The NHL and the Olympics are back together again. News emerged on Friday afternoon that the National Hockey League would allow its players to participate in the 2026 and 2030 Winter Olympics. This would be the first time that NHL players could play at the games in 2014 in Sochi, Russio. Hockey insider Chris Johnston first reported the news on Friday.
In addition to the 2025 Four Nations tournament, the NHL and NHLPA will announce a return to the 2026 Olympics this afternoon, per sources.
Best on best hockey is back.
— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) February 2, 2024
NHL Players Back in the Olympics for 2026, 2030
Commissioner Gary Bettman was joined by representatives from the NHLPA and the IIHF for the announcement. This news came during Bettman’s press availability at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto as part of the All-Star Break festivities.
NHL players have been missing from the Winter Olympics for the 2018 games in South Korea and 2022 games in China. Players from other professional leagues like Kontinental Hockey League were allowed to participate. The United States and Canada would send players from college, Europe and the AHL.
“The international composition of National Hockey League rosters is unparalleled, and NHL Players take great pride in representing their countries,” Commissioner Bettman said to the media. “We are pleased that today, 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.”
What It Means
Best-on-best hockey is something fans and players have been asking years for. The games in 2026 will be played at NHL-sized rinks while France still has to iron some things out. However, that should hopefully be resolved.
There are still other things to work out like the participation of Russia and how the schedule is going to work. However, it’s a great thing to see the best players playing in international tournaments.
The Four Nations tournament with the United States, Canada, Sweden and Finland was also announced on Friday. This is an appetizer to get people think about the main course of two Olympics with NHL players.
Main photo by: George Walker IV-USA TODAY Sports
