IIHF President Luc Tardif sets deadline for NHL to inform them of 2026 Olympic participation
After missing out on the last two Winter Olympics, there's no doubt that the NHL, NHLPA, IIHF, IOC and the fans want the players in Italy in just over three years from now.
The NHL missed out on the 2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea over a disagreement regarding the cost of insurance and travel. In the fall of 2021, the NHL, NHLPA, IIHF and IOC reached an agreement for the 2022 Olympics, but just a few months later, things went south. Due to the rise of the omicron variant of COVID-19, the NHL pulled out of participating in Beijing 2022.
When meeting with the media at the 2023 World Juniors in Halifax, International Ice Hockey Federation President Luc Tardif said that he's given the NHL a deadline of spring 2024 to inform them the governing body if they'll be sending their players to the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy.
As mentioned, the NHL's big sticking point in the past has been that they want insurance and travel to be covered by the IIHF, which led Tardif to say, "we are not travel agents", during his press conference on Thursday.
The 2026 Winter Olympics are set to be held in Milan and Cortina (Italy) from February 6th to 22nd of that year. As is the case with every Olympics since 2006, the host nation is given an automatic berth, while the top-eight in the IIHF rankings also automatically qualify for the tournament. The final three spots are determined via three separate qualifying tournaments, set to be held in August/September 2025, with the winner of each earning a spot in the 2026 Olympics.
Source: Sportsnet
| POLL | ||
JANVIER 5 | 224 ANSWERS IIHF President Luc Tardif sets deadline for NHL to inform them of 2026 Olympic participation Do you want to see NHL players back at the Winter Olympics in 2026? | ||
| Yes | 107 | 47.8 % |
| No | 82 | 36.6 % |
| See Results | 35 | 15.6 % |
| LIST OF POLLS | ||
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YESTERDAY
OCTOBER 25, 2025
| ||||
| G | A | PTS | ||
| Drake Batherson | 2 | 1 | 3 | |
| Anthony Cirelli | 2 | 1 | 3 | |
| Logan Cooley | 2 | 1 | 3 | |
| Dylan Cozens | 2 | 1 | 3 | |
| Ryan O'Reilly | 2 | 1 | 3 | |
| Trevor Zegras | 2 | 1 | 3 | |
| Ivan Demidov | 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| John Marino | 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| Elias Pettersson | 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| Mason Lohrei | - | 3 | 3 | |
| Jordan Eberle | 2 | - | 2 | |
| Simon Edvinsson | 2 | - | 2 | |
| Jake Guentzel | 2 | - | 2 | |
| Miro Heiskanen | 2 | - | 2 | |
| Marcus Johansson | 2 | - | 2 | |
| Artturi Lehkonen | 2 | - | 2 | |
| Jake Neighbours | 2 | - | 2 | |
| Nick Schmaltz | 2 | - | 2 | |
| Tage Thompson | 2 | - | 2 | |
| Dmitry Voronkov | 2 | - | 2 | |
| COMPLETE STATS | ||||
| 2025-2026 NHL STANDINGS | ||||||
| GP | W | L | OL | PTS | ||
| Canadiens | 10 | 7 | 3 | - | 14 | |
| Red Wings | 9 | 6 | 3 | - | 12 | |
| Panthers | 10 | 5 | 5 | - | 10 | |
| Sabres | 9 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 9 | |
| Senators | 9 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 9 | |
| Maple Leafs | 9 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 9 | |
| Bruins | 10 | 4 | 6 | - | 8 | |
| Lightning | 8 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 6 | |
| GP | W | L | OL | PTS | ||
| Devils | 8 | 7 | 1 | - | 14 | |
| Penguins | 9 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 13 | |
| Hurricanes | 8 | 6 | 2 | - | 12 | |
| Capitals | 9 | 6 | 3 | - | 12 | |
| Islanders | 8 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 9 | |
| Flyers | 8 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 9 | |
| Blue Jackets | 8 | 4 | 4 | - | 8 | |
| Rangers | 9 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 8 | |
| GP | W | L | OL | PTS | ||
| Mammoth | 9 | 7 | 2 | - | 14 | |
| Avalanche | 9 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 13 | |
| Jets | 8 | 6 | 2 | - | 12 | |
| Blackhawks | 8 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 10 | |
| Predators | 9 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 10 | |
| Stars | 8 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 9 | |
| Blues | 8 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 7 | |
| Wild | 9 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 7 | |
| GP | W | L | OL | PTS | ||
| Golden Knights | 8 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 12 | |
| Kraken | 9 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 12 | |
| Ducks | 8 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 9 | |
| Oilers | 9 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 9 | |
| Kings | 9 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 9 | |
| Canucks | 9 | 4 | 5 | - | 8 | |
| Sharks | 8 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 4 | |
| Flames | 9 | 1 | 7 | 1 | 3 | |
COMPLETE STANDINGS | ||||||