NEWSLETTER
On Wednesday morning, the NHL and NHLPA acknowledged the two sides have agreed on the return of the World Cup of Hockey. The tournament will reportedly take place over two weeks in February of 2024.
NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly spoke about the tournament during the NHL’s European Player Media Tour on Wednesday. According to NHL.com, the meetings between the NHL, the NHLPA, and Luc Tardif, the president of the International Ice Hockey Federation, to discuss the World Cup were a planned part of the league’s trip to Paris.
According to Daly, the 2024 tournament will include games played in both Europe and North America, with at least eight teams competing. Daly noted they would like to make the complete field 10 teams, with eight qualifying for bracket play (like the World Juniors this summer).
“We still want to play one pool in Europe, a preliminary round pool in Europe, and a preliminary round pool in North America and move the semifinals and the final to a different city in North America likely,” Daly said. “I think that short list would universally encompass more traditional hockey markets.”
However, a decision about Russia’s involvement has not yet been made. They are still banned from IIHF tournaments (which is why they weren’t represented in this summer’s WJC), and the NHL suspended all business operations in the country when they invaded Ukraine in February.
Obviously, Russia being part of the tournament is a huge deal. The number of Russian players in the NHL is still strong, with stars like Alexander Ovechkin, Artemi Panarin, Nikita Kucherov, Vladimir Tarasenko, and Andrei Vasilevskiy are still stars in the league. And many expect Matvei Michkov to be one of the top three picks in the 2023 NHL Draft.
This news comes before the NHL returns to Europe for the first time since before the COVID-19 pandemic. The Nashville Predators and San Jose Sharks will play games in Europe in early October.
“It’s very important as we continue to build out our presence in Europe and our international business,” Daly said on Wednesday. “Having the Global Series back on European soil is very important to our business.”
