Hockey at the 2010 Winter Olympics was held at Rogers Arena (then known as GM Place, and renamed Canada Hockey Place for the duration of the Games due to IOC sponsorship rules) in Vancouver, home of the National Hockey League's Vancouver Canucks, and at UBC Winter Sports Centre, home of the Canadian Interuniversity Sport's UBC Thunderbirds.

By permitting the use of existing venues without rink modifications, this was expected to save $10 million (CAD) in construction costs and allow more spectators to attend games.

[2] The games of the 2010 tournament were held at the 6,800 seat UBC Winter Sports Centre[4] and 18,810 seat General Motors Place, which was renamed Canada Hockey Place during the event because corporate sponsorship is not allowed for an Olympic venue.

[5][6] The games were played on a North American ice surface which is four metres narrower than international rinks.

"[11] Qualification for the men's tournament at the 2010 Winter Olympics was structured around the 2008 IIHF World Ranking.

The top nine teams in the World Ranking after the 2008 Men's World Ice Hockey Championships received automatic berths into the Olympics, while all remaining member federations could attempt to qualify for the remaining three spots in the Olympics.

[14] Each team is allowed to have 20 skaters (forwards and defensemen) and two or three goaltenders, all of whom must be citizens of the country they represent.

Uniforms were produced by Kent Angus, who collaborated with the participating nations to incorporate "discovery pieces" into the jerseys.