NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman embracing return to Olympics

The 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan will mark the primary time in 12 years that NHL gamers will return to the Video games, one thing NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman is anticipating to have a giant impact on the league.

“Finally, by way of balancing the professionals and cons, we determined it was necessary to return and be on what is likely one of the most seen platforms on the earth,” Bettman mentioned at CNBC Sport and Boardroom’s Sport Plan convention in Santa Monica, California, on Tuesday.

Previous to Bettman being named commissioner in 1993, NHL gamers had not participated within the Olympics. After seeing firsthand the impact that Olympic participant participation had on the NBA, Bettman mentioned, the league and the NHL Gamers’ Affiliation labored to have the gamers take part beginning in 1998.

However that participation stopped after the 2014 Sochi Video games, which Bettman mentioned was a mirrored image of the evolution of the enterprise of the league and the sports activities business basically.

“It was a little bit of a blended bag,” Bettman mentioned of the NHL’s participation within the Olympics. “Although we had been shut down for 2 weeks, our gamers had been handled like invited company,” he mentioned, including that the league and its groups “had no management over something; we did not have the rights to advertise ourselves.”

There have been additionally competitors challenges as effectively, given the variety of gamers some groups had been sending.

A part of what drove the NHL again to the Olympic ice was a shift in that relationship. The NHL and NHLPA’s new take care of the IOC adjustments some facets of their industrial association and likewise upgrades the gamers’ residing circumstances whereas on the Video games.

However Bettman additionally famous it got here right down to the will from the gamers to play best-on-best at a nationwide degree, one thing that was highlighted within the league’s profitable 4 Nations Face-Off event earlier this 12 months.

“It turned clear to me that it was necessary to our gamers, who’ve a historical past and custom of representing their nations,” he mentioned.

The NHL will cease play for almost two weeks this season, and Bettman mentioned Olympic participation “will not be with out its difficulties.” The NHL has not but formally assured its gamers will take part within the 2030 Video games.

“However on stability, it must be value it,” he mentioned.

Disclosure: CNBC guardian NBCUniversal owns NBC Sports activities and NBC Olympics. NBC Olympics is the U.S. broadcast rights holder to all Summer season and Winter Video games by way of 2036.