NHL announces return to Olympics, will participate in Milan in 2026

TORONTO -- NHL players will participate in the Olympics in 2026 and 2030, and no one is more excited than the players themselves.

Take Connor McDavid, arguably the best player in the world. The Edmonton Oilers center is 27 and has never been able to represent Canada in the Olympics or the World Cup of Hockey.

The last time NHL players went to the Olympics, in Sochi in 2014, McDavid was 17, too young. The last time the NHL held the World Cup of Hockey, in Toronto in 2016, he played for Team North America, a group of 23-and-under players from Canada and the United States.

Now the League will hold the 2025 NHL 4 Nations Face-Off instead of the All-Star Game next season, with Canada, Finland, Sweden and the United States competing in one Canadian and one U.S. city from February 12-20.

The NHL will hold an All-Star Game in 2026 to send off NHL players to the Olympics in Milan, and the plan is to alternate the World Cup of Hockey and the Olympics every two years afterward.

Best-on-best international hockey is back.

McDavid called it a dream come true after the announcement at Scotiabank Arena on Friday during the 2024 NHL All-Star Weekend.

"Obviously, I've been vocal about this," he said. "I feel like it's important for hockey as we continue to try to grow the game internationally and at home. I think it's a great thing. It's an exciting schedule, something that people can look forward to."

NHL players have participated in the Olympics five times: in Nagano in 1998, Salt Lake City in 2002, Turin in 2006, Vancouver in 2010 and Sochi in 2014.

For the players, it became part of the dream, but for the owners, it became a problem. They were shutting down their season to send their highly paid players to someone else's tournament. There were many risks but little to no rewards, especially when the Olympics were outside of North America.

NHL players didn't participate in PyeongChang in 2018, because the NHL did not reach an agreement with the NHLPA, the IIHF and the International Olympic Committee.

Then came COVID-19.

The pandemic disrupted the 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons. The NHL and NHLPA had to work together to get through it. In the process, they agreed to go to the Olympics in Beijing in 2022 and Milan in 2026 if they also could reach agreements with the IOC and the IIHF.

In the end, the NHL had to pull out of the Olympics in 2022 because of the pandemic. But the seed was planted for 2026 and beyond.

"There is a recognition of how important this is to the players, and in the spirit of cooperation -- particularly the work that we did together during COVID -- everybody felt on our side that it was the right thing to do," NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said. "… This really came down to doing something because the players really wanted it."

The issues haven't changed for the NHL, nor the priorities. At one point Friday, IIHF president Luc Tardif asked the media what competition was more important than the Olympics. Bettman leaned over to NHLPA executive director Marty Walsh and said, "The Stanley Cup."

But after two years of negotiations, the IIHF agreed to be responsible for big-ticket items such as insurance and travel for the players and their families, even if it isn't sure how it will fund them in 2030. The IOC has not announced the location for 2030. But Tardif said France is the only candidate, and the hockey tournament would be in Nice.

"Let me just add one thing, particularly for the NHL owners that are listening," Bettman said. "The fact of the matter is, our agreement is we're not responsible for any of the major costs, the big-ticket items. How the IIHF raises the funds, whether it's from the IIHF or the organizing committee or the IOC for '30, that will be their issue, not ours, and I want to be clear about that."

The NHL also has been assured that the new arena in Milan will be ready in time for the 2026 Olympics.

"There's a lot of construction that remains to be done on that building," Bettman said. "I think they only recently started. But we're being told by everybody not to worry. But I like to worry, so we'll see."

Finally, the players can chase this part of the dream again. For them, the clock has been ticking loudly.

"We can't stop the time," said Boston Bruins forward David Pastrnak, who is 27 and has never had the chance to represent the Czech Republic. "You're getting older every year, and the Olympics are once every fourth year. Every Olympics you miss, it's a long time."

Colorado Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon grew up watching Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby -- his hometown hero from Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia -- win gold for Canada in Vancouver and Sochi. MacKinnon is 28 and has never had the chance to represent Canada. Crosby is 36.

MacKinnon said he'd love to play with McDavid and Crosby.

"I grew up idolizing Team Canadas," he said. "We've all missed two now, so definitely want to get one in or a couple before I retire."

Count Chicago Blackhawks rookie Connor Bedard, the No. 1 pick in the 2023 NHL Draft, among those looking forward to the competition. 

"It's great. I mean, it's been a long time, and you look at guys like McDavid and MacKinnon, all these guys, you can go down the list, that haven't gotten to play, and they've been the best players for so long," Bedard said Saturday. "I mean, for the fans, it's unbelievable and for just the competition itself, hopefully I can get on the team. But we'll see."

NHL.com senior writer Dan Rosen and staff writers Amalie Benjamin and Tracey Myers contributed to this report