Following the rousing success of the 2025 4 Nations Face-Off, international hockey will return to the forefront in Milan in 2026.
With an agreement officially signed on Wednesday, July 2, the NHL, NHLPA, IOC and IIHF will allow NHL players to participate in the Olympics for the first time since 2014. The agreement also leaves a path for players to play in the 2030 Games in the French Alps.
NHL fans witnessed an amuse-bouche of what to expect during the thrilling 4 Nations Face-Off between the USA, Canada, Finland, and Sweden, in which Canada won gold with a 3-2 win at the TD Garden in Boston courtesy of a game-winning overtime goal from Connor McDavid. The game reached a pitched intensity early, with three fights in the first nine seconds and goalies Jordan Binnington (Canada) and eventual NHL MVP Connor Hellebuyck (USA) putting on masterclasses in a tightly-contested game.
The agreement is new only in signature, as NHL players were already being tapped for the 2026 Olympics. However, it’s a huge breakthrough after the league missed the past two Winter Games.
‘Olympic participation will showcase the skill and talent of NHL players on an international stage,’ NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said, per The Athletic. “We are proud to collaborate with the IIHF, NHLPA and IOC to bring the best hockey players in the world to the Olympics and make this happen in a way that benefits the game globally.’
Why didn’t NHL players compete in 2018, 2022 Olympics?
Logistics have kept NHL players out of the past two Olympic Games.
2014 was a brutal year for NHL players in the Olympics, with several players suffering injuries in Sochi. John Tavares tore his meniscus, ending his season, Henrik Zetterberg reaggravated a persistent back injury, which resulted in him getting surgery and ending his season, and several other players got injuries that hampered their returns from the NHL’s Olympic break.
While not a direct result of those injuries, the NHL did not return in 2018 because of disputes between the league and the IOC. Questions arose around who would cover insurance for the players. According to Time, the IOC previously paid for travel, insurance and lodging for players but would not have continued to do so in 2018. While the IIHF offered to front $20 million for costs, the looming risk of injury was ultimately too much to bear, according to the league.
Will the NHL have a midseason Olympic break?
Because the Winter Games fall in the middle of the NHL season, there will be a break for the 2026 Games.
The result will be a slightly truncated schedule for the league upon its return.
Will Russian hockey players compete in 2026 Olympic Games?
With the Russia/Belarus doping bans being extended, Russia will not participate in the 2026 Olympics.
That likely closes the door on NHL all-time goal scorer Alex Ovechkin’s − he will be 40 years old in September − chance at a gold medal. Russia was eliminated in the quarterfinals in 2006, 2010, and 2014.
The ‘Olympic Athletes from Russia’ won gold in Pyeongchang in 2018, without Ovechkin due to NHL players not competing. While Russia was technically banned in 2018, it was allowed to compete and had the Olympic banner rather than the Russian flag.
Will NHL athletes compete in 2030?
The question now, of course, is what comes next?
The NHL and NHLPA signed a CBA extension on June 27 that will go into effect for the 2026-27 season and run until the 2029-30 season, and is expected to cover the French Alps iteration of the Winter Games. That extension allows players to participate in the Olympics.
Of course, with the 2034 Winter Olympics taking place in Salt Lake City, players will undoubtedly want to continue to play internationally in perpetuity.