The NHL is making a revolution and Russia will definitely participate in the World Cup – it’s a question of time

The World Cup, which… is not the World Cup

It must be said that the National Hockey League itself has not made any direct statement on this subject. But recently, four NHL teams played in Stockholm, and the league’s commissioner, Gary Bettman, appeared before reporters to answer questions. Based on these remarks and behind-the-scenes conversations, some insiders have drawn their conclusions.

Here’s what ESPN columnist Greg Wyszynski said succinctly:

The NHL needs international games

What does all this mean? Let’s see that.

The NHL has been toying with the idea of ​​launching an international tournament for several years now. It’s clear that since the International Hockey Federation (IIHF) is so weak, the Glade needs to take care of its competition. In addition, the 2016 World Cup, which took place in September in Toronto, turned out to be quite successful. Eight teams participated: Canada, Finland, Russia, the Young Stars of America, as well as the United States, Sweden, the Czech Republic and the European team.

The NHL’s plan is to hold its tournament between the Olympics, in which the NHL could also participate. So, ideally, we will see that hockey will have a competition every two years with the participation of all the strongest players in the world.

On the same wave, Marty Walsh, American Democratic politician and former mayor of Boston, becomes the head of the hockey players’ union (NHLPA). One of his main slogans during the election campaign was that the NHL should organize international competitions.

I can imagine how surprised Hasek was

Is it possible to hold a full-fledged World Cup now, in the current international situation? No, this cannot be done. The NHL tried to delay its plans, moving them from 2024 to 2025. But geopolitics did not improve and new hotbeds of tension appeared in the world.

What to do? Eureka – we need to have a test tournament.

— Will Russia, the hockey superpower, participate in your competition, which you don’t call the World Cup? – Walsh was interviewed in Stockholm as part of a major television interview, which will soon be published online in the “Frank Talk” section.

“Probably not,” Walsh replied.

But we already know that the NHL and the NHLPA are on the verge of reaching an agreement which will bring international matches back to the hockey calendar from February 2025. That is to say from next season.

…I can imagine how stunned Dominik Hasek was when his Czech team was kicked out of the test tournament. Well, what did he want? He himself attacked the NHL and demanded billions of dollars from it. Now receive and sign.

In general, the opponents were not chosen by chance. USA and Canada – everything is clear here. Sweden and Finland – the NHL regularly travels there for its clubs’ European matches. The league already has its own hubs there. Stockholm and Tampere, and perhaps even Helsinki, are always ready to host such matches. It’s already a proven springboard. But from what I understand, the NHL was not very happy with the recent visit to Prague. Or maybe she just didn’t want to inflate the number of participants, simply deciding to organize the Tournament of Four.

“I will support all my guys” – union leader

It would be possible to form a Russian team, especially since the federation has nothing to do with it. And only NHL hockey players would play on the team. But there are a number of circumstances:

— the tournament will take place in February 2025, and it won’t be able to get big for a few weeks. It just won’t fit into the regular season schedule;

– other hockey federations – presumably from Sweden and Finland – have made it clear that they would refuse such a tournament if players of Russian origin took part.

“In this case, we are talking about a more serious problem. Some federations do not allow their players to participate in tournaments with Russians. And we have to take that into account,” Walsh said.

In other words, the NHL and the NHLPA found themselves in the middle. They must develop an international orientation. But they must make a choice. At the same time, Walsh emphasizes that as head of the union, he protects everyone, regardless of nationality or origin.

“I represent everyone and I’m going to support my guys. This is indeed a difficult and unfortunate situation. It’s terribly difficult to try to separate sport from what’s happening in the world right now,” Walsh added.

“The world in 2026 could be different”

So it will be a week-long tournament that still needs to be named and scored. Some matches are planned to take place in Europe, but nothing has been decided yet. Most likely, the IIHF will not sanction this tournament (or will simply do without the International Federation), so only NHL players will participate.

“Yes, we currently do not have an agreement with the IIHF. Our tournament will take place around the same time as their World Championship, with a difference of a few months. And the International Federation also has its own obligations that it must fulfill,” Walsh said.

Also to be taken into account is that the NHL and NHLPA continue to work with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the IIHF on an agreement so that NHL players can once again participate in the Olympic Games, starting with Milan 2026. And when this agreement is signed, a long-term international calendar will be established, in which the Olympic Games and the World Cup will take place every two years, alternating.

“I hope we can find a solution soon,” Walsh said.

And what is important, the participation of the Russian team in the Olympic Games in Milan is not excluded at all. The initiative here will come from the IOC.

“I believe the world in 2026 will be different. But we don’t know what will happen. There is a good chance that nothing will change,” says Walsh.

Russia is already organizing its “World Cup”

What are the conclusions?

First, we must approach this NHL tournament in February 2025 without jealousy. Moreover, Russia itself organizes such a tournament.

I did not notice? December 2023. The Hockey World Cup, which we don’t call the Hockey World Cup. Four national teams are participating: Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, China. No North Americans. We adapt in a week. Our December tournament with a snowman, which will take place in St. Petersburg.

How does this format differ from the test tournament that the NHL is launching? Nothing. Only the selection of players is different. But we get the best from the KHL.

Second, what is important. Hockey is currently undergoing tectonic shifts. The NHL returns to the Olympics. The World Cup is being prepared, in which Russia will certainly participate – perhaps in 2028.

Today, hockey is an imperfect sport, because since 2014 we have seen only one tournament with the participation of all the strongest hockey players in the world: it was the 2016 World Cup. Compare with the same football, where world championships or continental championships take place every two years, where clubs play the Champions League every year.

The new international calendar will help all of hockey. Well, Russia will definitely return to the international grid when the time comes.

And one more idea. Activists from the NHL union – the same Alexander Ovechkin – could contact the NHLPA to organize a series of matches between the United States, Canada and Russia. Let it even be a preseason tournament. But this will not only cause a colossal stir, but also show the same Finns and Swedes who do not allow a full-fledged World Cup to be held – sport and hockey are needed to unite people and build bridges between country.