July 2 (UPI) -- NHL players will be cleared to participate in the Olympics for the first time in more than a decade at the 2026 Winter Games, the league, players union and international Olympic and hockey officials announced Wednesday.
"We are pleased to confirm that NHL players will be participating in the 2026 Olympic Games," NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said in a news release.
"Olympic participation will showcase the skill and talent of NHL players on an international stage. We are proud to collaborate with the IIHF, NHLPA, and IOC to bring the best hockey players in the world to the Olympics and make this happen in a way that benefits the game globally."
The 2026 Winter Olympics will be held Feb 6 to 22 in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy. Canada beat Sweden in the men's hockey gold medal game the last time NHL players competed in the Olympics at the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi, Russia.
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Finland won gold in 2022, while Olympic Athletes from Russia won in 2018 -- resulting in rosters filled with a mix of former NHL players and others from professional leagues outside the NHL and from junior leagues.
"This is a tremendous day for international ice hockey and for fans across the globe," International Ice Hockey Federation president Luc Tardif said. "At the initiative of the IIHF, we have worked collaboratively with NHL and NHLPA in close collaboration with the IOC and Milano Cortina Organizing Committee to make this a reality.
"Bringing the best players in the world back to the Olympic Games in 2026 is a major step forward for our sport."
Officials said their agreement also "opened the door for participation" of NHL players in the 2030 Winter Olympics.
"The IOC welcomes the agreement between the International Ice Hockey Federation, the NHL, and the National Hockey League Players' Association," IOC president Kirsty Coventry said.
"This agreement will lead to the participation of all the best ice hockey players of the world in the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026 and the Olympic Winter Games 2030."
