For the first time in 12 years, NHL players are back on Olympic ice. The men’s hockey tournament at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics features 148 NHL players across 11 of the 12 participating nations, ending an absence that stretched across the 2018 PyeongChang and 2022 Beijing Games. The reasons behind that gap involve a financial dispute with the International Olympic Committee, a global pandemic and years of negotiations.
How NHL Players First Got to the Olympics
Professional athletes were not permitted in the Olympics until the IOC voted to allow them in 1986. It took nearly another decade before the NHL agreed to pause its season and release players. The league reached a deal in 1995, and NHL players made their Olympic debut at the 1998 Nagano Games.
That launched a run of five consecutive Olympics with NHL participation through Sochi 2014, producing iconic moments like Sidney Crosby’s overtime “Golden Goal” for Canada in 2010. Throughout that era, the IOC covered player-related costs including insurance, travel and accommodations.
Why NHL Players Missed the 2018 and 2022 Olympics
The arrangement collapsed ahead of PyeongChang. In April 2016, the IOC announced it would no longer cover costs associated with NHL participation, expenses that had reached roughly $10 million for the Sochi Games alone. The IIHF offered $20 million to bridge the gap, but the NHL also wanted access to Olympic footage for marketing purposes, something the IOC would not grant. Facing unresolved financial and promotional disputes, plus concerns about schedule disruption and injury risk, the NHL pulled out in April 2017.
Without NHL players, countries filled rosters with minor leaguers, European professionals and college athletes. The tournament went largely unwatched, and Team USA was eliminated in the quarterfinals.
The Canadian men’s hockey team is locked in at #MilanoCortina2026🔒🏒 pic.twitter.com/rvB2xXjvbV
— CBC Olympics (@CBCOlympics) February 8, 2026
Beijing 2022 was supposed to be different. The NHL and NHLPA reached an agreement in September 2021 to send players. But a COVID-19 surge led to more than 50 postponed games, and the league needed the Olympic break window to reschedule them. Concerns about China’s strict quarantine protocols added another obstacle.
Commissioner Gary Bettman announced the withdrawal in December 2021, calling participation “no longer feasible.” Finland won gold in Beijing without NHL players on any roster.
How They Came Back for 2026
On Feb. 2, 2024, during NHL All-Star Weekend in Toronto, Commissioner Bettman, NHLPA Executive Director Marty Walsh and IIHF President Luc Tardif jointly announced NHL players would return for the 2026 Milano Cortina Games, with plans for 2030 as well. The deal was formally finalized in Zurich on July 2, 2025.
MORE: Connor McDavid Soaks In Winter Olympics Atmosphere Ahead of Team Canada’ Showdown Vs. Team Czechia
The NHL paused its regular season after games on Feb. 5 and will resume Feb. 25. Of the 148 NHL players competing in the men’s tournament, 125 are making their Olympic debuts, including Connor McDavid and Auston Matthews. Two-time gold medalist Crosby was named Team Canada’s captain for what will be his first Olympics since Sochi 2014.
