All hockey matches were played on a rink in the center of the Badrutts Park ice rink, where the speed skating competitions were also held. Competing teams were allowed to enter 12 players.
Competition was notable for the absence of the United States. The USAHA (United States Amateur Hockey Association) had been the governing body of the sport early in the decade, but had been disbanded in 1926. It had been replaced by the AAU Ice Hockey Committee. Led by William S. Haddock of Pittsburgh, a former officer of the USAHA, it attempted to field a team, but was unsuccessful. Several colleges were approached, but only tiny Augsburg College in Minneapolis responded positively. But General Douglas MacArthur, chairman of the American Olympic Committee in 1928, refused to approve them as a choice, stating the team, led by the five Hanson brothers, “was not representative of American hockey.” This is the only time the United States has not competed in Olympic ice hockey.