The National Hockey League and the NHL Players’ Association have announced a return of the Hockey World Cup in 2028. Already a part of the Winter Olympic Games in Milan in 2026 and the French Alps in 2030; the NHL is looking to hold the World Cup event every other year in February.
NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman spoke on the event saying “we couldn’t be more excited about making a reality Olympics, World Cups, Olympics, World Cups on a regular schedule of the best hockey players in the world representing their countries. We know the full blown World Cup, this is simply a sampler, is going to be sensational.”
However, there are some questions over Russian hockey players participation due to the Russian/Ukraine war.
NHLPA executive director Marty Walsh spoke on the issue saying, “I’d love to see our Russian players paying in these tournaments again. They’re incredible hockey players. The issues are political, and it’s not political as far as the NHLPA. It’s the world politics we have to get through. I’m hoping that as we get closer to the Olympics, as we get closer to the World Cup, we will start seeing Russian athletes back in competition.”
Commissioner Bettman noted that there is still plenty of time to work out the Russian players issue. The World Cup of Hockey is a league and union affair with no involvement from the International Ice Hockey Federation.
Bettman said, “this is our tournament with our players, and we’re cooperating with the federations, but this is an all-NHL tournament. Our anticipation is we’ll be using country by country, not melded teams, and there’ll be at least eight teams in the tournament. We have a myriad of decisions that we have to make.”
Game venues will be determined by a bidding process.
Canada captain Sidney Crosby spoke on the prospect of a World Cup saying, “it’s great, especially to have that certainty. A number of times that wasn’t the case, and for certain reasons that are out of everyone’s control, for guys to have an idea and for fans to know they’re going to be able to see best on best, I think it’s it’s great for everybody.”
America has not participated in the past two Olympic Games; but there are plans to play in Milan. Marty Walsh noted, “we’re going to the Olympics. The agreement’s on paper. We haven’t signed it yet. We’re still working through it. It’s a large agreement. There’s no obstacle. There’s no real big obstacle. It’s just a matter of putting pen to paper.”