The men's hockey tournament at the 2026 Winter Olympics starts Wednesday, marking the return of NHL players to the Games for the first time since 2014.
Canada's loaded roster of superstars is the betting favorite to win the gold medal, having previously triumphed with NHLers in 2010 and 2014. The Canadians are +115 (46.5% implied probability) to earn gold on theScore Bet.
Sidney Crosby, Connor McDavid, and Nathan MacKinnon headline Canada's roster, a group similar to the one that won the inaugural 4 Nations Face-off last February in overtime against the United States.
Speaking of the USA, it's second on the oddsboard at +190, creating a clear top-two teams contending for gold. The odds of Canada and the U.S. reaching the gold-medal game are +141, implying a 41.5% chance of a rematch of the 2010 final in Vancouver.
🥇 Gold medal winner
| Country | Gold Medal Odds | To reach final |
|---|---|---|
| Canada | +115 | -225 |
| USA | +190 | -150 |
| Sweden | +750 | +170 |
| Finland | +1600 | +300 |
| Czechia | +3000 | +500 |
| Switzerland | +4000 | +900 |
| Slovakia | +10000 | +2500 |
| Germany | +10000 | +3000 |
| Denmark | +30000 | +10000 |
| Latvia | +30000 | +10000 |
| France | +60000 | +20000 |
| Italy | +75000 | +20000 |
🏒 Check out all of the Olympic hockey odds available at theScore Bet here
The United States will be led by captain Auston Matthews, brothers Brady and Matthew Tkachuk, Jack Eichel, and stout goaltending from reigning Vezina Trophy winner Connor Hellebuyck. While they may not be as deep as Team Canada on paper, the Americans are flush with talent at all positions and could easily steal the gold from their northern rivals.
Canada is a heavy -425 favorite to win Group A over Czechia, Switzerland, and France. The United States has an even easier group, according to the odds, as -1000 favorites over Germany, Latvia, and Denmark.
Sweden is the third favorite to claim gold, but it's only -160 to win Group B with rival Finland as its stiffest competition. Slovakia and Italy round out the pod.
🏆 Tourmanent MVP
| Player (Country) | Odds |
|---|---|
| Connor McDavid (CAN) | +550 |
| Nathan MacKinnon (CAN) | +800 |
| Macklin Celebrini (CAN) | +1600 |
| Auston Matthews (USA) | +1800 |
| Connor Hellebuyck (USA) | +2500 |
| Jack Eichel (USA) | +2500 |
| Logan Thompson (CAN) | +2500 |
| Cale Makar (CAN) | +3000 |
| Juuse Saros (FIN) | +3000 |
| Sidney Crosby (CAN) | +3000 |
| Brady Tkachuk (USA) | +3500 |
| Filip Gustavsson (SWE) | +4000 |
| Matthew Tkachuk (USA) | +4000 |
| Quinn Hughes (USA) | +4000 |
| William Nylander (SWE) | +4000 |
| Zach Werenski (USA) | +4000 |
🏒 Check out the full list of tournament MVP odds available at theScore Bet here
McDavid and Mackinnon are the favorites to win the tournament's MVP award. Macklin Celebrini, who practiced on Canada's top line with McDavid, is a distant third at +1600. As the youngest player on Team Canada, Celebrini appears to be stepping into a big role and is a decent bet to lead the tournament in goals at +2500. Playing alongside McDavid should create a ton of scoring chances for the 19-year-old.
Hellebuyck is a solid option to win MVP at +2500 if you like the USA's chances of taking gold. Much of the narrative around the U.S. centers around its prolific goaltending, and if Hellebuyck stands on his head on route to a win over Canada in the gold-medal game, it'll be hard for voters to ignore.
The tournament begins Wednesday with a matchup between Finland and Slovakia, followed by Sweden versus Italy. On Thursday, Canada opens its tourney against Czechia, while the USA takes on Latvia.
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