NHL Players Will Return To The Olympics & Canadians Hope One Star Stays For Another Medal
NHL players will be returning to the Winter Olympics for the first time in over 10 years.
The league's commissioner announced the news in Toronto on Friday and many hockey fans are already sharing their hopes that one Canadian NHL star will be competing at the Games.
On Friday, the NHL announced it would allow its players to take part in the 2026 Games in Milan and the 2030 Winter Olympics, which currently doesn't have a host city.
"There is a recognition of how important this is to the players," NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said at a news conference during All-Star Weekend in Toronto as per the Associated Press.
"Everybody felt on our ownership side that it was the right thing to do. ... This really came down to doing something because the players really wanted it."
This is huge news for NHL players as they haven't competed at the Olympics since the 2014 Games in Sochi, Russia.
Following the news, Hockey Canada released a statement online saying it believes "this decision is in the best interest of not only Team Canada, but international hockey as a whole."
"The participation of NHL players on the international stage in 2025 and at the Olympics marks a return to best-on-best competition in men’s hockey, and we know this decision will be well-received among the sporting community and hockey fans across the globe," Hockey Canada president and CEO Katherine Henderson said in the statement.
Hockey fans were also quick to respond to the news and shared their hopes for the 2026 Olympics and which players they would love to see compete.
It seems there is a shared hope that Canadian NHLer Sidney Crosby, who plays for the Pittsburgh Penguins, will get a chance to compete one final time before he calls it a career.
"In 2026 he [Crosby] will be 38 and likely be [his] last #olympics. We could have a [Sidney] Crosby, [Connor] Bedard and [Connor] McDavid Team," one person tweeted.
Others shared similar sentiments regarding those three players.
Another X user also tweeted a GIF to show their excitement over the possibility of having those three hockey players on one team.
On Friday, the NHL also announced a Four Nations Face-off in 2025 that will include teams from Canada, the U.S., Sweden and Finland, as per the CBC.
Fans aren't the only ones expressing how they feel about the news.
The Toronto Maple Leafs' Auston Matthews mentioned it in an Instagram clip shared by the NHL.
"Just wanted to say how excited I am that we're going to the Olympics and for the NHL 4 Nations face-off next year," he said in the clip.
"Looking forward to the opportunity to represent my country."
A bunch of the NHL's biggest stars, including Crosby and Matthews, are currently in Toronto for the NHL All-Star Weekend.
The 2026 Winter Olympics will take place in Milan, Italy from February 6-22.
