star team that included four Canadian - born players . The Swedish team consisted of mostly bandy players , many of whom had only started playing hockey in preparation for the tournament . Canada won all three of the team ' s games in the first round and won the gold medal , defeating Sweden in the final and outscoring opponents 27 – 1 . In the two subsequent rounds , the United States and Czechoslovakia won the silver and bronze medals respectively . The Bergvall System was criticised , especially in Sweden , because the Swedish team had to play six games ( winning three ) while the bronze medal winning Czech team only had to play three ( winning one ) . Erik Bergvall , the creator of the system , stated that it was used incorrectly and that a tournament of all of the losing teams from the first round should have been played for the silver medal . Because of these criticisms , the Bergvall System was not used again for ice hockey . 1924 – 1952 . In 1924 , the tournament was played in a round - robin format , consisting of a preliminary round and a medal round . The medals were awarded based on win – loss records during the medal round . This format was used until 1992 , although the number of teams and games played varied slightly . The Toronto Granites , representing Canada , became one of the dominant hockey teams in Olympic history , outscoring opponents 110 – 3 , led by Harry Watson , who scored 36 goals . The United States won silver and Great Britain won bronze . Watson ' s 36 goals remains the tournament record for career goals . He also set the record for career points with 36 ( assists were not counted at the time ) , which was later matched by Vlastimil Bubník of Czechoslovakia , and Valeri Kharlamov of the Soviet Union . In 2010 , Teemu Selänne of Finland broke the record . A game between Canada and Sweden during the 1928 Winter OlympicsEleven teams participated in the 1928 Winter Olympics in St . Moritz , Switzerland . The Canadian team was given a bye to the medal round and won all of its games by a combined score of 38 – 0 . The Swedish and Swiss teams won their first medals — silver and bronze respectively — and a German team participated for the first time , finishing ninth . At the 1932 Winter Olympics , Canada won gold in a tournament that consisted of four teams that played each other twice . Germany won bronze , the nation ' s first medal in the sport . The bronze medal winning 1936 American Olympic team . Two days before the 1936 Winter Olympics in Garmisch - Partenkirchen , Germany , Canadian officials protested that two players on the British team — James Foster and Alex Archer — had played in Canada but transferred without permission to play for clubs in the English National League . The IIHF agreed with Canada , but Great Britain threatened to withdraw the team if the two were barred from competing . To avoid a conflict , Canada withdrew the protest shortly before the Games began . The tournament consisted of four groups and fifteen teams . Great Britain became the first non - Canadian team to win gold ; Canada won silver and the United States bronze . World War II forced the cancellation of the 1940 and 1944 Winter Olympics . During the run - up to the 1948 Winter Olympics in St . Moritz , Switzerland , a conflict broke out between two American ice hockey bodies , the American Hockey Association ( AHA ) and the Amateur Athletic Union ( AAU ) . The AAU , which had run amateur hockey in the United States since 1930 , was expelled by the IIHF in 1947 when it refused to support a team composed of players from the AHA . The AAU stated that the AHA players were " openly paid salaries " ; at the time , the Olympics were strictly for amateur players . The Swiss Olympic Organizing Committee ( SOOC ) had accepted the AHA ' s application , but Avery Brundage of the United States Olympic Committee ( USOC ) threatened to withdraw the entire American team if the AHA participated in the Olympics . The IIHF countered by threatening to withdraw hockey from the Games if the AHA were banned . The IOC suggested that both American teams be banned but the SOOC rejected this proposal . The IOC decided to switch hockey to an unofficial event but relented when a compromise was reached . The AHA team was allowed to compete but would not be considered an official participant or allowed to win a medal . The AHA team finished fourth in the standings . Both Czechoslovakia and Canada won seven games and tied when they played each other . The gold medal winner was determined by goal difference : Canada won the gold because it had an average of 13 . 8 goals per game compared to Czechoslovakia ' s average of 4 . 3 . Czechoslovakia ' s team was quickly improving ; it won the 1947 and 1949 World Championships . At the 1952 Winter Olympics in Oslo , Norway , the gold medal was won by Canada ' s team for the second consecutive Games . It would be the last time that a Canadian team would win a gold medal in hockey for 50 years . The United States won silver and Sweden won bronze . A team from Finland competed for the first time . 1956 – 1976 . The Soviet Union competed in its first World Championship in 1954 , defeating Canada and winning the gold medal . At the 1956 Winter Olympics in Cortina d ' Ampezzo , Italy , the Soviet team ] ] went undefeated and won its first gold medal . Canada ' s team lost to the Soviets and the United States in the medal round , winning the bronze . The 1960 Winter Olympics , in Squaw Valley , United States , saw the first , and to date only , team from Australia compete in the tournament . Canada , the Soviet Union , Czechoslovakia and Sweden were the top four teams heading into the Games , but were all defeated by the American team , which won all seven games en route to its first Olympic gold medal . Canada won the silver medal and the Soviet Union won the bronze . At the 1964 Winter Olympics in Innsbruck , Austria , the Soviet team won all seven of its games , earning the gold medal . Canada finished the tournament with five wins and two losses , putting the team in a three - way tie for second place with Sweden and Czechoslovakia . Before 1964 , the tie - breaking procedure was based on goal difference in games against teams in the medal round ; under that system , Canada would have placed third ahead of the Czechoslovakian team . During the tournament the procedure was changed to take all games into consideration , which meant that the Canadians finished fourth . At the time , the Olympics counted as the World Championships ; under their ( unchanged ) rules , Canada should have received bronze for the World Championships . Soviet domination continued at the 1968 Winter Olympics held in Grenoble , France , as the team won its third gold medal . Czechoslovakia and Canada won the silver and bronze medals . It was the last time that the Olympics were counted as the World Championships . In 1970 , Canada withdrew from international ice hockey competition following a dispute over the use of professional players , and the team did not participate in the 1972 or 1976 Winter Olympics . Led by goaltender Vladislav Tretiak and forwards Valeri Kharlamov , Alexander Yakushev , Vladimir Petrov and Boris Mikhailov , the Soviet team won gold at both the 1972 Games in Sapporo , Japan and 1976 Winter Olympics in Innsbruck , Austria . In 1971 , the United States finished last at the World Championships and was relegated to Pool B . The team qualified for the 1972 Olympics and won silver , making it the first Pool B team to win an Olympic medal . Czechoslovakia won the bronze medal in 1972 . In 1976 , Czechoslovakia won the silver and West Germany ] ] won bronze . Along with Canada , the Swedish , East German and Norwegian teams did not participate in the 1976 tournament in protest of their inability to use professional players . 1980 : The " Miracle on Ice " . The Winter Olympics returned to Lake Placid , New York in 1980 . Twelve teams participated in the tournament , including Canada for the first time since 1968 . The Soviet Union entered the tournament as heavy favourites and were considered natural rivals with the American team due to the Cold Wa . The Americans , coached by Herb Brooks and consisting mainly of college students , tied Sweden and scored an upset win over Czechoslovakia in the preliminary round . They finished with four wins and a tie and advanced to the medal round , which also consisted of Sweden , Finland and the Soviet Union . The tournament became most famous for the " Miracle on Ice " , the February 22 medal - round game between the Soviet Union and the United States that took place at the Olympic Center ( now known as the Herb Brooks Arena ) . The Soviets scored first , then took a 2 – 1 lead , but the Americans tied the game with one second left in the first period . In the second period , Soviet goaltender Vladislav Tretiak was replaced by Vladimir Myshkin . The Soviets regained the lead early in the second period but the Americans kept the game close thanks to the goaltending of Jim Craig . In the final period , the Americans tied the game and captain Mike Eruzione scored with exactly 10 minutes to play in the contest to give the Americans a 4 – 3 lead . Craig withstood another series of Soviet shots to finish the match with the win . In the final seconds of the game , American Broadcasting Company sportscaster Al Michaels delivered his famous line : " Do you believe in miracles ? Yes ! " A common misconception is that the Americans won gold the night they beat the Soviets . However , the medals were awarded based on points accumulated against teams that made the medal round . The Americans did not win the gold until February 24 , when they defeated Finland 4 – 2 and finished the tournament undefeated . The Soviets defeated Sweden and won the silver ; Sweden won the bronze . In 2008 , the IIHF picked the Miracle on Ice as the top international hockey story of the past 100 years . 1984 – 1994 . At the 1984 Winter Olympics in Sarajevo , Yugoslavia , the Soviet Union won its sixth gold medal . Czechoslovakia and Sweden won the silver and bronze medals . The 1988 Winter Olympics were held in Calgary , Alberta , Canada , where the Soviet team captured its seventh and final gold medal . The Soviets ' last Olympic game was a loss to Finland . The Finnish team was not considered a serious medal contender — it had competed in the World Championships since 1939 and had not won a single medal . However , Finland upset the Soviets 2 – 1 and won silver . The IIHF decided to change the tournament format because in several cases , the gold medal winner had been decided before the final day of play . During a congress in 1990 , the IIHF introduced a playoff system . The new system was used at the 1992 Winter Olympics in Albertville , France . Preliminary round - robin games were held and followed by an eight - team cup - system style medal round that culminated in a gold medal game . Before 1989 , players who lived in the Soviet Union , Czechoslovakia , and other nations behind the Iron Curtain were not allowed to leave and play in the NHL . Soviet officials agreed to allow players to leave following the 1989 World Championships . Many of the Soviet Union ' s top players left to play in the NHL , including the entire " Green Unit " — Igor Larionov , Viacheslav Fetisov , Vladimir Krutov , Sergei Makarov and Alexei Kasatonov . The Soviet Union dissolved in December 1991 . Nine former Soviet states became part of the IIHF and started competing internationally , including Belarus , Kazakhstan , Latvia and Ukraine . At the 1992 Olympics , Armenia , Belarus , Kazakhstan , Russia , Ukraine and Uzbekistan competed as one entity , known as the Unified Team . In the final , the Unified Team defeated Canada to win gold while Czechoslovakia won the bronze . Czechoslovakia split into the Czech Republic and Slovakia in January 1993 . The IIHF recognized the Czech Republic as the successor to Czechoslovakia , allowing the team to retain its position in the top World Championship division , while Slovakia started in the lowest division ( Pool C ) in 1994 and was forced to work its way up . Both nations competed in the tournament at the 1994 Winter Olympics , as did Russia . Slovakia and Finland both finished the preliminary round undefeated . Slovakia lost their medal round quarter - final game to Russia , who later lost to Finland in the bronze medal game . In the gold medal game between Sweden and Canada , both teams finished regulation and overtime play with a 2 – 2 tie . In the resulting shootout , the first in Olympic competition , both nations scored two goals , which resulted in a sudden death shootout . Peter Forsberg of Sweden scored one of the most famous goals in Olympic history by faking a forehand shot , then sliding a one - handed backhand shot past goaltender Corey Hirsch . Canada ' s final shooter did not score and Sweden won the game and its first gold medal . 1998 – 2010 . In 1995 , an agreement to allow NHL players to participate in Olympics was reached between the IOC , IIHF , NHL , and NHL Players ' Association ( NHLPA ) . The format of the 1998 tournament was adjusted to accommodate the NHL ' s schedule . On February 7 , a preliminary round without NHL players or the " Big Six " teams ( Canada , the Czech Republic , Finland , Russia , Sweden and the United States ) began . The NHL had games on that day , but then halted play for the next 17 days to allow participating players to fly to Japan and recover from fatigue . The tournament format drew criticism for not allowing all teams the full use of their NHL players during the entire event . The top six teams were given a bye to the final round and began play on February 13 . Canada , considered a pre - tournament favourite , was upset in the semi - final round by the Czech Republic and then lost the bronze medal game to Finland . Led by goaltender Dominik Hašek , the Czech team defeated Russia , winning its first gold medal in the sport . During the tournament , Swedish player Ulf Samuelsson was discovered to have applied for American citizenship . Under Swedish law , when one acquires a foreign passport , their citizenship is annulled . Samuelsson was ejected after having played the first game against Belarus , although Sweden kept their points from the win . The Czech National Olympic Committee felt that Sweden should lose the points and filed a protest with the Court of Arbitration for Sport , which was rejected . Following the tournament , NHL commissioner Gary Bettman commented that it " was what we had predicted and hoped for from a pure hockey perspective , [ it was ] a wonderful tournament " . The same tournament format was used at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City , United States . The NHL ' s Olympic break did not start until the second week of the Games . Because the Olympics were in the United States , where the majority of NHL teams are located , teams participating in the preliminary tournament were allowed to use NHL players who were not obligated to play with their NHL club . Slovakia was particularly affected by the inability to use all of its NHL players , and the team failed to advance to the final round . Three months later , Slovakia won gold at the 2002 World Championships . Finnish centre Raimo Helminen became the first ice hockey player to compete in six tournaments . In the quarter - finals , Belarus defeated Sweden in one of the biggest upsets since the Miracle on Ice . The team advanced to the bronze medal game , but lost to Russia . The Canadian team rebounded from a disappointing first round and defeated the American team in the gold medal game , winning their first Gold Medal in 50 years . The tournament format was adjusted for 2006 . The NHL went on hiatus for the duration of the games , allowing all players to compete . The number of teams was lowered to 12 ; the top six teams did not get a bye and played five preliminary round games . Sweden won the gold medal over Finland and the Czech Republic won the bronze medal . Three months later , Sweden won the 2006 World Championships and became the first team to win the Olympic and World Championship gold in the same year . The 2010 Winter Olympics were held in Vancouver , Canada , the first time since NHL players were allowed to compete that the Olympics were held in a city with an NHL team . For the first time , Olympic games were played on a narrower NHL - sized ice rink , measuring 61 metres × 26 metres ( 200 ft × 85 ft ) , instead of the international size of 61 m × 30 m ( 200 ft × 98 . 5 ft ) . This change saved an expected $ 10 million ( CAD ) in construction costs and allowed more spectators to attend games . Games were played at the UBC Winter Sports Centre and General Motors Place , which was renamed Canada Hockey Place during the event because corporate sponsorship is not allowed for an Olympic venue . Twelve teams qualified for the men ' s event and were split into three groups of four teams . At the NHL ' s request , the number of preliminary games was lowered to three . Following the completion of the preliminary round , all teams were ranked 1 through 12 based on points . The top four ranked teams received byes to the quarter - finals , and the other eight teams played for the remaining four positions . Following that , the final eight teams competed in a playoff . Teemu Selänne of Finland scored his 37th point , breaking the record of 36 first set by Canadian Harry Watson in 1924 and later tied by Vlastimil Bubník of Czechoslovakia , and Valeri Kharlamov of the Soviet Union . Slovakia made the final four for the first time , but lost the bronze medal game to Finland . In the gold medal game , Canada and the United States ended regulation play with a 2 - 2 tie , making it only the second Olympic gold medal match to go into overtime . Canadian player Sidney Crosby scored the winning goal seven minutes into overtime play to give Canada its eighth gold medal in men ' s hockey . Women ' s tournament . Addition to the programme . At the 99th IOC Session in July 1992 , the IOC voted to approve women ' s hockey as an Olympic event beginning with the 1998 Winter Olympics as part of their effort to increase the number of female athletes at the Olympics . Women ' s hockey had not been in the programme when Nagano , Japan had won the right to host the Olympics , and the decision required approval by the Nagano Winter Olympic Organizing Committee ( NWOOC ) . The NWOOC was initially hesitant to include the event because of the additional costs of staging the tournament and because they felt their team , which had failed to qualify for that year ' s World Championships , could not be competitive . According to Glynis Peters , the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association ' s ( CAHA ) head of female hockey , " the Japanese would have to finance an entirely new sports operation to bring their team up to Olympic standards in six years , which they were also really reluctant to do . " In November 1992 , the NWOOC and IOC Coordination Committee reached an agreement to include a women ' s ice hockey tournament in the programme . Part of the agreement was that the tournament would be limited to six teams , and no additional facilities would be built . The CAHA also agreed to help build and train the Japanese team so that it could be more competitive . The IOC had agreed that if the NWOOC had not approved the event , it would be held at the 2002 Winter Olympics . The format of the first tournament was similar to the men ' s : preliminary round - robin games followed by a medal round playoff . 1998 – 2010 . Before 1998 , women ' s hockey had been dominated by Canada . Canadian teams had won every World Championship up to that point ; however , by 1997 , the American team had improved and was evenly matched with Canada . In thirteen games played between the two teams in 1997 , Canada won seven and the United States won six . The 1998 Olympic tournament also included teams from Finland , Sweden , China and host Japan . Canada and the United States dominated the round - robin portion . In their head - to - head match , the United States overcame a 4 – 1 deficit to win 7 – 4 . The two teams met in the final , which the United States won 3 – 1 to become the third American ice hockey team to win Olympic gold . A women ' s preliminary round game between Sweden and the United States in 2002For the 2002 Winter Olympics , the number of teams was increased to eight and Russia , Germany and Kazakhstan qualified for the first time . The Canadian and American teams went undefeated in the first round and semi - finals , setting up a gold medal rematch that the Canadian team won 3 – 2 . Following the game , members of the Canadian team accused the Americans of stomping on a Canadian flag in their dressing room , although an investigation later proved the rumour false . The Swedish team won the bronze medal over Finland , the nation ' s first in women ' s ice hockey . In 2006 , Italy and Switzerland participated for the first time . The Italian team , at the time ranked 17th in the world , had qualified because Italy was the host nation . They were outscored 32 – 1 in three games and IIHF president René Fasel declared his intention to make future tournaments more competitive and not allow host nations to automatically qualify . The Canadian team started the tournament by outscoring opponents 36 – 1 over three games . American defenceman Angela Ruggiero accused the team of running up the score and warned that the event ' s Olympic status could be called into question due to a perceived lack of competitive teams . In response , René Fasel stated that other women ' s teams were improving and that there was similar dominance in the early years of the men ' s tournament but the sport continued to grow . He added , " I promise you that it won ' t take the [ Swedish ] women 64 years to win " — in reference to the Swedish men ' s team inability to defeat Canada in Olympic play until 1984 ( the Swedish women ' s team defeated Canada for the first time at the 2008 4 Nations Cup ) . In its semi - final game , the American team was upset by Sweden , marking the first time that it had lost to an opponent other than Canada . The upset drew comparisons to the Miracle on Ice from 1980 . In the medal games , Canada defeated Sweden to claim its second consecutive gold medal , while the Americans beat Finland to win the bronze . The medal ceremony for the women ' s tournament at the 2010 Winter Olympics , left to right : the United States ( silver ) , Canada ( gold ) and Finland ( bronze ) . In 2010 , eight teams participated , including Slovakia for the first time . The Canadian and American teams outscored opponents in the preliminary round by 41 - 2 and 31 - 1 margins , respectively . This brought on more criticism about uneven competition . IOC president Jacques Rogge said , " There is a discrepancy there , everyone agrees with that . This is maybe the investment period in women ' s ice hockey . I would personally give them more time to grow but there must be a period of improvement . We cannot continue without improvement . " Swedish team coach Peter Elander said it is hard for other nations to compete because of a lack of funding and a smaller pool of players to choose from . He said , " The finances for all teams have to be the same . . . . If you want to have a close tournament in Sochi ( for the 2014 Olympics ) , have ( comparable ) national programs in all countries . " Some critics suggested that a mercy rule be implemented to prevent such lopsided scores . René Fasel said the IIHF would consider adding one . A number of coaches , including Chinese team coach Hannu Saintula , whose team was defeated 12 - 1 by the Americans , stated that they were against the idea . In the gold medal game , Canada defeated the United States 2 - 0 to win their third consecutive gold . The Finnish team won the bronze medal , their first since 1998 Rules . Qualification . Since 1976 , 12 teams have participated in the men ' s tournament , except in 1998 and 2002 , when the number was raised to 14 . The number of teams has ranged from 4 ( in 1932 ) to 16 ( in 1964 ) . After the NHL allowed its players to compete at the 1998 Winter Olympics , the " Big Six " teams ( Canada , the Czech Republic , Finland , Russia , Sweden and the United States ) were given automatic qualification and byes to the final round . The number of teams was increased to 14 so that a preliminary round - robin tournament consisting of eight teams could be held . The top two teams from the preliminary round ( Belarus and Kazakhstan ) joined the " Big Six " in the finals . A similar system was used in 2002 . For the following tournament , the number of teams was lowered to 12 so that all teams played fewer games . Qualification for the men ' s tournament at the 2010 Winter Olympics was structured around the 2008 IIHF World Ranking . Twelve spots were made available for teams . The top nine teams in the World Ranking after the 2008 Men ' s World Ice Hockey Championships received automatic berths . Teams ranked 10th through 30th had an opportunity to qualify for the event . Teams ranked 19th through 30th played in a first qualification round in November 2008 . The top three teams from the round advanced to the second qualification round , joined by teams ranked 10th through 18th . The top three teams from this round advanced to the Olympic tournament . The women ' s tournament uses a similar qualification format . The top six teams in the IIHF Women ' s World Ranking after the 2008 Women ' s World Ice Hockey Championships received automatic berths . Teams ranked 13th and below were divided into two groups for a first qualification round in September 2008 . The two group winners advanced to the second qualification round , where the teams ranked seventh through twelfth joined them . Players . Eligibility . The IIHF lists the following requirements for a player to be eligible to play in international tournaments : If a player who has never played in an IIHF competition changes their citizenship , they must participate in national competitions in their new country for at least two consecutive years and have an international transfer card ( ITC ) . If a player who has previously played in an IIHF tournament wishes to change their national team , they must have played in their new country for four years . A player can only do this once . The original IOC rules stated that an athlete that had already played for one nation could not later change nations under any circumstances . Use of professional players . Pierre de Coubertin , founder of the IOC , was influenced by the ethos of the aristocracy as exemplified in the Independent school ( UK ) | English public schools . The public schools subscribed to the belief that sport formed an important part of education and there was a prevailing concept of fairness in which practicing or training was considered cheating . As class structure evolved through the 20th century , the definition of the amateur athlete as an aristocratic gentleman became outdated . The advent of the state - sponsored " full - time amateur athlete " of the Eastern Bloc countries further eroded the ideology of the pure amateur , as it put the self - financed amateurs of the Western countries at a disadvantage . The Soviet Union entered teams of athletes who were all nominally students , soldiers , or working in a profession , but many of whom were in reality paid by the state to train on a full - time basis . Nevertheless , the IOC held to the traditional rules regarding amateurism . The Canadian Amateur Hockey Association ( CAHA ) felt their amateur players could no longer be competitive against the Soviet team ' s full - time athletes and the other constantly improving European teams . They pushed for the ability to use players from professional leagues but met opposition from the IIHF and IOC . Avery Brundage , president of the IOC from 1952 to 1972 , was opposed to the idea of amateur and professional players competing together . At the IIHF Congress in 1969 , the IIHF decided to allow Canada to use nine non - NHL professional hockey players at the 1970 World Championships in Montreal and Winnipeg , Canada . The decision was reversed in January 1970 after Brundage said that ice hockey ' s status as an Olympic sport would be in jeopardy if the change was made . In response , Canada withdrew from international ice hockey competition and officials stated that they would not return until " open competition " was instituted . Günther Sabetzki became president of the IIHF in 1975 and helped to resolve the dispute with the CAHA . In 1976 , the IIHF agreed to allow " open competition " between all players in the World Championships . However , NHL players were still not allowed to play in the Olympics , because of the unwillingness of the NHL to take a break mid - season and the IOC ' s amateur - only policy . Before the 1984 Winter Olympics , a dispute formed over what made a player a professional . The IOC had adopted a rule that made any player who had signed an NHL contract but played less than ten games in the league eligible . However , the United States Olympic Committee maintained that any player contracted with an NHL team was a professional and therefore not eligible to play . The IOC held an emergency meeting that ruled NHL - contracted players were eligible , as long as they had not played in any NHL games . This made five players on Olympic rosters — one Austrian , two Italians and two Canadians — ineligible . Players who had played in other professional leagues — such as the World Hockey Association — were allowed to play . Canadian hockey official Alan Eagleson stated that the rule was only applied to the NHL and that professionally contracted players in European leagues were still considered amateurs . Murray Costello of the CAHA suggested that a Canadian withdrawal was possible . In 1986 , the IOC voted to allow all athletes to compete in Olympic Games starting in 1988 , but let the individual sport federations decide if they wanted to allow professionals . NHL participation . The NHL decided not to allow all players to participate in 1988 , 1992 or 1994 because the Winter Olympics typically occur in February , during the league ' s regular season . To allow participation , the NHL would have been forced to take a break in its schedule . In 1992 , National Basketball Association ( NBA ) players participated in the 1992 Summer Olympics . 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The deal was officially announced by the NHL on October 2 , 1995 . Bettman said : " We ' re doing this to build the game of hockey , pure and simple , we think whatever benefits are recouped , it will end up making this game bigger , stronger and healthier . " [ [ Image : Slovakia men ' s ice hockey team in 2002 . jpg | left | 200px | thumb | In 2002 , Slovakia ' s team ( " pictured " ) was affected by NHL ' s late - season break as they were denied the full use of their top players in the preliminary round . ] ] The [ [ 2004 – 05 NHL season ] ] was locked out and eventually [ [ 2004 – 05 NHL lockout | cancelled ] ] because of a labour dispute between the league and its players . In January 2005 , Bettman commented that he was hesitant to allow league participation in the Olympics because he did not like the idea of stopping play mid - season after the cancellation of the previous season . The lockout was resolved in July 2005 and the newly negotiated [ [ NHL Collective Bargaining Agreement ] ] allowed league participation in the [ [ 2006 Winter Olympics | 2006 ] ] and [ [ 2010 Winter Olympics ] ] . Some NHL team owners were against their players participating in the tournament because of concerns about injury or exhaustion . [ [ Philadelphia Flyers ] ] owner [ [ Ed Snider ] ] commented that " I ' m a believer in the Olympics and I think it ' s good for the NHL to participate , having said that , the people who participate should be the ones who are absolutely healthy . " Some NHL players used the break as an opportunity to rest and did not participate in the tournament , and several players were injured during the Olympics and were forced to miss NHL games . Bettman said that several format changes were being discussed so that the tournament would be " a little easier for everybody " . being held in Russia , a number of Russian NHL players , including [ [ Alexander Ovechkin ] ] , have stated that they will play in the tournament with or without the NHL ' s approval . < / a > , it has not yet been decided if the NHL will participate in the 2014 Winter Olympics in Russia . A deal will have to be negotiated between the NHL and NHLPA in the Collective Bargaining Agreement . NHL management is hesitant to commit to the tournament ; Bettman argues the Olympic break is a " strain on the players , on the schedule and on fans " , adding that " the benefits we get tend to be greater when the Olympics are in North America than when they ' re in distant time zones . " According to Bettman , most of the NHL team owners agree with his position , and feel that the league does not receive enough benefits to justify the schedule break and risk of player injuries . René Fasel wants NHL participation and vowed that he would " work day and night to have NHL players in Sochi " . At a October 2008 press conference , then - NHLPA executive director Paul Kelly stated that the players want to return to the Olympics and will try to include the ability in the next agreement . Russian NHL players Alexander Ovechkin and Evgeni Malkin have stated that they want to participate in the tournament and will do so without the permission of the NHL , if necessary . Paul Kelly also believes that the NHL ' s strained relationship with the Ice Hockey Federation of Russia and the Kontinental Hockey League ( KHL ) could affect participation . In a 2009 interview , KHL president Alexander Medvedev claimed that the unwillingness of NHL officials to immediately commit to the Sochi Games was " an instrument of pressure " to force a transfer agreement between the two leagues . Game rules . At the first tournament in 1920 , there were many differences from the modern game : games were played outdoors on natural ice , forward passes were not allowed , the rink ( which had been intended to be used only for figure skating ) was 56 m × 18 m ( 165 ft × 58 . 5 ft ) and two 20 - minute periods were played . Each team had seven players on the ice , the extra position being the rover . Following the tournament , the IIHF held a congress and decided to adopt the Canadian rules — six men per side and three periods of play . The tournaments follow the rules used by the IIHF . At the 1969 IIHF Congress , officials voted to allow body - checking in all three zones in a rink similar to the NHL . Before that , body - checking was only allowed in the defending zone in international hockey . Several other rule changes were implemented in the early 1970s : players were required to wear helmets starting in 1970 , and goaltender mask s became mandatory in 1972 . In 1992 , the IIHF switched to using a playoff system to determine medalists and decided that tie games in the medal round would be decided in a shootout . In 1998 , the IIHF passed a rule that allowed two - line passes . Before then , the neutral zone trap had slowed the game down and reduced scoring . The current IIHF rules differ slightly from the rules used in the NHL . One difference between NHL and IIHF rules is standard rink dimensions : the NHL rink is narrower , measuring 61 m × 26 m ( 200 ft × 85 ft ) , instead of the international size of 61 m × 30 m ( 200 ft × 98 . 5 ft ) The larger international size allows for a faster and less physical style of play . Another rule difference between the NHL and the IIHF rules concerns how icing is called . In the NHL , a linesman stops play due to icing if a defending player ( other than the goaltender ) touches the puck before an attacking player is able to , in contrast to the IIHF rules in which play is stopped the moment the puck crosses the goal line . The NHL and IIHF also differ in penalty rules . The NHL calls five - minute major penalties for more dangerous infractions of the rules , such as fighting , in addition to the minor and double minor penalties called in IIHF games . This is in contrast to the IIHF rule , by which players who fight are ejected from the game . Beginning with the 2005 – 06 season , the NHL instituted several new rules . Some were already used by the IIHF , such as the shootout and the two - line pass . Others were not picked up by the IIHF , such as those requiring smaller goaltender equipment and the addition of the goaltender trapezoid to the rink . However , the IIHF did agree to follow the NHL ' s league ' s zero - tolerance policy on obstruction and required referees to call more hooking , holding , and interference penalties . Each team is allowed to have between 15 and 20 skaters ( forwards and defencemen ) and two or three goaltenders , all of whom must be citizens of the nation they play for . Banned substances . The IIHF follows the World Anti - Doping Agency ' s ( WADA ) regulations on Use of performance enhancing drugs in sport | performance - enhancing drug . The IIHF maintains a Registered Testing Pool , a list of top players who are subjected to random in - competition and out - of - competition drug tests . According to the WADA , a positive in - competition test results in disqualification of the player and a suspension that varies based on the number of offences . When a player tests positive , the rest of their team is subjected to testing ; another positive test can result in a disqualification of the entire team . In 2001 , the United States Olympic Committee ( USOC ) pushed for American NHL players who were potential Olympians to be subject to random drug tests . The USOC requires all Olympic - bound athletes to be randomly tested by the United States Anti - Doping Agency , but had exempted NHL players in 1998 . The NHL preferred a more uniform method , in which all players would undergo the same number of tests from the WADA . An agreement was reached that the WADA would start testing players after the NHL playoffs were finished . In late 2005 , two NHL players who had been listed as potential Olympians failed drug tests administered by the WADA . American Bryan Berard , who had competed in the 1998 Winter Olympics , tested positive for 19 - Norandrosterone . Canadian José Théodore failed a drug test because he was taking Finasteride | Propecia , a hair loss medication that contains the non - performance enhancing drug Finasteride . Both players received two - year bans from international competition , although neither had made their team ' s final roster . Statistics . Medal winners . Main article : List of Olympic medalists in ice hockey Medal table . This is the all - time count of medals won in ice hockey at the Olympics , including both the men ' s and women ' s tournaments .