Ice hockey at the 2002 Winter Olympics – Men's tournament

The men's tournament marked the second Olympic Games where the National Hockey League took a break (12 days, from February 14 to February 25) to allow all its players the opportunity to play. Fourteen countries played in the tournament. Six hockey powers (Canada, the Czech Republic, Finland, Russia, Sweden, and the United States) were automatically admitted to the final eight. The other eight countries (Austria, Belarus, France, Germany, Latvia, Slovakia, Switzerland, and Ukraine) played in a preliminary round in two pools. The winners of those pools, Belarus and Germany, advanced to the final round with the six hockey powers.

Ice hockey at the 2002 Winter Olympics – Men's tournament

The men's tournament marked the second Olympic Games where the National Hockey League took a break (12 days, from February 14 to February 25) to allow all its players the opportunity to play. Fourteen countries played in the tournament. Six hockey powers (Canada, the Czech Republic, Finland, Russia, Sweden, and the United States) were automatically admitted to the final eight. The other eight countries (Austria, Belarus, France, Germany, Latvia, Slovakia, Switzerland, and Ukraine) played in a preliminary round in two pools. The winners of those pools, Belarus and Germany, advanced to the final round with the six hockey powers.