Connor Hellebuyck was part of the electrifying under-23 Team North America squad at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey.
But having just completed his rookie season and with only 26 games of NHL experience to his name, Hellebuyck didn’t see the ice.
Now eight years later, the American goalie still hasn’t competed in a best-on-best tournament.
“I’ve just been waiting to throw that jersey on. My window’s now, I’m in my prime and I’d love to be part of it,” the Winnipeg Jets goalie said at NHL all-star media day on Thursday.
On Friday, commissioner Gary Bettman announced that NHL players would return to the Olympics in 2026 and 2030. The 2026 Games will be held in Italy, while it is expected that France will be chosen to host the 2030 Games later this year.
The NHL also announced a four-team international tournament for 2025 that will include Canada, the United States, Sweden and Finland. The Four Nations Face-off will be held next February in two yet-to-be-named cities in Canada and the United States.
“We know how important international competition is to our players. We know how much they love and want to represent the countries from which they’re from, and we think this ia great stage for the best on best in what obviously we all believe is the best sport,” Bettman said.
NHL players haven’t participated in either of the last two Olympics. Nor has there been a World Cup since that 2016 edition, and even that tournament featured two gimmicky teams, with North America consisting of under-23 players and a Team Europe covering most of the continent except a few countries.
Eager to compete alongside fellow stars
In the meantime, the NHL is reportedly putting together a four-team tournament for 2025 between Canada, the U.S., Sweden and Finland. It’s still not a true best-on-best — not without the Russians or the Czechs — but it’s closer.
Speaking on Thursday, Edmonton Oilers superstar Connor McDavid said he wants to compete at the Olympics “extremely badly.”
“I would say that a lot of other guys in my age group would feel the same way,” he said. “I think about the U-23 team, a lot of guys that are here, Nate [MacKinnon], guys like Cale Makar and Jack Eichel and Auston [Matthews, all these guys that haven’t had a chance to represent their country at a best on best. I think it’s something that we’re all hoping to do.”
McDavid, left, and MacKinnon, right, both said they were excited about the prospect of competing at the 2026 Olympics. (Ryan Remiorz/The Canadian Press)
MacKinnon, the Cole Harbour, N.S., native from the same hometown as Sidney Crosby, echoed the sentiment.
“I’d love to go. I grew up idolizing Team Canadas and we’ve all missed two or three now, so definitely want to get one in, or hopefully a couple before I retire,” he said.
“We have the best player in the league with Connor and hopefully get another one out of Sid. I still think he’s ageless, so I’d love to play with him and trying to win with him would be pretty special as well.”
Hockey Canada president and CEO Katherine Henderson said representing your country at the Olympics is the “pinnacle” of the sport.
“We are excited to begin the process of building teams that include the best Canadian NHL players from across the country for the first time since the 2016 World Cup of Hockey, and to surround those athletes with high-quality management, coaching and support staffs that will do everything they can to help our athletes achieve their goal of winning Olympic gold medals,” Henderson said.
Indeed, multiple factors have kept the best men’s players in the world out of the Olympics, from insurance issues between the NHL, NHLPA and IIHF in 2018 to the pandemic in 2022.
On Thursday, Columbus Blue Jackets NHLPA representative Boone Jenner expressed hope of a deal coming together for 2026.
“I know the [Players’ Assocation is] working really hard behind the scenes with the league to find something of a solution there, hopefully get something set in stone,” said Canadian Boone Jenner, the captain of the Columbus Blue Jackets and the team’s PA representative.
Now one day later, it’s official.
“We know that hockey fans worldwide have long been anticipating the next best-on-best international competition, and now they can finally see some of their favourite players represent their countries and line up together,” said NHLPA executive director Marty Walsh.
“We made it,” IIHF president Luc Tardif added. “That’s two years work and more intense the last six months.”
Players’ sexual assault charges not a sign of hockey culture problem: NHL commissioner
When pressed about whether he felt the recent arrests of players for sexual assault pointed toward a systemic culture issue in the NHL and the sport, league commissioner Gary Bettman said to make that characterization would be ‘both inaccurate and unfair’ and that ‘99.9 per cent of the players … conduct themselves appropriately.’
‘Everybody would be excited’
Minnesota Wild star Kirill Kaprizov is one of just a few NHLers remaining with Olympic experience, having played for the Russian team in 2018 before jumping over to North America.
In Pyeongchang, Kaprizov scored the golden goal in overtime.
“Of course I’d like to play at the Olympics for the Russian team, as any Russian NHL player and any player that plays in Russia. Definitely would be happy to represent the national team,” Kaprizov said.
The Russian flag was excluded from each of the past two Winter Olympics due to sanctions over doping and the invasion of Ukraine.
Kaprizov celebrates the Russian team’s gold medal at the 2018 Olympics. (Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
Drafted in 2015, Kyle Connor is another player, like his Jets teammate Hellebuyck, who’s missed out on the opportunity to play best-on-best internationally.
Though he said he and Hellebuyck don’t talk about it too often — they are NHL players who may not want to jinx their spot on the team two years out, after all — he said he is itching for the opportunity.
“I think everybody would be excited even if it’s a different format with the four teams, whether it’s exhibition tournament or however they’re going to format it, you know there’s gonna be some competition and everybody’s going to want to win that game,” Connor said.
By the time the Olympics come around, most of that original U-23 team will be at least 30, having missed out on a decade of top international competition.
There’s no getting that time back now. But with Friday’s news, at least all those fantasy Team Canada lines are closer to reality.
The French league’s legal commission has ordered Paris Saint-Germain to pay Kylian Mbappé the 55 million euros ($61 million) in unpaid wages that he claims he’s entitled to, the league said Thursday.
The league confirmed the decision to The Associated Press without more details, a day after the France superstar rejected a mediation offer by the commission in his dispute with his former club.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Former football star Reggie Bush was at his Encino home Tuesday night when three male suspects attempted to break in, the Los Angeles Times reported Wednesday.
“Everyone is safe,” Bush said in a text message to the newspaper.
The Los Angeles Police Dept. told the Times that a resident of the house reported hearing a window break and broken glass was found outside. Police said nothing was stolen and that three male suspects dressed in black were seen leaving the scene.
Bush starred at Southern California and in the NFL. The former running back was reinstated as the 2005 Heisman Trophy winner this year. He forfeited it in 2010 after USC was hit with sanctions partly related to Bush’s dealings with two aspiring sports marketers.
VANCOUVER – A fresh face has been gracing the B.C. Lions‘ highlight reels in recent weeks.
Midway through his second CFL campaign, wide receiver Ayden Eberhardt has contributed touchdowns in two consecutive games.
The 26-year-old wide receiver from Loveland, Colo., was the lone B.C. player to reel in a passing major in his team’s 37-23 victory over the league-leading Montreal Alouettes last Friday. The week before, he notched his first CFL touchdown in the Lions’ win over the Ottawa Redblacks.
“It’s been awesome. It’s been really good,” Eberhardt said of his recent play. “At the end of the day, the biggest stat to me is if we win. But who doesn’t love scoring?”
He’ll look to add to the tally Friday when the Leos (7-6) host the Toronto Argonauts.
Eberhardt signed with B.C. as a free agent in January 2023 and spent much of last season on the practice squad before cementing a role on the roster this year.
The six-foot-two, 195-pound University of Wyoming product has earned more opportunities in his second season, said Lions’ head coach and co-general manager Rick Campbell.
“He’s a super hard worker and very smart. He understands, has high football IQ, as we call it,” Campbell said.
The fact that Eberhardt can play virtually every receiving position helps.
“He could literally go into a game and we could throw him into a spot and he’d know exactly what he’s doing,” the coach said. “That allows him to play fast and earn the quarterback’s trust. And you see him making plays.”
Eberhardt credited his teammates, coaches and the rest of the Lions’ staff with helping him prepare for any situation he might face. They’ve all spent time teaching him the ins and outs of the Canadian game, or go over the playbook and run routes after practice, he said.
“I’ve played every single position on our offence in a game in the last two years, which is kind of crazy. But I love playing football,” he said. “I want to play any position that the team needs me to play.”
While B.C.’s lineup is studded with stars like running back William Stanback — who has a CFL-high 938 rushing yards — and wide receiver Justin McInnis — who leads the league in both receiving yards (1,074) and receiving TDs (seven) — versatility has been a critical part of the team’s back-to-back wins.
“I think we’ve got a lot of talented guys who deserve to get the ball and make big plays when they have the ball in their hands. So it’s really my job to get them the ball as much as possible,” said quarterback Nathan Rourke.
“I think that makes it easy when you can lean on those guys and, really, we’re in a situation where anyone can have a big game. And I think that’s a good place to be.”
Even with a talented lineup, the Lions face a tough test against an eager Argos side.
Toronto lost its second straight game Saturday when it dropped a 41-27 decision to Ottawa.
“We’ll have our hands full,” Rourke said. “We’ll have to adjust on the fly to whatever their game plan is. And no doubt, they’ll be ready to go so we’ll have to be as well.”
The two sides have already met once this season when the Argos handed the Lions a 35-27 loss in Toronto back on June 9.
A win on Friday would vault B.C. to the top of the West Division standings, over the 7-6 Winnipeg Blue Bombers who are on a bye week.
Collecting that victory isn’t assured, though, even with Toronto coming in on a two-game skid, Campbell said.
“They’ve hit a little bit of a rut, but they’re a really good team,” he said. “They’re very athletic. And you can really see (quarterback Chad Kelly’s) got zip on the ball. When you see him in there, he can make all the throws. So we’re expecting their best shot.”
TORONTO ARGONAUTS (6-6) AT B.C. LIONS (7-6)
Friday, B.C. Place
HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE: The Lions boast a 4-1 home record this season, including a 38-12 victory over the Redblacks at Royal Athletic Park in Victoria, B.C., on Aug. 31. The Argos have struggled outside of BMO Field and hold a 1-5 away record. Trips to the West Coast haven’t been easy for Toronto in recent years — since 2003, the club is 4-14 in road games against B.C.
CENTURION: B.C. defensive back Garry Peters is set to appear in his 100th consecutive game. The 32-year-old from Conyers, Ga., is a two-time CFL all-star who has amassed 381 defensive tackles, 19 special teams tackles and 16 interceptions over seven seasons. “Just being on the field with the guys every day, running around, talking trash back and forth, it keeps me young,” Peters said. “It makes me feel good, and my body doesn’t really feel it. I’ve been blessed to be able to play 100 straight.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 12, 2024.
