Ice Hockey underdogs Great Britain set sights on first Olympic Games in a generation

The last time Great Britain qualified for an Olympic Games men’s ice hockey competition, London had only hosted the Summer Games once, the Paralympic Games were yet to be born and England had not won a football World Cup.

Indeed, 1948 was a very different time where Team GB were a powerhouse in Olympic ice hockey.

They won bronze at the first Winter Games at Chamonix 1924, following that up with a historic gold medal at Garmisch-Partenkirchen 1936.

In fact, GB became the first nation to win the Olympic, World and European titles in the same year. At the time they were seen as a surprise package punching above their weight, yet a stellar team who encountered success on every rink they competed.

Great Britain have not graced the Olympic ice hockey stage since St. Moritz 1948, but this impressive generation is ready to end the 78-year wait and redefine British hockey for the next generation.

Three matches stand between them and the WInter Olympic Games Milano Cortina 2026, as Great Britain take on Denmark, Norway and Japan in the Final Olympic Qualification tournament (29 August-1 September).

• Milano Cortina 2026 Men’s Final Olympic Ice Hockey Qualification preview

Great Britain, from outsiders to underdogs

There is one word in particular that gets thrown around the GB camp: underdogs.

They reached their all-time highest world ranking of 16^th in 2021, and today are only a place below while enjoying their best years in a long time.

“Great Britain ice hockey did a very good job of being an underdog in surprising teams over the last few years, where we're nowhere near where we should be in our rankings,” captain Robert Dowd tells Olympics.com ahead of their final Olympic qualifiers in Aalborg, Denmark.

“We seem to show up in the big games and make stuff happen. With limited time and everything that we've had, to still be able to achieve that as a group is pretty spectacular. It's a massive boost for British ice hockey.”

GB’s journey with this current crop of players has taken them to the Top Division of the World Championships, where they returned in 2019 after a 25-year absence. However, recent years have seen the nation bounce back and forth between the top two divisions, suffering one promotion and two relegations in the last three years.

“It’s grown a lot with the success that we've had,” star player Liam Kirk explains to Olympics.com of the state of British ice hockey, “getting to the top flight, staying up there, and even when we got relegated, we were right back up with a gold medal on home ice.

“Last year was disappointing again, but we have an opportunity here to put GB hockey on the map even more.”

In 2024, Great Britain were relegated from the Top Division at the World Championships, in a tough group featuring eventual finalists Czechia and Switzerland.

That group also includes two of their opponents this week, Denmark and Norway, who both prevailed against the Brits. The tournament was a learning curve and a positive experience nonetheless in the eyes of experienced head coach Pete Russell.

“That was the best tournament that I've ever been to,” Russell reveals to Olympics.com, “it’s another planet, we know that's what it is. It's awesome to be there and experience it; We just don't have the depth. They have the top end. So, we have to work as a team.”

How British ice hockey is growing from strength to strength

For a cold country, ice hockey has hardly been a mainstream sport in Britain. Football, rugby and cricket dominate the headlines in the sports-mad nation, while hockey lives on the fringes waiting to burst through.

British ice hockey has grown thanks to more investment with the Elite Ice Hockey League (EIHL) established in 2003, and the national team is rising through the ranks both in the men’s and women’s game.

But there remains a huge space for the sport to grow into, and what better way to do that than qualifying for the Olympic Games.

“When you turn on the TV channel in the UK, ice hockey is never really on,” Kirk openly admits. “The harsh reality of hockey is that it’s quite an expensive sport. There needs to be more funding there to help families with kids that want to play the sport. To see a GB ice hockey team playing there will be super special.”

Great Britain have a balanced blend of an experienced core of a decade coupled with rising youngsters. That core will be crucial should they hope to reach Milano Cortina.

Russell, who has been at the helm of the squad for almost a decade, acknowledges, “It's been kind of crazy the last six years, with a really good core of players where it's evolving a little bit, a lot of younger guys around now.”

“Many of us grew up playing against or with each other in this national team,” says Dowd, who was named captain in February 2024 after 16 years in the national team. “In the GB setup there's a couple of young guys, but we're all from a similar background. It's a very tight knit family in the national team.”

Dowd will be 37 by the next Winter Olympic Games, though whether he would be there is too soon to know.

“To say I'll finish it then, I don't know,” he admits, “but if we were to qualify, that would be a hell of a way to go out. We're going to take it a day at a time and obviously try and make some memories and make it happen.”

Perhaps no player encapsulates the growth of the British game than Kirk, who in 2018 became the first player born and trained in England to be selected in the National Hockey League (NHL) Draft.

He has always been keen to help grow ice hockey in his country by providing opportunities and showing what Brits can do in the major leagues, having played in five countries.

Kirk explains, “There's also things that we can do as players: going out into the communities and being involved with the local clubs, showcasing and telling our stories and being a support for these younger players. Being role models for them is obviously something that I'm proud to say that I do as often as I can.”

Chasing history: The British Olympic ice hockey dream

Great Britain are drawn into a tough group, where only one of the four teams from Group F will qualify for Milano Cortina 2026.

It has already been a tricky year, not only with relegation from the Top Division, but also limited preparation time going into the final Olympic qualifiers. GB faced two of the top EIHL teams as part of warmup matches in Cardiff, falling to two losses to Cardiff Devils and Belfast Giants.

Coach Russell is rather frank about his team’s preparations, with faith in his players but not delusional of the challenge that lies ahead.

“It's been tough,” Russell admits fresh off their final friendly defeat, “we've been off the ice all summer and then we had a week. I think it's going to be really hard. It's down to whether we can get a handle on the pace of the game, like we did in the World Championships, where that was the end of the season, so we have to find it quick.”

Nonetheless, this is a burning dream and Britain’s best chance to reach the Olympics in a generation.

“If you ask any kid their dream, you want to play in the Olympics, right?” Dowd asks of his own Olympic dream. “Me and my Nana [grandmother] used to sit and watch the Olympics every day, every single event, didn't matter what event. The first goal I want to tick off this year is making it to the Olympics.”

“I think as a country and for hockey, it would be amazing,” says Russell on the prospect of qualifying. “It's a massive task, we know that. The Danish team is going to be a lot heavier with a lot of NHL guys, Norway's a fantastic young team and the Japanese team is thriving again. It's going to be really hard, but we're looking forward to it.”

The odds are stacked against the underdogs but half of the battle is believing that this group of talented individuals can capitalise on their growth and take the biggest leap British hockey has seen.

Great Britain will dare to dream of an Olympic return after almost eight decades. After all, in the words of head coach Russell, “anything can happen if it goes right.”