Team Canada and Team USA will battle for gold at the 2026 Olympics on Sunday, but a major talking point among North American fans is the early start time, with puck drop set for 8:10 a.m. EST.
Since 1998, NHLers have played in five Olympic hockey gold medal games.
On Feb. 22, we will see Team Canada battle Team USA for first place in Milan. However, in the sixth edition of the true best-on-best championship game at the Olympics, it has an earlier-than-usual start time.
North Americans will have to tune in for the earliest start time in 12 years for the men's hockey gold medal game. At 8:10 a.m. EST, the puck will drop to begin the final game of the Olympics.
Nagano, Japan, hosted the 1998 Winter Olympics, which featured NHL players on rosters for the first time. The start time for the matchup between Czechia and Russia was 11:45 p.m. EST, given the 14-hour time difference.
Salt Lake City, USA, held the 2002 Winter Olympics, and it was the first time in 50 years that Canada won gold in men's hockey. The start time against Team USA began at 3 p.m. EST.
The 2006 Winter Olympics were held in Turin, Italy, where Sweden swiped gold from Finland with a game-winning save. At an 8 a.m. EST start time, it was the first time Easterners had to wake up in the morning to see NHLers on the Olympic gold ice.
The 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics featured the "Golden Goal" from Sidney Crosby, often considered the best and most memorable moment in modern Olympic history. Canada narrowly beat Team USA, with the game starting at 3:15 p.m. EST.
Finally, the last time we saw NHLers at the Winter Olympic Games was 2014 in Sochi, Russia. Canada dominated Sweden with the earliest start time we have seen since the introduction of NHLers. The eight-hour time difference put the game at 4 p.m. locally, waking Canadians for a 7 a.m. EST puck drop.
In the 2018 and 2022 Winter Games, which didn't feature NHL players, the gold medal games took place at 11:10 p.m. EST, so it was the complete opposite of very early.
For folks on the West Coast, they can expect to wake up around 3 a.m. PST if they plan to head to a bar to watch the game with their peers. Bars and restaurants across some Canadian provinces have been permitted to open and start selling alcohol as early as 5 or 6 a.m. for this early-morning game.
Ella Corbin is an intern with The Hockey News.
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