NHL players are set to participate in the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Games following an agreement among players, the league, and the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
Gary Bettman said in a statement, “The international composition of National Hockey League rosters is unparalleled, and NHL Players take great pride in representing their countries.”
“We are pleased that, after intense collaborative efforts with the NHL Players’ Association and the International Ice Hockey Federation, we can formally announce that NHL Players will participate in both the 2026 and 2030 Olympic hockey tournaments.”
The deal, supported by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF), marks the return of NHL players to the Olympic ice for the first time since the Sochi Games in 2014.
Previously, NHL players competed in the Winter Olympics from 1998 to 2014. No agreement was reached for their participation in the 2018 Pyeongchang Games or the COVID-affected 2022 Beijing Olympics.
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The Winter Olympics Ice Hockey Event will take place in NHL-sized rinks as opposed to the International Specifications. Nine nations have already earned spots in the men’s tournament.
Group A: Canada, Italy, Switzerland, Sweden
Group B: Finland, Germany, Czechia, Q1
Group C: Russia, United States, Q2, Q3
The remaining three slots will be determined through qualification tournaments held this year. In the Women’s Tournament, Canada, USA, and hosts Italy are already qualified. Three more teams will join them.
The IOC expressed a preference for the French Alps as the favored hosts for the 2030 Winter Games.
Canada holds the most Gold Medals (9) in Olympic History. Soviet Union has 7 Golds, while USA and Sweden shares two golds each. With the return of NHL Players, Teams, especially USA and Canada would be questing for another top finish.
