The National Hockey League (NHL) and the Players Association have announced they are working towards creating an international competition and a possible return to the Olympics.
The new event would first take place in February 2025.
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“The goal [est] “In the even-numbered years that follow, a regular rotation between attending the Olympics and a World Hockey Championship is scheduled to begin,” said NHL Assistant Commissioner Bill Daly, whose comments were reported on his county’s website Wednesday.
“If we organize an international tournament in 2025, then we will take part in the 2026 Olympic Games. Then we have the 2028 World Ice Hockey Championships, and then the 2030 Olympics, the 2032 World Championships, and so on. That’s the goal,” added Daly.
NHL players have not competed in the past two editions of the Winter Olympics, having played between 1998 and 2014. In addition, the last world championship organized by the Bettman circuit dates back to 2016.
Daily also pointed out that the format of the next international competition will differ from what has been held in the past.
“I don’t know exactly what format the event will have,” he said. The goal is to turn it into an international competition. As far as players go, obviously it’s going to be very NHL-centric; maybe it will just be NHL players. We’ll see what format we’ll use, but we’re working on this file with the Players Association.
A problem with the Russians?
One of the elements that would harm the organization of the tournament at the moment is the uncertainty regarding the participation of Russian players due to the invasion of Ukraine.
Remember that the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) has banned Russia and Belarus from its events.
“In the short term, we continue to face the political realities of what is happening with Russia and Ukraine,” Daily said. This situation has implications for the role that Russia can play in any international tournament that we might sponsor, as well as in the Olympic Games. This is a still unknown variable that we must take into account as it will certainly have an impact on the World Cup.
The assistant commissioner also said he cannot yet predict when the NHL and the Players’ Association will make a final decision on international competition in February 2025 and potential participation in the Olympics.