The return of NHL players to the Olympics has been confirmed.
The National Hockey League (NHL), the NHL Players` Association (NHLPA), and the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) have successfully finalized an agreement that will allow NHL players to compete in the men`s ice hockey tournament at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina, Italy.
This formal agreement was largely seen as a procedural step, as NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman had indicated for several months leading up to this announcement that the league`s players were expected to participate in the upcoming Games.
Further signaling this participation, all twelve national men`s hockey teams scheduled to compete in the tournament had already announced their initial roster selections, naming their first six players, in the preceding month.
NHL players were notably absent from the two most recent Olympic Winter Games: the 2018 event held in PyeongChang, South Korea, and the 2022 event in Beijing, China. The absence from the 2018 Games was a result of the NHL and IIHF being unable to agree on terms for player participation. The decision to withdraw from the Beijing 2022 Olympics was made by the NHL, citing significant disruptions to its regular-season schedule caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Canada claimed the gold medal in the last two Olympic tournaments that featured NHL players, securing victories in Vancouver in 2010 and Sochi in 2014.
The first six players named to the Canadian roster for the 2026 Olympic tournament, which is scheduled to take place from February 11th to 22nd, 2026, include prominent stars such as Sidney Crosby, Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar, Connor McDavid, Brayden Point, and Sam Reinhart.
