For three weeks, the NHL and PWHL will halt games as many players take their talents to Italy for the Milan Cortina Olympics.
NHL players will represent their countries in the Olympics for the first time since 2014. The league opted out of participating in 2018 and had to pull out two months before the 2022 games in Beijing after COVID-19 had caused a slew of rescheduled games.
While Chicago Blackhawks star Connor Bedard wasn’t selected to Canada’s roster, Hawks forward Teuvo Teräväinen will play for defending Olympic champion Finland.
In the women’s competition — which begins Thursday, one day before the opening ceremony — Team USA has three Illinois-born players, headed by four-time Olympian Kendall Coyne Schofield of Palos Heights.
Joining her are Abbey Murphy (Evergreen Park), who also played on the 2022 U.S. team that took the silver medal, and Tessa Janecke (Warren), who’s making her Olympic debut.
Bedard’s omission sparked intense discussion. Team Canada general manager Doug Armstrong said the Hawks center’s shoulder injury, which sidelined him for 12 games in December and early January, had “not a lot” to do with the decision.
Bedard, who entered Wednesday night’s final game before the break with 23 goals and 30 assists in 43 games, took the Olympic snub in stride. In the future, though, he hopes to be a no-brainer pick for the roster.
Blackhawks center Connor Bedard falls toward the ice after being pushed by Sharks defenseman Mario Ferraro during the third period Monday, Feb. 2, 2026, at the United Center. (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune)
“When you don’t meet an expectation or meet one of your goals, the only thing to do is look in the mirror and see where you can get better,” Bedard said. “That’s not on who’s picking the team, that’s on the players, and that’s the positive I’ve taken out of that.”
Teräväinen, 31, is the lone Hawk who will play in the Olympics. He also missed some time last month with an upper-body injury but returned Jan. 27.
“It’s an exciting time being back from a little injury, and then the Olympics are coming too,” Teräväinen said. “It’s tough because we were playing like every day here, so you have to keep your focus here. And at the same time, some big games are coming too.”
It’s his first Olympics, but he has represented Finland in other competitions. He was the captain of the gold-medal team in the 2014 IIHF World Junior Championship and played for his country in the 2016 World Cup of Hockey and the 2018 World Championship.
He also was named to Finland’s roster for the inaugural NHL 4 Nations Face-Off last February but saw limited ice time (16:57) in two games. He was a healthy scratch in the third game, in which Finland was eliminated by Canada.
He’ll look to have more of an impact in Italy.
Blackhawks center Teuvo Teräväinen looks to pass against the Capitals on Jan. 9, 2026, at the United Center. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)
“I try to be myself playing my game, and that’s why they have picked me on the team,” Teräväinen said. “(I’ll) try to make some plays when I can (and) be good on the defensive side.”
Finland’s roster includes NHL standouts such as the Dallas Stars’ Mikko Rantanen and the Carolina Hurricanes’ Sebastian Aho.
“I played with all of them, so I think that’s going to be one of our biggest strengths because we know each other really good,” Teräväinen said. “Good to see them again and hang out and go to work.”
The Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena in Milan is still a concern leading up to the games. It’s not 100% finished, and there are questions about the ice quality due to the late start of the rink’s construction.
NHL players also will have to adjust to the rink size of 60-by-26 meters (196.85-by-85.3 feet), which is shorter and wider than an NHL rink (200-by-85 feet).
“We’ll see how that feels (and if) it’s going to be safe for everyone,” Teräväinen said. “I’m excited to see (if) the rink is going to be ready.”
The women’s tournament begins Thursday with three games at Milano Rho Ice Hockey Arena and one at Santagiulia. Team USA takes on Czechia at Milano Rho (9:40 a.m. CST, Peacock).
The Americans’ first game at Santagiulia is Monday against Switzerland.
“As long as it’s frozen, we’ll be there,” Coyne Schofield said. “We can’t control anything else other than that. (I’m) just excited to get over there.”
Coyne Schofield owns one gold medal and two silvers from her previous Olympic trips to Russia, South Korea and China.
“Each experience and the preparation leading up to the Olympic Games have been unique in their own ways,” she said. “Fast forward to now, 2026, we are playing in a pro league (and) our league is going to pause and we’re going to have an Olympic break.”
The PWHL is growing as the premier professional women’s hockey league. Coyne Schofield’s Minnesota Frost recently visited Allstate Arena in Rosemont on the league’s Takeover Tour to face the Ottawa Charge and Joliet native Taylor House. Another game on the tour between the Montréal Victoire and New York Sirens set a women’s hockey attendance record of 17,228 at Capital One Arena in Washington.
The women’s Olympic tournament could continue the viewership trend. That momentum, and the easing of pandemic restrictions, will make these games extra special for Coyne Schofield.
Minnesota Frost forward Kendall Coyne Schofield controls the puck in the third period against the Ottawa Charge during the PWHL Takeover Tour at Allstate Arena on Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025. (Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune)
“The journey between 2022 and 2026 has been special, it’s been hard, but it’s been so rewarding,” she said. “That’s one thing that separates (this from) the other three by far.”
The Olympic freeze is long for a hockey fan wanting NHL and PWHL games back, but it goes by in the blink of an eye for the players. That’s something Coyne Schofield learned after her first Olympics in 2014 — to enjoy the blur.
“It’s something that I not only learned through the Olympics, but also the World Championships, is these tournaments (are) a sprint, it’s not a marathon,” she said. “When we get on the ground in Milan, it’s a sprint to the finish line.
“It’s an experience that you work your whole life for, and you blink and it’s over. What I learned is it goes by so fast and to enjoy each day, each moment, and embrace it.”
Olympic preparation is different from a PWHL or NHL game. The stakes for each game are higher, and there’s that heavy weight of representing your country. What advice does Coyne Schofield have for her younger teammates such as Murphy and Janecke?
First, take in the rare opportunity. Second, don’t drastically change what got you there in the first place.
“The way you prepare is what has allowed you to be at the pinnacle of the sport,” Coyne Schofield said. “Whether you’re preparing for a practice, a pro game, a college game, Olympic game, that process has allowed you to be the best you.
“Really the difference is when you’re playing for Team USA, you’re on a super team. The difference is owning your role and knowing your role may be different and embracing that difference … knowing it is likely going to be different because the team is made up of 23 all-stars. The team that can adjust, adapt and settle into whatever role is being asked of them, those are the teams that usually come out on top.”
Minnesota Frost captain Kendall Coyne Schofield greets her son, Drew, and husband, Michael Schofield, before the start of a game against the Toronto Sceptres on March 30, 2025, at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minn. (Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune)
Coyne Schofield’s long list of career accolades also includes six 4 Nations Cup titles, two World Championship gold medals and back-to-back Walter Cups in the PWHL.
Now, she says, she has checked off the biggest accomplishment of her career — becoming a hockey mom. Her son, Drew John Schofield, 2, has become a driving force for the Frost captain.
“Becoming a mom has allowed me to be the best version of me that has ever existed,” Coyne Schofield said. “I’m excited to go into the games knowing that I think I’m my best self on and off the ice.
“The balance, the perspective and the patience that becoming a mom has provided me has allowed me to be a better hockey player and ultimately the best mom that I can be. (I can) balance both and be great at both at the same time.”