Short answer
26 tournaments, 9 different champions. Canada won 9 times, the Soviet Union 7, the United States 3, Sweden 2, and Great Britain, the Unified Team, the Czech Republic, OAR and Finland once each.
The eras
- 1920 to 1952: Canada’s club teams. Canada sent its senior amateur champions and won six of seven tournaments; only Great Britain in 1936 broke the run. Until 1968 the Olympic tournament also counted as the World Championship.
- 1956 to 1988: the Soviet era. The Soviet Union won seven of nine, with the United States winning on home ice in 1960 and 1980.
- 1988 to 1994: professionals allowed, NHL absent. The IOC opened the Games to all athletes from 1988, but the NHL did not stop its season, and a playoff with a gold medal game replaced the final round robin in 1992.
- 1998 to 2014: NHL players. Five straight Olympics with the league’s stars, won by the Czech Republic, Canada three times and Sweden.
- 2018 and 2022: no NHL. OAR and Finland won with players from European leagues.
- 2026: the NHL returns. The United States beat Canada in overtime in Milan.
Every men’s tournament
| Year | Host | Gold | Final | Silver | Bronze |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Milan, Italy | United States | 2-1 (OT) | Canada | Finland |
| 2022 | Beijing, China | Finland | 2-1 | ROC | Slovakia |
| 2018 | Pyeongchang, South Korea | Olympic Athletes from Russia | 4-3 (OT) | Germany | Canada |
| 2014 | Sochi, Russia | Canada | 3-0 | Sweden | Finland |
| 2010 | Vancouver, Canada | Canada | 3-2 (OT) | United States | Finland |
| 2006 | Turin, Italy | Sweden | 3-2 | Finland | Czechia |
| 2002 | Salt Lake City, United States | Canada | 5-2 | United States | Russia |
| 1998 | Nagano, Japan | Czechia | 1-0 | Russia | Finland |
| 1994 | Lillehammer, Norway | Sweden | 3-2 (shootout) | Canada | Finland |
| 1992 | Albertville, France | Unified Team | 3-1 | Canada | Czechoslovakia |
| 1988 | Calgary, Canada | Soviet Union | round robin | Finland | Sweden |
| 1984 | Sarajevo, Yugoslavia | Soviet Union | round robin | Czechoslovakia | Sweden |
| 1980 | Lake Placid, United States | United States | round robin | Soviet Union | Sweden |
| 1976 | Innsbruck, Austria | Soviet Union | round robin | Czechoslovakia | West Germany |
| 1972 | Sapporo, Japan | Soviet Union | round robin | United States | Czechoslovakia |
| 1968 | Grenoble, France | Soviet Union | round robin | Czechoslovakia | Canada |
| 1964 | Innsbruck, Austria | Soviet Union | round robin | Sweden | Czechoslovakia |
| 1960 | Squaw Valley, United States | United States | round robin | Canada | Soviet Union |
| 1956 | Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy | Soviet Union | round robin | United States | Canada |
| 1952 | Oslo, Norway | Canada | round robin | United States | Sweden |
| 1948 | St. Moritz, Switzerland | Canada | round robin | Czechoslovakia | Switzerland |
| 1936 | Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany | Great Britain | round robin | Canada | United States |
| 1932 | Lake Placid, United States | Canada | round robin | United States | Germany |
| 1928 | St. Moritz, Switzerland | Canada | round robin | Sweden | Switzerland |
| 1924 | Chamonix, France | Canada | round robin | United States | Great Britain |
| 1920 | Antwerp, Belgium | Canada | 12-1 | United States | Czechoslovakia |
Read more in NHL players in the Olympics and Olympic rules vs NHL rules.
Sources
Last reviewed October 29, 2026. Spotted an error? Results are checked against the linked sources; tell us through the corrections note on the about page.