Marty Walsh, the head of the NHL Players Association, made his intended focus clear in a recent interview with ESPN.
NHL Players Back to the Olympics
Walsh said the following regarding his commitment to getting to an agreement with Gary Bettman and the IIHF:
"My focus is to try and make that happen. I'm working with Commissioner Gary Bettman, collectively together with the IIHF, and hopefully, we'll be able to come up with an agreement and move forward. A lot of players from around the globe want to play for their home country. They want that best-on-best tournament. They want to be part of it."
Walsh says his efforts are focused on getting players back to the Olympics for the 2026 games in Italy. NHL players were originally shut out from Olympic play in 2018, and negotiations failed for the 2022 games due to Covid-19.
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International Politics an Issue
Global politics have stymied the NHL from hosting its revered international competition, the World Cup of Hockey, as they cancelled the scheduled 2024 tournament after Russia invaded Ukraine.
Photo Credit: NHL.com
Whether or not the NHL can hold the tournament in 2025 remains in question, along with whether or not Russia will be withheld from participation in the 2026 Olympic Games. The latter decision, however, is out of the NHL's hands.
Until then, it's unknown when players will have the honour of representing their countries on the main stage.
As Read on Markerzone - "We Now Know When NHLers May Return to the Olympic Games"
| POLL | ||
19 JUILLET | 76 ANSWERS NHLPA Leader Reveals When We May See NHL Players Return to Olympics Will NHL Players Play in the 2026 Olympics? | ||
| Yes | 48 | 63.2 % |
| No | 28 | 36.8 % |
| LIST OF POLLS | ||
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