Dates 8–23 February 2014 | Competitors 468 from 14 nations | |
Venues Bolshoy Ice Dome
Shayba Arena | ||
The ice hockey competitions of the 2014 Winter Olympics were played at two venues, located 300 meters from each other, within the Olympic Park in Sochi, Russia. The Bolshoy Ice Dome, which seats 12,000, resembles a Fabergé egg. The Shayba Arena, seating 7,000, is a moveable structure that will be used after the games in another Russian city. Both venues are international sized (60 meters by 30 meters).
Contents
Twelve teams competed in the men's tournament and eight teams in the women's. The tournaments began 8 February 2014. The women's concluded on 20 February and the men's on 23 February.
Canada went undefeated throughout both the men and women's tournaments and repeated as gold medalists, after winning both tournaments on home soil in Vancouver.
Medalists
Teemu Selanne, at age 43 years and 234 days, became the oldest ice hockey player to win an Olympic medal, by being part of Team Finland's bronze. He also holds the Olympic record for total ice hockey points, upping it to 43. He also shares the record for most appearances in ice hockey at the Olympics, with 2014 being his 6th Olympics.
In a drug test at the Olympics, Nicklas Bäckström's A-sample indicated doping pseudoephedrine and he was prevented from playing in the final. The B-sample, analyzed after the final, also showed values above the allowed limit.
Men's tournament
The tournament featured 12 countries, 9 qualifying through the IIHF World Ranking, and 3 through subsequent qualifying tournaments. The format was the same as 2010; there were three groups of 4 to determine seeding, with four rounds of elimination games. Each group winner received a bye into the second round, along with the best second place team while the remaining eight teams played a qualification game. Each quarter-final winner advanced to the semis with the winners playing for the gold medal, and the losers the bronze. The NHL has agreed to allow its players to participate in the tournament.
Qualification
Qualification for the men's tournament at the 2014 Winter Olympics was determined by the IIHF World Ranking following the 2012 Men's World Ice Hockey Championships. The top nine teams in the World Ranking received automatic berths into the Olympics, while all other teams had an opportunity to qualify for the remaining three spots in the Olympics.
Participating nations
The twelve nations played in three pools.
Women's tournament
The women's tournament ran from 8 to 20 February. Eight nations contested the gold. A new format was introduced, with the top 4 ranked teams in group A, with the next four in group B. The bottom two group A teams played the top 2 teams in group B in the quarter finals, where the winners played either the first or second place team in group A.
Qualification
Qualification for the women's tournament at the 2014 Winter Olympics was determined by the IIHF World Ranking following the 2012 IIHF Women's World Championships. The top five teams in the World Ranking received automatic berths into the Olympics, Russia gained direct entry by being host and all other teams had an opportunity to qualify for the remaining two spots in the Olympics.
Participating nations
The eight nations played in two pools.