If it’s all about Gary Bettman, National Hockey League (NHL) players will be back at the 2026 Olympics in Italy.
The NHL commissioner said this last week during his appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show” podcast.
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“We want to go there because it’s important for the players,” he said. Look, we don’t make money going to the Olympics, but that’s not all.”
“If we can agree with the IOC [le Comité international olympique] and when the appropriate arrangements are in place, we will leave,” Bettman continued.
We understand that the frontrunner wants their county to get a piece of the pie before allowing players to represent their country at this prestigious sporting event.
Last August, the NHL opened the door for its hockey players to return to games and announced its plans to hold a world championship in 2025.
“The goal [est] “To begin a regular rotation between participation in the Olympics and a hockey world championship in the following even years,” said NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly, whose comments were reported on his website.
“If we organize an international tournament in 2025, then we will take part in the 2026 Olympics. Then we host the 2028 Ice Hockey World Cup, followed by the 2030 Olympics, the 2032 World Cup and so on. That’s the goal,” Daly added.
NHL players have not competed in the last two editions of the Winter Olympics, having attended between 1998 and 2014.