MONTREAL — The National Hockey League and the NHL Players Association have lost significant ground in the international game, but the two entities intend to make up for it.
Commissioner Gary Bettman sat side by side with PA executive director Marty Walsh, assistant executive director Ron Hainsey and deputy commissioner Bill Daly just hours before the puck officially dropped on the NHL’s 4 Nations Face-Off tournament and announced plans for the return of the World Cup of Hockey in February 2028.
“We couldn’t be more excited about making a reality: Olympics, World Cup, Olympics, World Cup on a regular schedule of the best hockey players in the world representing their countries,” Bettman said. “We know the full-blown World Cup, of which this [4 Nations tournament] is simply the sampler, is going to be sensational.”
Only some preliminary details have been nailed down, such as the fact that at least eight teams will participate.
The teams will be traditional, not melded like Team North America at the NHL’s last World Cup of Hockey in 2016 in Toronto.
The league is asking for cities to bid to host games, with cities in Europe eligible to throw their hats in the ring.
And as far as Russia’s participation in the best-on-best tournament, which is unlikely due to the ongoing war in Ukraine that has kept the nation from participating in international competition, Bettman and Walsh said it would come down to the geopolitical situation.
“The Russian players we’ve talked to want to get back into best-on-best competition,” Walsh said. “They want to represent their country, they want to play in this tournament, they want to be part of 4 Nations, they want to play in the Olympics, they certainly would want to play in a World Cup tournament. I’d love to see our Russian players playing in these tournaments again.” They’re incredible hockey players.
“The issues are political. Not political as far as the NHLPA. It’s world politics we have to get through. I’m hoping that as we get closer to the Olympics, closer to the World Cup, we will start seeing Russian athletes back in the competition.”
Bettman and Walsh repeatedly stated their intentions to restore the NHL’s presence in international play, noting that the ultimate goal is to reach soccer’s level of popularity around the world.
After this 4 Nations tournament, the expectation is that NHL players will return to the 2026 Winter Olympic Games in Milan.
The plan is for there to be best-on-best hockey every two years.
The NHL expects to turn a slight profit after the 4 Nations Face-Off tournament.
“This event isn’t about making money, it’s about re-instituting best-on-best competition,” Bettman said.
Players participating in the tournament will receive an appearance fee. There’s also an undisclosed prize pool to be split among the winners.
“I think the numbers are very reasonable, and it really tells you how much the players want to participate in this tournament there,” Daly said. “This is for love of country, much more than it is for money. Because what they get in terms of an appearance fee and a prize fee pales in comparison to what a normal NHL player gets, and they’re giving up vacation time to do this, tells you how much they love the competition.
Asked about how the United States national anthem has been booed at Bell Centre, Bettman and Walsh said it was unfortunate and that they are aware of it.
“Our goal is to make sure that we create an environment and that hockey represents an opportunity to bring people together,” Bettman said. “And I think people understand that in this building initially, there was some booing a couple of games ago and the club made an announcement asking people to stop and show respect for two great countries. And it stopped, and that’s what we expect.”