Well, Gary Bettman’s presser at the All-Star Game had quite a bit to say for itself, and yet also far too little given some of the more pressing concerns the league faces in the upcoming years.
But! That is for a different article altogether. This article is about the fun things that have been allowed.
Namely, that the NHL will be returning to the Winter Olympics in 2026 and 2030.
It’s time to get unnecessarily patriotic once again.
A Brief history of the NHL at the Winter Olympiad
The professional game and the Winter Olympics have only relatively recently allowed each other to interact, and have long been at odds with each other for a number of reasons ever since the International Olympic Committee voted to allow pro players to attend in 1988, and when the league began to finally relent and allow players to go ten years later. The NHL’s position on the international games largely relate to the kind of thing average fans generally don’t care about; insurance concerns, travel costs (although I always thought that was subsidized by the country’s olympic committees), and being able to promote the players; again, stuff that you or I generally don’t bother with, but are of great concern to Bettman’s masters. An unspoken but also well treaded argument against them were that players could potentially get injured while at the event, and the teams could be held liable for that.
As a result, the NHL has often been very selective about what Olympics they feel their players should attend, and have revoked this right since 2018, which has been a major thorn in the side of the players, especially the new blood such as Connor McDavid, who have been extremely vocal about their inability to represent their nations in best-on-best international competition, and it’s been a major concern for the NHLPA for years.
The NHL, for their part, has tried over and over again to make the World Cup of Hockey an acceptable event that can either replace or reenact the same feeling as the Olympics but on their dime, and as the league is unfortunately want to do…they’ve half-assed the last couple of tourneys; particularly the most recent one in 2016. It’s why I felt back in 2021 that there wasn’t a real chance for this tournament to ever truly find it’s place as anything other than a step down from the IOC’s work; they just can’t replicate that prestige.
The NHL mercifully, seems to have received enough assurances and concessions from the IOC that they will be able to promote themselves and their players in their next event in Milan, so now…finally…the concept of “Best on Best” will be put to the test on the Olympic stage.
So are they not going to do the World Cup of Hockey?
No, they’re still going to try and make that happen in-between Olympics.
I think I’ve made my point on it clear. I don’t like it, and I don’t like it’s stupid plastic trophy. But I’m glad they’re not trying to make it anything more than it is.
Any other international news?
Yep! A new tournament!
Instead of the All-Star Game next year, the NHL will be holding a Four Team international tournament featuring the US, Canada, Finland, and Sweden, called the Four Nations Tournament.
This is a…well, it’s definitely a choice. I’m not sure it’s one I would call the best; especially considering the Czech Republic and Slovakia are surging nations at the international level right now. Surely you couldn’t squeeze them in for a little extra spice?
There’s also the whole Russia issue which uh…yeah, you can just re-read this piece from two years ago to get the gist of what that’s about. Unless certain elements within that government no longer exist and the war ends, I don’t think Russia is going to be part of this whole experience for a good long time.
So What Does This Mean For the Kraken?
We’re getting Matty B on Team USA and Shane Wright on Team Canada by 2030. Let’s #GetTheirAssToNice.
In seriousness, I imagine that 2026 will involve at least another two week break for the Olympics, and prospects that we’re all hoping pan out could get the experience of a lifetime! I would also expect that the NHL will try to dangle this carrot again after 2030, but now that they’ve dropped it…it’s difficult to say they’ll be able to put that cat back in the bag once the CBA comes up again.
Might also be games a little before you wake up, so maybe set your DVR for a lot of NBC games in the upcoming year!
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