NHL reveals new information on the World Cup and players’ participation in the Olympic Games

It’s an eternal topic with the same result over and over again. The dust is slowly settling on the latest World Cup of Hockey, although every now and then a report comes in from overseas that the NHL is discussing the issue. Like now in Sweden, where the head of hockey’s most famous league revealed new information during the NHL Globen Series.

The last big event with a “best-of-best” label took place during the 2016 World Cup. The show under the five rings with NHL players is an even older affair by two years. No wonder fans and players are tired of the endless waiting.

Last time there was specific talk of 2024, but now it’s clear that the wait will stretch out again for at least another year. One of the reasons, although the NHL has never literally said it out loud, is the inability to include the Russian selection in the tournament.

The coronavirus pandemic also played a big part in scuppering many plans. After all, it was primarily responsible for the fact that only players from the European continent played in the 2022 Beijing Olympics.

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said at a press conference in Stockholm that discussions surrounding the World Cup tournament were still ongoing. This is despite the fact that involving a Russian team in the tournament seems impossible in future years given the ongoing war in Ukraine.

The NHL is in talks about the format

Bettman cited a change in leadership at the NHLPA Players Association as one of the main reasons why negotiations around the World Cup have stalled. Donald Fehr has been replaced as head of the association by Marty Walsh. However, the specific date currently being discussed is February 2025.

Bettman said that at the moment the main topic of discussion is the format in which the World Cup will be played. The Athletic website said the planned tournament would be a “scaled-down version of the traditional World Cup.”

What exactly that means is unknown, but it is likely that the event will not feature eight teams as it did in 2016. Nothing specific was said at the press conference. Only what has been said for years: ‘We are negotiating‘.

Also, NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly said he hopes February 2025 will finally be the date the event will be held. Likewise, the NHL has expressed the view that it is prepared to meet the players’ needs on the issue of their participation in the Olympics.

The plan is for the World Cup and the Olympics to alternate at two-year intervals: “Obviously, the assumption is that we will have an agreement to go to Milan in 2026. We are still working on that,” he confirmed

“Hopefully in the next few months we’ll have a good idea of where we stand,” Daly confirmed to The Athletic. Fans can only hope that the aforementioned deal will finally come to fruition.

Source: NHL, The Athletic