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NHL players will be allowed to play the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Games after the conclusion of an agreement on Wednesday.
The NHL, NHLPA, the International Ice Hockey Federation and the International Committee confirmed by the Olympic Committee will be authorized, which was initially negotiated last year.
This confirmation will now allow NHL players to participate for their country in the Olympic Games for the first time since 2014.
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Brandon Hagel of Team Canada reacts after a fight with Matthew Tkachuk of the United States (not in photo) during the first period of a game at the game of the 4 Nations at the Bell Center on February 15, 2025, in Montreal, Quebec. (Andrea Cardin / 4nfo / World Hockey Cup via Getty Images)
“Olympic participation will present the skills and talents of NHL players on an international scene. We are proud to collaborate with the IIHF, NHLPA and CIO to bring the best hockey players in the world to the Olympic Games and make it a way that benefits the game worldwide,” said the LNH commissioner, Gary Bettman, in a statement.
Marty Walsh, the executive director of NHLPA, added: “The best international tournaments like the Olympic Games offer the possibility of creating extraordinary moments for our players and fans. Return to the Olympic Games marks a monumental moment for this hockey process, and we thank our partners – NHL, IOC and IIHF – for this collaborative process.
“The competence and passion exposed to Milano Cortina will strengthen the excitation of the confrontation of the 4 nations and will continue the global growth of our game.”
The IOC confirms the ban on Russian teams before the Winter Olympic Games in 2026
Some may have had doubts about the continuation of an agreement, because it took so long to put the pen on paper.
But this agreement will also allow the participation of NHL players in the 2030 Games in the French Alps.
Brandon Hagel, Canada, on the left, fights Matthew Tkachuk in the United States during the first period of a match confronted with 4 nations in Montreal on February 15, 2025. (Graham Hughes // Canadian Press via AP)
The 2026 male hockey tournament will start on February 11 and will continue until February 22.
Hockey fans have tasted what will happen to Milano Cortina during the confrontation of the 4 nations, which featured Canada’s NHL players, Finland, Sweden and the United States.
There have been special tensions between Canada and the United States, partially fueled by President Donald Trump and the Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Rift out of the ice. Fans have hooked during the national hymns of the countries during the matches. On the ice, a fight broke out in Montreal before the United States reached Canada.
The United States team striker Matthew Tkachuk, on the right, celebrates defender Zach Werenski after his goal against Finland in the third period in a game at the game of 4 nations at the Bell Center on February 13, 2025. (David Kirouac / Imagn images)
However, when the final of the 4 nations reached the TD garden in Boston, it is Canada won a prolongation victory.
There will be 12 countries participating in the hockey tournament next year: Slovakia, Finland, Sweden, Italy, Switzerland, France, Cheche, Canada, the United States, Latvia, Germany and Denmark.
