NHL players returning to Winter Olympics; USA, Canada name GMs for 2026 Games
The NHL, NHL Players' Association and International Ice Hockey Federation announced on Feb. 1 that the league will send its players to the Olympics in 2026 and 2030.
NHL players had gone five times from 1998 to 2014, but they didn't go in 2018. Players were supposed to go in 2022, but COVID had postponed enough NHL games that the league pulled out.
NHL team owners had disliked shutting down the season to send players to the Olympics, but commissioner Gary Bettman said, "There is a recognition how important it is to the players."
The 2026 Olympics are to be held Feb. 6-22 in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy. The hockey arena there just began construction.
"We have been given assurances that the building will be ready and we are relying on those assurances," Bettman said.
Also announced on Feb. 1 was a February 2025 tournament between NHL players from the United States, Canada, Finland and Sweden. Games would be played in a U.S. city and a Canadian one.
"There's other countries that wanted to be here, but ... we didn't have enough time to put on a bigger tournament," NHLPA executive director Marty Walsh said.
If all goes to according to plan, the 4 Nations Face-Off would be followed by the 2026 Olympics, a 2028 World Cup, the 2030 Olympics and a 2032 World Cup.
“It’s an exciting schedule, something that people can look forward to every two years,” Edmonton Oilers All-Star center Connor McDavid said.
Will Russia, Belarus be allowed in the Olympic hockey tournament?
IIHF president Luc Tardif addressed on Feb. 1 whether Russia and Belarus would be able to send players to the Games. He said that was a year-by-year decision and the organization's council would meet this month about whether those countries can take part in the 2024-25 world championship season.
The IIHF announced on Feb. 12 after its meeting that the two countries remain banned, citing safety concerns. As a result, Belarus won't be able to take part in the final Olympic qualifying round in August.
The organization said the council "will continue to monitor the situation" and it set May 2025 as the deadline to determine whether the countries can participate in the 2025-26 championship season. That would include the 2026 Olympics.
What are the details for the 2025 4 Nations Face-Off?
Seven games will be played over a nine-day period from Feb. 12 to 20, 2025. There would be designated practice days on Feb. 10 and Feb. 11.
Each team will have 23 NHL players (20 skaters, 3 goalies) and be selected by USA Hockey, Hockey Canada, the Finnish Ice Hockey Association and the Swedish Ice Hockey Association. Players must be under an NHL contract for the 2024-25 season and on an NHL roster as of Dec. 2, 2024. The hockey federations would announce their initial six players this summer.
Each team will play three tournament games in a round robin format. Three points will be awarded for a win in regulation time, two points for a win in overtime/shootout, one point for a loss in overtime/shootout and zero points for a loss in regulation. The overtime format will be three-on-three sudden death for a 10-minute period, followed by a three-round shootout.
The two teams with the best tournament record will then advance to a one-game final. The overtime format will be five-on-five sudden death through successive 20-minute periods until one team scores.
Wild's Bill Guerin named Team USA general manager for Olympics
USA Hockey named Minnesota Wild general manager Bill Guerin as GM of the U.S. teams for the 4 Nations Face-Off and the 2026 Olympics. In addition to being in the front offices of the Wild and before that the Pittsburgh Penguins, Guerin played for the USA at the 1998, 2002 (silver medal) and 2006 Olympics and the 1996 and 2002 World Cup of Hockey. The 1996 team upset Canada to win the tournament.
Blues' Doug Armstrong named Team Canada general manager for Olympics
Hockey Canada named St. Louis Blues general manager Doug Armstrong as GM of the Canadian team for the 2026 Olympics. He also will oversee the management groups for 4 Nations Face-Off and the 2024 and 2025 world championships. Armstrong was on the management team that won gold medals at the 2010 and 2014 Olympics. With the Blues since 2010, Armstrong won the 2019 Stanley Cup and was GM of the year in 2011-12.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: NHL back in Olympics for 2026; who's running Team USA, Team Canada?
