NEW YORK – The NHL wants to invest more time and money in expanding the sport of ice hockey internationally, especially in Europe, Commissioner Gary Bettman said after the league board meeting on Wednesday.
International growth was the topic of the board meeting, where the NHL gave a presentation and a discussion took place.
“We are focused on what we can do outside of North America to further expand the game globally,” said Commissioner Bettman. “This is becoming increasingly important and a priority for us as we believe we are the most international of the four major sports in North America, certainly because of the makeup of our players. We think this is a great opportunity. But even more than the opportunity, we want the game to continue to grow.”
Commissioner Bettman said the league is exploring various options to expand its presence outside of North America.
“We are not talking about setting up a league,” the commissioner clarified. “It’s more about hosting games, doing media work, offering grassroots programming, providing content – all the things we do regularly in North America and to some extent in Europe. But it’s about investing more of ourselves in building it.”
As part of its push for international growth, the NHL announced a media agreement with Nine on Wednesday to broadcast games in Australia every Saturday morning throughout the season, starting Saturday with the Detroit Red Wings’ game against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
A total of 21 regular season games will be broadcast live in Australia, with in-house commentators and tailored coverage during breaks.
However, Commissioner Bettman said the focus of the league’s international efforts will continue to be on Europe because the league is already very popular there, there is potential for growth in the hockey communities and there are good relationships with existing leagues.
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To that end, the NHL will continue the Global Series this season, with the Pittsburgh Penguins and Nashville Predators playing two games on November 14 and 16 at Avicii Arena in Stockholm, Sweden.
NHL players will compete in the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, marking the league’s first Olympic appearance since 2014.
The league and the NHL Players’ Association are also focused on the return of the World Cup of Hockey in 2028, with games scheduled to be played in both Europe and North America.
NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly said the league is expecting offers from 18 North American and 10 European markets interested in hosting World Cup of Hockey games.
Daly said the league and the NHLPA wanted to review those offers in time to make a decision in February.
“We’re focused on the whole world, but I think Europe is a priority in the short term because we’re very well known and very popular there,” Commissioner Bettman said. “But we also want to be good citizens in the ice hockey world and respect the leagues that exist there, so we will look for ways to work together to further develop the sport.”
Regarding the Olympics, Commissioner Bettman expressed some concerns about the progress of construction of the main ice hockey arena for the event, the Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena.
The Associated Press reported Wednesday that local organizers confirmed that the construction schedule would not allow the arena to undergo a test run in December as originally planned, and that no new test run was planned.
The construction problem leaves open the possibility that the arena will not be tested before the Olympics begin.
The first event scheduled at the arena is a women’s hockey preliminary round game on February 5. The men’s tournament with NHL players is scheduled to begin on February 11th.
“We have been concerned about the progress of the hockey stadium for the last two years… but that is the responsibility of the IOC,” Commissioner Bettman said of the International Olympic Committee. “We are invited guests, but they know our concerns and we expect them to keep all promises to create a facility that is first class from a sporting perspective.”
Commissioner Bettman referred to the IOC when asked about contingency plans.
“This is not our event,” the commissioner said. “We are limited in our possibilities and impossibilities, our demands and demands, and when it comes to a certain point we have to deal with it. But I don’t speculate and we have been repeatedly assured by the IOC and the IIHF (International Ice Hockey Federation) that everything will be fine. Of course the players’ association will share our concerns, if there are any at all.”
