Gary Bettman has tried to move hockey to the Summer Olympics

Yet again something has gotten in the way of NHL players participating in the Olympic Games.

In 2018, the NHL backed out of PyeongChang due in part to the International Olympic Committee refusing to pay insurance and travel for the players. This year, despite participation at the 2022 and 2026 Games being a key point in the Collective Bargaining Agreement between the league and the players, the NHL opted out of Beijing because of China’s COVID-19 regulations.

NHL players participated in the Olympics in 1998, 2002, 2006, 2010, and 2014 despite the fact is posed challenges for the league. Pausing the schedule for three weeks in the middle of the season and the risk of injuries at the Games are reasons why owners don’t want the players participating in the Olympics.

During TNT’s broadcast of the 2022 Winter Classic between the St. Louis Blues and Minnesota Wild, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman stated that he’s tried to have hockey moved to the Summer Olympics. Bettman said he’s been pushing for this change since the mid-1990s but the IOC has been adamant that hockey belongs in the Winter Olympics.

Ice Hockey made its debut at the 1920 Games in Antwerp, Belgium, but was shifted when the Winter Games made its debut in Chamonix, France in 1924.

While logic would indicate that hockey, a winter sport, belongs at the Winter Olympics, there’s no doubt that participation at the Summer Games would be much easier for the NHL to navigate. The NBA is able to send its best players to the Summer Olympics without it disrupting the league’s schedule, which runs through the fall, winter, and spring.

Multiple NHL players, such as Brad Marchand, have been vocal in their criticism of the league for not working harder to get players to the Games. Per the current CBA, the NHL is expected to participate in the 2026 Olympics in Italy, but those who were in their prime between 2018 and 2022 might have missed their opportunity.