Game On: NHL Stars Set to Shine on Olympic Stage for the First Time in a Decade

By -

 The National Hockey League is sending players to the 2026 Olympics in Milan, marking the league’s first participation in the games since the 2014 Olympics in Sochi after cost- and pandemic-related snags in 2018 and 2022.


 

League Commissioner Gary Betttman confirmed at a Friday press conference in Toronto the league would be participating in both the 2026 games in Milan and the 2030 games, which are poised to take place in the French Alps.


It’ll mark a long-awaited return for the North American league, which declined to allow its players to participate in the 2018 Olympics in South Korea—the NHL must pause its regular season to allow its players to compete in the Olympics and was unwilling to do so.

The league’s collective bargaining agreement with the NHL Players Association in 2020 would have allowed players to participate in 2022 and 2026, but the league backed out of the Beijing Games in 2022 after the Covid-19 pandemic hampered much of the NHL regular season that year.


USA Hockey celebrated the announcement with a video on X Friday with highlights from NHL players’ key moments in past Olympics games—led by T.J. Oshie’s iconic shootout performance that lifted Team USA over Russia in 2014.

As part of a new agreement between the NHL, the NHL Players’ Association, the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) and the International Olympics Committee (IOC), the IIHF and other Olympics organizing committees will be charged with paying NHL players’ insurance and travel costs for participating in the games—addressing a sticking point in past negotiations over the NHL’s participation.


The league also announced it will host the “4 Nations Face-Off” next February, an in-season tournament between four teams featuring NHL players representing the U.S., Canada, Finland or Sweden.

Often regarded as the top hockey league in the world, the NHL had players participate in five consecutive Olympics from 1998 until 2014. Historically, the IOC has shouldered a portion of the league’s insurance and travel costs, given the fact that the league has to pause its regular season to participate. But ahead of the 2018 Olympics, the IOC declined to continue doing so. The IIHF reportedly offered to shoulder the cost, but negotiations fell through and the league pulled out. For the U.S., the league’s decision to pull back in 2018 and 2022 forced Team USA to assemble a roster of former NHL players, college players and players from other leagues. The team finished in seventh out of 12 teams in 2018 and fifth in 2022.

11. That’s how many medals the U.S. men’s hockey team has won, including two golds in 1980 and 1960. The most recent medal was in 2010, when the team earned a silver medal.

The Winter Olympics are on track to return to the U.S. in 2034, as the International Olympic Committee has named Salt Lake City, Utah a “preferred host” to those games.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Israel Moves To Shut Down Al Jazeera After A New Law Permits The Banning Of International Media Deemed A security Threat

By -
Image
    Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to shut down news network Al Jazeera following the passage Monday of a  sweeping law  allowing the government to ban foreign networks perceived as posing a threat to national security. Netanyahu said he intended “to act immediately in accordance with the new law” to stop the Qatari-based news outlet’s activity in the country, according to a post on social media platform X following the passage of the law. Al Jazeera Media Network, which has produced dogged, on the ground reporting of Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza,  slammed the decision  in a statement, vowing it would not stop the network from continuing its “bold and professional coverage.” The new law gives the prime minister and communications minister authority to order the temporary closure of foreign networks operating in Israel – powers that rights groups say could have far-reaching implications on international media coverage of...
Read more

Tragic Toll: 87 Lives Lost in Northern Gaza Strike Amid UN Warning of Inescapable Danger

By -
Image
  Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry has said at least 87 people were killed and more than 40 injured in Saturday's Israeli air strike on the city of Beit Lahia in the north of the Palestinian enclave. The ministry said a number of people were still under the rubble after a residential area was hit. Israel said it was checking reports of casualties but added that earlier - lower - figures published by Hamas were "exaggerated". In recent weeks, the Israel military has been carrying out intense bombardment of northern Gaza, saying it wanted to prevent Hamas fighters from regrouping there. A senior UN official warned that the "nightmare in Gaza is intensifying" and the war "must stop now". The UN's peace process co-ordinator, Tor Wennesland, said that "nowhere is safe in Gaza". In a statement, Tor Wennesland said he condemned the continuing attacks on civilians. "This war must end, the hostages held by Hamas must be freed, the displac...
Read more

Mysteries In The Skies: US Air Force F-16 Crashes Off South Korean Coast

By -
Image
In a dramatic turn of events, a United States Air Force F-16 fighter jet plunged into the waters off the coast of South Korea during a routine training mission, adding another layer of intrigue to the series of crashes involving US military aircraft stationed in Korea. The incident unfolded on a Wednesday morning around 8:41 a.m. local time, as the F-16 from the 8th Fighter Wing encountered an in-flight emergency over the waters west of the Korean Peninsula. Kunsan Air Base, situated approximately 110 miles (180 kilometers) south of Seoul, promptly issued a statement confirming the crash. Thankfully, the pilot, belonging to the 8th Fighter Wing, executed a successful ejection and was recovered approximately 50 minutes after the aircraft went down. The Air Force reported that the pilot was conscious and underwent a thorough assessment at a medical facility. Expressing gratitude, Colonel Matthew Gaetke, the commander of the 8th Fighter Wing, acknowledged the rapid response of the Republi...
Read more