NHL players to return to the Olympics in 2026 and 2030
4 Nations Face-Off also announced, World Cup return proposed.
For the first time since Sochi 2014, the NHL will be sending players to compete in the Winter Olympics in 2026 and 2030, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman announced on Friday. Bettman made the announcement during a press conference at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, where the NHL is holding its 2024 All-Star Weekend.
The NHL previously sent players to the Olympics from 1998 to 2014, but didn’t in 2018 after the league failed to reach an agreement with the International Olympic Committee, International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) and NHL Players’ Association (NHLPA) on who would cover costs for things like travel and insurance. The COVID-19 pandemic was responsible for NHL players not going to Beijing 2022 in order to be able to complete the 2021-22 NHL season and avoid further interruptions to the schedule.
Now, a deal has been agreed between the NHL, NHLPA, IOC, and IIHF to bring the biggest stars back to the biggest international stage. The 2026 Winter Olympics will be held in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, and the IOC is in discussions with the French National Olympic Committee to host the 2030 Olympics in the French Alps. The United States Olympic Committee is in discussions with the IOC to host the 2034 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, where the 2002 Games took place.
In 2026, hockey games will take place on NHL-sized rinks as opposed to the larger international-sized rinks.
“For years, the players have embraced the opportunity to compete for Olympic gold, and we are excited that today's announcement makes it a certainty for our members in the 2026 and 2030 Olympic Winter Games," NHLPA executive director Marty Walsh said. "We also know that hockey fans worldwide have long been anticipating the next best-on-best international competition, and now they can finally see some of their favourite players represent their countries and line up together."
“The Canadian Olympic Committee applauds the International Ice Hockey Federation, the National Hockey League, and National Hockey League Players’ Association for bringing the world’s best male players back to the world’s biggest winter sport stage in 2026 and 2030,” the COC said in a statement after the news broke. “We’re excited that fans will once again see the best Olympic men’s ice hockey has to offer and look forward to welcoming NHL players back to Team Canada.”
The Olympics won’t be the only best-on-best international tournaments over the coming years, with the NHL also announcing the 4 Nations Face-Off on Friday. The 4 Nations Face-Off will be a tournament featuring players from Canada, the United States, Sweden, and Finland, to be held next February instead of an All-Star Game — reportedly in Montreal and Boston.
The tournament will consist of a total of seven games played during a nine-day period from February 12-20, along with two practice days on February 10-11. Each of the four countries will select 23 NHL players to take part.
"We view this event as a building block to a larger World Cup, an important tournament to the players," Walsh said. "These guys on this stage, every one of them either talked to me or Ron [Hainsey, NHLPA assistant executive director], personally saying, 'We want to get international hockey back in the NHL,' and with this series, we have an amazing opportunity."
As Walsh mentioned, the league and the IIHF are looking to start hosting a regular hockey World Cup every four years, starting in 2028. The ideal cycle going forward, according to Bettman, is alternating between the Olympics and World Cup every two years.
The World Championships are held during the NHL playoffs every year, so many of the best players in the world haven’t represented their countries at the senior level in a best-on-best tournament in a decade, if ever — leaving a hunger for it from players and fans alike.
"I think it's a great thing, an exciting schedule, something people can look forward to every two years, every second year," said Connor McDavid at the announcement, sitting alongside American star Auston Matthews, Finland’s Sebastian Aho, and Sweden’s Elias Pettersson. "I know it's something the four of us [on stage] are super pumped about."
“It means a lot, obviously, at any level to represent your country. It's a big honor," Matthews said. "At a world stage like the Olympics or 4 Nations [Face-Off], competing against the players and their respective countries, I think it'll be great for the players and great for the sport and the fans. I think we'll really enjoy it."
There hasn’t been a World Cup of Hockey since 2016, when it was held in Toronto. In that tournament, Team North America consisted of the best under-23 players from Canada and the United States, and there was a Team Europe covering the European countries that didn’t take part.
The eight-team tournament, which also featured Canada, Sweden, Russia, Czech Republic, the United States, and Finland, was won by the host Canadians — as were the 2010 and 2014 Olympics.
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