NHL pumps ‘World Cup of Hockey,’ labor peace as 4 Nations tourney continues

• The National Hockey League made several announcements during a press conference at the 4 Nations Face-off tournament. Commissioner Gary Bettman believes the league and the players union can coexist for years to come.
• The league announced a “World Cup of Hockey” tournament to start in 2028 and alternate between Olympic years.
• The two sides will start negotiations soon on a new collective bargaining agreement between the league and players.

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It seems that the National Hockey League continues to push all the right buttons regarding its future. On Wednesday, Feb. 12, Canada beat Sweden 4-3 in overtime in the first game of the 4 Nations tournament. The stakes are also high on Thursday as Team USA takes on Finland at 8 p.m. EST in Montreal.

The Americans, along with Canada, are the favorites to win the round-robin tournament, and while 23-year-old Jack Hughes of the New Jersey Devils wants that trophy, he is also looking to the future.

“You’re hoping it’s kind of day one for like a new future for USA Hockey. No one’s played in the Olympics, you know, in what, 10 years?” Hughes said. “So, I think this is a fresh start and a lot of new faces, and there’s some high-end players in this tournament that have never played in the Olympics, so with next year coming, I think it’s a really exciting start for us.”

It’s exciting for the NHL, too. On Wednesday, Feb. 12, Commissioner Gary Bettman and Players Union Executive Director Marty Walsh talked about the state of the game, labor peace and the league’s growing salary cap. The mood was good, though the current contract between the league and players union expires after next season.

“I think we are in a good place in terms of our collective bargaining relationship, in terms of our overall relationship,” Bettman said. “So, I remain more than optimistic that while we have some work to do, we’re going to get to where we’re going, and people will not even notice that we’ve done it.”

Also, on Wednesday, Feb.12, the league announced plans to hold a “World Cup of Hockey” tournament between Olympic years starting in February 2028. It will function much like the current 4 Nations tournament, with eight teams of NHL players competing in North America and Europe.

“When you look at hockey right now, you think about the excitement that’s happening. Last week, the commissioner announced the increased salary cap, three years in a row,” Walsh said. “This week we’re doing 4 Nations, we just talked about the World Cup in 2028, we’re talking about the Olympics. There’s a lot of great things happening.”

The league and the players certainly want to keep that momentum going. After the 4 Nations tournament crowns a champion on Feb. 20, the race for the Stanley Cup will resume. The league could also get a boost later this spring as Washington Capitals forward Alex Ovechkin inches closer to Wayne Gretzky’s all-time goal-scoring record.