On Friday afternoon of NHL All-Star weekend, Commission Gary Bettman, Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly, NHLPA Executive Director Marty Walsh, and several players participated in a media availability to discuss the weekend and share some exciting upcoming events.
First, Bettman announced an agreement between the NHL, NHLPA, and IIHF will send NHL players back to the Winter Olympic Games in 2026 and 2030.
“We know how important international competition is to our players,” Bettman said Friday. “We know how much they love and want to represent the countries from which they’re from and we think this is a great stage for the best on best.”
In addition to the news of the NHL’s return to the Olympics, the league announced a new event for February 2025, the 4 Nations Faceoff. This four-team tournament will feature NHL players from Canada, the United States, Finland and Sweden.
“This marks a new era of international hockey,” Walsh explained. “We have no doubt they’ll produce exceptionally compelling hockey for fans and stakeholders all across the world. NHL players are certainly thrilled about the opportunity to represent their countries.”
Commissioner Bettman also shared that the NHL is starting a new cycle of international play that starts with these announcements.
“Our intention in terms of an international calendar is to go to the Olympics in 2026, two years later, play a World Cup,” Bettman explained. “Two years after that, go to the Olympics in 2030, and two years after that, play a World Cup. That's the cycle we want to get on.”
The 4 Nations Faceoff, potential World Cup of Hockey, and the Winter Olympic Games could have several Devils players representing their countries and facing their NHL teammates on the international stage. Players like Nico Hischier, Jack Hughes, Luke Hughes, and Jesper Bratt have all played on their respective National Teams and could be considered for these tournaments.
