The NHL pulled out of the Olympics this year due to concerns regarding the omicron variant. Luc Tardif is hopeful that the NHL players will return for the 2026 Olympic Games in Milan and Cortina. However, they do hope to reach an agreement with the NHL sooner rather than later.
“They understand how it’s difficult for us to wait till the last moment and the last moment,” Tardif said (relayed by The Associated Press). “They understand that’s not easy for us, that’s not easy for IOC and that’s also frustrating for the fans and the players. That’s why I’m optimistic for the next one.”
Tardif expects to enter serious talks about the NHL's participation at the Olympics in August. As NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly tells The Associated Press, they do not expect any issues regarding reaching an agreement for 2026 on a relatively expedited basis.
Tardif also confirmed that the World Juniors have indeed been rescheduled for August 2022 and will be played in Canada. The most important junior tournament for the women, the Women's U18 World Championship will take place in June in the United States.
As relayed by RTS, the IIHF is also interested in including a 3-on-3 hockey format for the 2030 Olympics. 3-on-3 hockey was included at the 2020 Youth Olympic Games in Lausanne. The IOC definitely seems interested in the format as they told the IIHF to include it again for the 2024 Youth Olympic Games.
