ESPN, Rogers, TVA to broadcast 2016 World Cup

The World Cup of Hockey is returning in 2016 and so is ESPN as a broadcast partner with the NHL.

NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman and NHL Players Association President Don Fehr jointly announced Wednesday that ESPN has been awarded exclusive media rights in the United States to the 2016 World Cup of Hockey, which will take place Sept. 17-Oct. 1, 2016, at Air Canada Centre in Toronto. Bettman and Fehr also announced Rogers and TVA have been awarded the exclusive English and French media rights, respectively, in Canada.

"We are confident that all three of these broadcasters will provide the type of coverage our fans expect and deserve for an event of this magnitude," Commissioner Bettman said. "We are excited and looking forward to a spectacular World Cup."

The tournament will feature eight teams, including entries from Canada, the Czech Republic, Finland, Russia, Sweden and the United States, a team made up of players from other European countries, and a team of young North American players. It is expected to include upwards of 150 NHL players.

This will be the first World Cup of Hockey since 2004, when Canada defeated the United States in the final.

"I can say without hesitation [the Players' Association] is really looking forward to this event and is very excited," Fehr said. "We share Gary's view that it is not only going to be a fantastic tournament, fantastic hockey, but a fantastic event. … We are obviously extraordinary pleased that we have Sportsnet, TVA and ESPN as our broadcast sponsors. I think it says a lot about how they view this tournament and the potential it has."

This will be ESPN's first partnership with the NHL since the 2004 World Cup. NBC was awarded exclusive rights to NHL games in the United States for the 2005-06 season and again in a 10-year, $2 billion contract in 2011.

"We are thrilled to be back with the NHL in the United States," ESPN President John Skipper said. "I'll tell you, the place [ESPN] is electric with excitement about getting back into hockey. We've got a lot of hockey fans and we're very excited."

For Rogers and TVA, this supplements the 12-year contract for exclusive media rights in Canada that began with the 2014-15 season.

"We're incredibly excited for Rogers and Sportsnet to be part of what will surely be the most exciting sporting event and biggest sporting event in Canada in 2016," said Scott Moore, president of Sportsnet and NHL Properties for Rogers. "Anybody of my age in Canada can remember the great hockey tournaments of 1972 [Summit Series] and 1987 [Canada Cup] with [Wayne] Gretzky and [Mario] Lemieux. I was fortunate enough to produce the 1991 Canada Cup. There is nothing quite like seeing the best players in the world playing for their countries in a best-on-best tournament."

Serge Fortin, vice president of TVA Sports, said, "It's a great moment for TVA Sports. We've just started this 12-year agreement with the NHL and with our partners Rogers. To have this great international event in 2016 is a great moment. It is an unreal moment for us to bring all of the passion and emotion to our viewers in Quebec about the World Cup."