2026 Winter Olympics – CanucksBanter

The National Hockey League (NHL), National Hockey League Players’ Association (NHLPA), and International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) on Friday, February 2, 2024 jointly announced plans for NHL Players to participate in the 2026 and 2030 Olympic Winter Games.

“The international composition of National Hockey League rosters is unparalleled, and NHL Players take great pride in representing their countries. 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.”
NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman

The Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026 are scheduled to be held Feb. 6-22, 2026, in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy.

It will mark the first time NHL Players compete on the Olympic stage since 2014, and sixth time overall (1998 – Nagano, Japan; 2002 – Salt Lake City, United States; 2006 – Turin, Italy; 2010 – Vancouver, Canada; 2014 – Sochi, Russia).

The host for the 2030 Olympic Winter Games is expected to be chosen later this year by the International Olympic Committee.

“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. 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.”
NHLPA Executive Director Marty Walsh

The NHL, NHLPA and IIHF have outlined and agreed to the major principles related to the Players’ participation, with details to be finalized over the coming months.

“This decision represents a turning point for Ice Hockey at the global level and marks the great return of the NHL Players to the Olympic Games. The IIHF was able to gather all related stakeholders at the same table to find a long-lasting and sustainable consensus, which is the backbone of what we intend to do as Sports Organizations. As prime hockey fans, the IIHF is obviously thrilled and excited about this unprecedented agreement, we are already looking forward to witnessing the Best of Ice Hockey at these upcoming Winter Olympic Games in Milano and in 2030.”
IIHF President Luc Tardif

Friday’s announcements were made at a news conference from the 2024 NHL All-Star Weekend in Toronto, Canada, attended by NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman, NHLPA Executive Director Marty Walsh, and IIHF President Luc Tardif.

Source: nhl.com

By STEPHEN WHYNO Associated Press

Canada's Eric Staal walks to the ice for a men's qualification round hockey game against China at the 2022 Winter Olympics, Tuesday, Feb. 15, 2022, in Beijing. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

BEIJING (AP) — If NHL players are taking part in the 2026 Winter Olympics, international hockey officials want to know sooner rather than later.

International Ice Hockey Federation president Luc Tardif said Thursday he is optimistic about reaching an agreement with the league, NHL Players’ Association and IOC but he does not want to wait until the final year before the Games in Milan and Cortina to finalize it. NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly does not believe that will be a problem.

“They understand how it’s difficult for us to wait till the last moment and the last moment,” Tardif said. “They understand that’s not easy for us, that’s not easy for IOC and that’s also frustrating for the fans and the players. That’s why I’m optimistic for the next one.”

The deal for the 2022 Games was not announced until September. The NHL withdrew in late December after the omicron variant-fueled wave of the coronavirus pandemic caused mass postponements of games, making this the second consecutive Olympics without the world’s best hockey players.

When the NHL pulled out of Beijing, commissioner Gary Bettman said, “We look forward to Olympic participation in 2026.” Tardif expects to meet and discuss 2026 and other topics in March before getting into serious talks this summer when the NHL season is over.

“We don’t anticipate an issue reaching an agreement for 2026 on a relatively expedited basis,” Daly told The Associated Press by email.

The NHL has not participated in the Olympics since 2014 in Sochi, ending a run of five appearances in a row dating to 1998 in Nagano. Players did not take part in 2018 because of disagreements over the costs of insurance and travel.

The league and players union have also discussed reviving the World Cup of Hockey in 2024. The last edition of the tournament was in 2016, meaning the sport will have gone eight years between tournaments featuring the best adult men’s players in the world facing one another, if the World Cup happens. Players have expressed a desire to return to the Olympics, citing the international scale of the stage compared with a tournament planned and run by the NHL and NHLPA.

Tardif also said the men’s world junior championship and women’s under-18 tournament will happen this summer after being canceled in December because of the pandemic. Tardif said world juniors will take place in August in Canada and the women’s under-18 in June in the United States.

___

Follow AP Hockey Writer Stephen Whyno on Twitter at https://twitter.com/SWhyno

___

More AP Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/winter-olympics and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports