MONTREAL — NHL commissioner Gary Bettman wants a cycle of best-on-best hockey every two years.
The first step in making that happen is complete.
Bettman and NHL Players' Association executive director Marty Walsh announced Wednesday the World Cup of Hockey will return in 2028, two years after NHLers are set to return to the Olympics.
“We couldn't be more excited about making a reality Olympics, World Cups, Olympics, World Cups on a regular schedule of the best hockey players in the world representing their countries,” Bettman said at the Bell Centre before Canada played Sweden in the first game of the 4 Nations Face-Off.
“We know the full-blown World Cup, this is simply a sampler, is going to be sensational."
What exactly the men’s international tournament will look like — and whether Russia will be included — is still unknown.
The World Cup is expected to take place in February 2028 instead of an NHL all-star weekend at a yet-to-be-named location. The league said the bidding process for host cities and venues should open to North American and European locations in the coming months.
Russia was excluded from the 4 Nations Face-Off, which also includes the United States and Finland, amid its ongoing war in Ukraine. The International Ice Hockey Federation has also banned Russia and its ally Belarus from events through at least the 2025-26 calendar.
Bettman said the NHL will take its time before making a decision about the country’s inclusion in 2028.
“Russia has a great hockey tradition, we have great Russian players playing in our league,” Bettman said. “We're going to have to see what the International Olympic Committee does, but we have enough time to deal with the realities with what the world situation looks like before then.”
Walsh said Russian NHL players are eager to return to best-on-best competition, but that the current state of world politics is an obstacle.
“They want to represent their country, they want to play in this tournament, they want to be part of 4 Nations, they want to play in the Olympics,” Walsh said. “The issues are political. Not political as far as the NHLPA, it's world politics we have to get through. I'm hoping that as we get closer to the Olympics, closer to the World Cup, we will start seeing Russian athletes back in the competition.”
The NHL last held a World Cup in 2016 in Toronto. An under-23 Team North America and Team Europe — a group of all-stars from unrepresented countries — joined Canada, the United States, Russia, Sweden, Finland and Czechia in the eight-team tournament.
Bettman said the 2028 edition will feature at least eight teams and won’t involve melding countries together.
The league also hosted World Cups in 1996 and 2004. The U.S. won the inaugural tournament, while Canada prevailed in 2004 and 2016.
The league and players’ association hope the long gaps between NHL-organized best-on-best competitions will be a thing of the past.
“That’s our goal. We’d love to see that happen,” Walsh said of the two-year cycle. “If we can get this momentum going it’s going to be great for the game of hockey.
“But we’ll take one tournament at a time, so let’s get through 4 Nations and then we can talk about the next 30 years after that.”
RETIREMENT? NOT YET
Bettman has served as commissioner for 32 years and will turn 73 in June, but said he doesn’t have any immediate plans to step down.
"Why do I get that question? Am I looking elderly or something? Maybe I am,” he said. “I love what I do. I don't have any plans immediately or even that I've focused on for the foreseeable future to do anything else.
“I can't do this forever, but I'm going to do it for as long as I have the energy and the passion.”
CBA TALKS
The NHL and NHLPA haven’t formally started negotiations on a new collective bargaining agreement but neither Bettman nor Walsh foresee any issues in striking a deal well before the current agreement expires in September 2026.
“We're getting there, we still have some work to do on our side (before starting talks),” Walsh said. “The commissioner has a — I wouldn't say an aggressive timeline — but would like to get it done sooner than later. I think we all would love to do that."
ANTHEM JEERS
Bettman and deputy commissioner Bill Daly have seen the booing of the American national anthem in Canadian arenas amid U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariff threats, but are hopeful the trend won’t continue.
“It's unfortunate, obviously, and we wish it wasn't the case. But from time to time things happen and people have strong feelings about it,” Daly said. “The negativity has probably lessened over the last week. Hopefully it continues to lessen and that relations will be normal.”
DIPPING DOLLAR
Bettman said he checks the rate of the Canadian dollar every morning. The Canadian dollar has depreciated in recent years, falling to below 70 cents U.S, but the commissioner isn't concerned for NHL teams north of the border.
"I would caution against tales of doom and gloom,” he said. “Our system is designed so that all of our teams can be competitive. … The system takes into account the fluctuation in currency between Canada and the United States, and part of the system includes revenue sharing.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 12, 2025.
Daniel Rainbird, The Canadian Press