NHL returns to Olympics for 2026, 2030 Winter Games

Players from the National Hockey League will compete in the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Games after a deal was reached between players, the league and the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the NHL announced.

The deal, which has also been backed by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF), will see players from the top North American league on ice at the Olympics for the first time since Sochi in 2014.

“The international composition of

National Hockey League rosters is unparalleled, and NHL Players take great pride in representing their countries,” NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said in a statement on Friday.

“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 IOC said that the French Alps are their preferred hosts for the 2030 Winter Games.

NHL players competed between 1998 and 2014 but no deal was put in place for Pyeongchang in 2018 or the COVID-hit Beijing Games in 2022.

The competition in Milan will take place on the NHL sized rinks rather than the larger international surfaces.

NHLPA executive director Marty Walsh said that fans of the game would welcome the chance to see the world’s best battle for a gold medal.

“We 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 favorite players represent their countries,” he said.

IIHF President Luc Tardif said that the agreement, which comes ahead of a possible bid from Salt Lake City to host the 2034 Winter Games, was a boost for the sport.

“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,” he said.