“Things we love to see” – NHL fans left EXCITED as Commissioner Gary Bettman announces return of World Cup of Hockey in 2028

NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman on Wednesday announced that the World of Hockey will make its return in 2028, 12 years after the last edition.

“Things we love to see” – NHL fans left EXCITED as Commissioner Gary Bettman announces return of World Cup of Hockey in 2028

Gary Bettman (Image via The Denver Post)

Just at the start of the 4 Nations Face Off, the NHL has made a huge announcement. Commissioner Gary Bettman has informed that World Cup of Hockey will return in 2028. Unlike last time, this time the event will actually feature real countries.

The previous World Cup of Hockey was played in 2016. It was the third World Cup of Hockey with the first being played 12 years before in 2004.

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That tournament included Canada, the Czech Republic, Finland, Russia, Sweden, and the United States as the national teams. There other teams were combination teams – Team North America and Team Europe.

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Team North America was comprised of under 23 stars from the US and Canada. On the other hand, Team Europe was filled with stars who did not get represented by their nations in this tournament.

This time things will be different. Instead of playing in September, it will be hosted in the month of February and will have at least eight national teams.

We are moving forward with the World Cup two years after the Olympics in 2028. We will be asking for bids on hosting games... Couldn’t be more excited about making a reality Olympics-World Cups-Olympics-World Cups on a regular schedule.

Commissioner Gary Bettman said as per NHL.com

The 4 Nations Face Off, which is currently taking place in Montreal and Boston, is the first time since the World Cup of Hockey where NHL stars are competing on the international stage. The NHL did not send players to the 2018 and 2022 Winter Olympics games.

The 2028 World Cup of Hockey is going to take place between the 2026 and the 2030 Olympics. This would mean that NHL players will be able to play in international competition in every two years since 2026.

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Social media reactions to Gary Bettman announcing returning of World Cup of Hockey

The NHL fans were already hyped up about the 4 Nations Face Off. After hearing about the return of the World Cup of Hockey from Commissioner Gary Bettman, the fans have gone into a frenzy on social media.

Gary Bettman
Gary Bettman (Image via Yardbarker)

Many would approve this decision on X. Reacting to this development on X, one user wrote, “Things you love to see” while seemingly being happy with the announcement.

They were some though who asked some big questions which included the participation of Russia. Team Russia along with Belarus has been banned from international competitions since the country invaded Ukraine. As a result of this, they are not competing in the 4 Nations Face Off.

Check some other top reactions from X regarding the return of World Cup of Hockey below:

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Speaking of international events, the first match of the 4 Nations Face Off saw Canada and Sweden have a thrilling contest. In a jam packed stadium in the Bell Centre, Canada overcome their opponents 4-3 in overtime. Captain Sidney Crosby, who was a doubt for the event after missing out a few games recently, was named the MVP of this match with 3 assists.