A Quick Guide to Ice Hockey at the Olympics

Ice hockey is one sport that many follow with interest at the Olympics. With both a men’s and women’s tournament to follow, it always promises to be packed with dynamic moments and plenty of amazing plays. Here are some of the best ways that you can keep up with hockey at the Olympics.

Find Out the Game Schedule

Whether you are supporting a European team or just following along with the tournament for the fun of it, you need to make sure that you know what the game schedule is like. By heading to a trusted sports bet site, you can not only find out when the matches will be taking place but also which team is favoured to win. Though this is never a guarantee of who could grab the win, it could still give you some insight into how the match might go.

Time Zone Issues

Being based in Europe with an Olympics taking place in Beijing is not the most ideal when it comes to keeping up with matches. Many of the games are taking place in the early hours of the morning, meaning that you are not going to be able to tune in for them live. Therefore, you might decide to keep up with them another way.

Your broadcaster for the Olympics might have many of the games available on catch-up. If there is a match that you want to watch – even if you know the results – then you should check their catch-up service to see what you can find. You should also think about setting up news alerts, so you have the scores ready and waiting for you when you wake up.

How Does the Tournament Work?

The hockey tournament at the Olympics is quite straightforward. Twelve nations have been chosen to compete – the hosts Beijing, the four continental trophy winners, and seven qualifiers. These have been split into two groups of six to compete in a round-robin format. The top-four teams of each group then pass onto the quarterfinals and towards the medal matches.

Who Should We Be Watching for?

No matter the sport at the Olympics, there will always be favourites worth keeping an eye on. Even if you have no intention of supporting the team, it can still be a good idea to watch them to see what happens.

Canada will be an obvious favourite. They currently sit atop the men’s world rankings and second in the women’s. Winning back-to-back Men’s Golds in Vancouver 2010 and Sochi 2014 with full NHL commitment, 2018 in Pyeongchang saw a Bronze medal finish when the NHL players were not available for selection over a disagreement between the NHL, IOC, and IIHF who would insure the players. In 2022, Canada will again be without their NHL stars. Despite this there will still be star-talent at these Games, and Canada will still field a strong team, whose chances of completing a gold-medal run is high. Rivals Team USA and Russia do pose significant threats, though, so it’ll make for an exciting competition.

The Olympics is considered to be the best competition for many sports, and that is certainly the case for ice hockey. This allows many of the top players in the world to play for their home team and fight for one of those coveted medals. Though it will be slightly difficult to watch from Europe with the matches taking place in Beijing, it is not going to be entirely impossible. Are you going to be watching the hockey matches at the Olympics? Pick a team to support, and then get ready to tune into some world-class action.

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