Olympic hockey 2018: Schedule, scores, and results for the men’s tournament

Olympic Athletes from Russia came away with the gold medal in men’s hockey at the 2018 Winter Olympics. The lack of NHL players led a wild tournament where anything could happen, including a stunning run to the final by the Germans.

The decision by the NHL not to take a break during its season to participate in the Olympics sent shockwaves through the hockey world last year. The discord between the league and the International Olympic Committee forced national teams to turn elsewhere to fill their rosters for Pyeongchang, which gave this event a decidedly different feel from the past two decades.

Gone was the star power that the NHL could bring to the festivities, and in its place was an opportunity for players who probably never dreamed of being here.

That was disappointing given what a stacked team the U.S. could’ve brought to South Korea, but it also set the stage for an otherwise fun tournament. These players had never played under such high stakes. The intensity, passion, and pride that have always defined Olympic hockey were still there, even if the talent level wasn’t quite the same.

The Russian team, which is officially being called Olympic Athletes from Russia as part of the IOC’s punishment for doping violations, fulfilled its role as the favorite by winning the gold medal. The team led by former NHL stars Pavel Datsyuk and Ilya Kovalchuk hung on against the Germans in the final with a 4-3 overtime win.

However, Germany will surely still be thrilled with a silver medal, which is the country’s best Olympic hockey showing in history. That’s a pretty sweet consolation to fall back on after failing to upset the Russians.

Team USA was led by former Sabres captain Brian Gionta and a trio of young forwards in Troy Terry (University of Denver), Jordan Greenway (Boston University), and Ryan Donato (Harvard). Donato in particular was the Americans’ star, but the team was booted out of medal contention after a 3-2 shootout loss to the Czech Republic.

The tournament starts with the 12 teams divided into three groups of four for the preliminary stage. Canada, Switzerland, South Korea, and the Czech Republic are in Group A. Team USA, Olympic Athletes from Russia, Slovakia, and Slovenia are in Group B. Sweden, Finland, Norway, and Germany are in Group C.

Following the group stage, the teams are seeded from one to 12 for the playoff bracket based on the results. The top four teams automatically advance to the quarterfinals, with the other eight teams playing to fill the other four spots. From there, it’s a standard single-elimination tournament

All times ET

Group B: Slovenia 3, United States 2 (OT)
Group B: Slovakia 3, Olympic Athletes from Russia 2
Group C: Finland 5, Germany 2

Group C: Sweden 4, Norway 0
Group A: Czech Republic 2, South Korea 1
Group A: Canada 5, Switzerland 1
Group B: United States 2, Slovakia 1

Group B: Olympic Athletes from Russia 8, Slovenia 2
Group C: Finland 5, Norway 1
Group C: Sweden 1, Germany 0
Group A: Czech Republic 3, Canada 2 (SO)

Group A: Switzerland 8, South Korea 0
Group B: Olympic Athletes from Russia 4, United States 0
Group B: Slovenia 3, Slovakia 2 (SO)
Group C: Germany 2, Norway 1 (SO)

Group A: Czech Republic 4, Switzerland 1
Group A: Canada 4, South Korea 0
Group C: Sweden 3, Finland 1

Playoffs: United States 5, Slovakia 1

Playoffs: Norway 2, Slovenia 1 (OT)
Playoffs: Finland 5, South Korea 2
Playoffs: Germany 2, Switzerland 1 (OT)
Quarterfinals: Czech Republic 3, United States 2 (SO)

Quarterfinals: Olympic Athletes from Russia 6, Norway 1
Quarterfinals: Canada 1, Finland 0
Quarterfinals: Germany 4, Sweden 3 (OT)

Semifinals: Olympic Athletes from Russia 3, Czech Republic 0
Semifinals: Germany 4, Canada 3

Bronze medal game: Canada 6, Czech Republic 4
Gold medal game: Olympic Athletes from Russia 4, Germany 3 (OT)

Gold: Olympic Athletes from Russia
Silver: Germany
Bronze: Canada
4th: Czech Republic
5th: Sweden
6th: Finland
7th: United States
8th: Norway
9th: Slovenia
10th: Switzerland
11th: Slovakia
12th: South Korea