NHL players are officially back in the Olympics.
On Wednesday, the NHL, NHLPA, and International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) finalized their previously agreed-upon deal to send players to the 2026 Milan-Cortina Olympics.
The new agreement marks the return of NHL players to the Olympics for the first time since the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi, Russia.
“Olympic participation will showcase the skill and talent of NHL players on an international stage. We are proud to collaborate with the IIHF, NHLPA, and IOC to bring the best hockey players in the world to the Olympics and make this happen in a way that benefits the game globally,” NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said in a statement.
“Best-on-best international tournaments like the Olympics provide the opportunity to create extraordinary moments for our players and fans alike,” added Marty Walsh, executive director of the NHL Players’ Association, in a statement. “The return to the Olympics marks a monumental moment for hockey and we thank our partners — the NHL, IOC and IIHF — for this collaborative process. The skill and passion on display in Milano Cortina will build off the excitement of the 4 Nations Face-Off and continue our game’s global growth.”
The agreement also creates the possibility of NHL player participation in 2030, which will take place in the French Alps region of France. That had been part of the initial deal but still needs to be finalized.
Instead of an all-star game next season, the NHL will kick off the Olympic break with an international event at UBS Arena in Elmont, NY, home of the New York Islanders. The specifics of the event have yet to be announced.
The big winner in all of this, aside from NHL players who want to represent their country, might be NBCUniversal, which owns the American broadcasting rights to the Olympics. The potential of having star players like Connor McDavid, Sidney Crosby, and Nathan MacKinnon to promote will, invariable, give ratings a boost (something that was a primary concern coming out of the 2018 South Korea Games). That’s especially true if this arrangement can be secured for the 2034 Winter Games, which are set to take place in Salt Lake City, Utah.