NHL players are set to make their highly anticipated return to the Olympic Games.
A formal agreement was finalized on Wednesday between the National Hockey League and the International Ice Hockey Federation, clearing the way for NHL players to participate in the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina, Italy.
The confirmation of this deal was widely expected, as NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman had previously indicated over several months that league players were indeed planning to attend the Games.
Adding to the anticipation, the initial roster selections of six players for each of the 12 men`s national hockey teams competing in the tournament were announced last month.
NHL players were absent from the previous two Olympic cycles. They did not participate in the 2018 PyeongChang Games in South Korea due to a failure to reach an agreement on terms between the NHL and IIHF. The league subsequently withdrew its players from the 2022 Beijing Games because of scheduling disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Canada secured the gold medal in the last two Olympic tournaments that featured NHL players: the 2010 Games in Vancouver and the 2014 Games in Sochi, Russia.
Team Canada has already revealed its first six players for the upcoming Olympic tournament, scheduled to run from February 11 to 22, 2026. The initial roster includes Sidney Crosby, Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar, Connor McDavid, Brayden Point, and Sam Reinhart.
