Italian officials want to hold the hockey games at brand new 16,000-seat arena in Milan (which is co-hosting along with Cortina d’Ampezzo), but in what’s become a theme of other construction efforts for the 2026 Games, the Italians are doing things at the last minute and better hope no delays occur.

NHL players are returning to the Olympics for the first time in more than a decade.

The International Ice Hockey Federation has barred Israel from competing in its world championship events citing security concerns.

The International Ice Hockey Federation is making neck guards mandatory for all levels of competition in the tournaments it runs.

The International Ice Hockey Federation has ruled in favor of the Philadelphia Flyers by agreeing that Russian goaltender Ivan Fedotov had a valid NHL contract for the upcoming season.

Russia has been removed as host of the 2023 world championship in men’s ice hockey.

The remainder of the world junior hockey championship has been canceled over fears of a COVID-19 outbreak.

The players hoping to represent China in men’s hockey at next year’s Beijing Olympics lost to a Russian club in overtime in a game used by international officials to assess China's competitive strength.

Learn more about the rules of hockey ahead of the Beijing Olympics.

NHL players are returning to the Olympics.

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, left, speaks with International Ice Hockey Federation President Rene Fasel during their meeting in Minsk, Belarus, Monday, Jan. 11, 2021. (Nikolai Petrov/BelTA Pool Photo via AP)ZURICH – The hockey world championships were pulled from Belarus on Monday following pressure from opposition groups and a threatened boycott by sponsors. The IIHF said its council “determined that it is currently impossible to ensure the welfare of teams, spectators and officials” in Belarus. IIHF president Rene Fasel had tried to keep the men's tournament in Belarus, claiming it could build bridges between the opposition and Lukashenko. Denmark, the host in 2018, and Slovakia, the host in 2019, have both offered to step in.

The ruling on whether Russia can keep its name and flag for the Olympics will be announced on Thursday Dec. 17, 2020. The CAS process is formally between WADA and the Russian anti-doping agency. The Russian agency, known as Rusada, was ruled non-compliant one year ago. The International Ice Hockey Federation, which was a party to the hearing in Lausanne, could be forced to move the 2023 men's world championships from St. Petersburg. It requires Russians who pass doping scrutiny to compete at world championships as “Authorized Neutral Athletes” in non-red uniforms.

FILE - This Aug. 23, 2019, file photo shows International Ice Hockey Federation President Rene Fasel watching the opening ceremony of the 2019 Sirius Junior Club World Cup ice hockey tournament in Sochi, Russia. Fasel is encouraged upon learning the NHLs tentatively agreed to labor deal opens the possibility of the league allowing its players to return to Olympic competition. The Olympics are a special event in itself, but having NHL players there, even as actual players, we love to see the best on best. Fasel, whose term as IIHF president was extended a year to September 2021, praised the NHL and players for addressing the Olympics in the CBA. Im happy that in the end they understand this is important for the development of ice hockey in the future.___AP Sports Writer Aaron Beard contributed from Raleigh, North Carolina.