MILAN (AP) — Before he became teammates in the NHL and won the Stanley Cup with Alex Ovechkin on the Washington Capitals, T.J. Oshie shined on the global stage with his shootout heroics that helped the U.

IOC sanctions stemming from the Ukraine invasion will keep Russian athletes and their elite hockey team out of the 2026 Olympics.

At the 2026 Milan Cortina Olympics, a small number of Russian and Belarusian athletes are competing as AINs — Individual Neutral Athletes. No flag, no anthem, and no medals counted for any country. Here’s what AIN means and why the ban is still in place.

Nearly 100 countries are represented at the 2026 Olympics. But Russia and its ally Belarus won't be in the Opening Ceremony. Here's why they're banned. (AP Photo)

Russia is not competing as a country at the 2026 Winter Olympic Games in Italy. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has kept its ban on Russia because of ongoing political and sports rule issues.

MILAN (AP) — Ukrainian figure skater Kyrylo Marsak wrapped up his Olympics with a disappointing men's free skate Friday night, then had to endure waiting for his score while Russian athlete Petr Gumennik sat in the leader's chair about 10 feet away from him.

MILAN — Russian and Belarusian players under the age of 18 could re-enter the international hockey scene as soon as 2027-28 under new IOC recommendations, but the NHL has no current plans to bring Russia back into the fold in time for its 2028 World Cup.

Here's a look at how the Russian Olympic men's hockey team could have looked if they were eligible to participate in 2026.