The news is official as NHL players are officially allowed to participate at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy. News emerged that the National Hockey League, NHL Players Association and IIHF had finalized the agreement to send NHL players to the Olympics. A handful of players were announced for each roster, but the final go-ahead was just approved.
The NHLPA, @NHL and @IIHFHockey announce the finalization of a landmark agreement in the presence of the IOC, confirming the participation of NHL players in the 2026 Winter Olympic Games in Milan: https://t.co/QHg5bxYXAt #MilanoCortina2026 pic.twitter.com/qMwnYgBPjp
— NHLPA (@NHLPA) July 2, 2025
NHL Players Officially Set to Play at 2026 Olympics
The agreement means that NHL players will be allowed to participate for the first time since the 2014 Games in Sochi, Russia. This deal also opens the door for NHL players at the 2030 Olympics in the French Alps. Players like Connor McDavid and others will finally get to be Olympians. The IIHF and NHL did not have an agreement in place for the 2018 Games in South Korea or 2022 in China.
Fans have been wanting best-on-best international tournaments. However, that has not happened for over a decade at the Olympics. That will now change with this agreement being signed.
The NHL did have to cancel the All-Star Game that was supposed to be hosted by the New York Islanders. However, fans are happy to see a full-on international tournament with NHLes.
What It Means
The hockey world and the sports world got a taste of international best-on-best with the Four Nations Face-Off. However, that was only limited to the United States, Canada, Sweden and Finland. Fans of Czechia, Slovakia and other hockey nations had to sit on the sidelines.
However, that is not the case as 12 teams are going to vie for the Olympic gold medal. Russia is still out of this tournament due to the ban on them and Belarus from the IIHF.
The Four Nations was just a preview and we’ll see more international play with the Olympics in 2026 and 2030 as well as the World Cup of Hockey in 2028.
Main photo by: Winslow Townson-Imagn Images
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