Hockey Fans React to NHL’s Reported Olympic Roster Policy
Hockey fans have voiced their opinions following reports about the NHL’s plan to announce team rosters for the 2026 Winter Olympics in two phases: six players in June and the remainder in December. TSN analyst Pierre LeBrun shared this update on X (formerly Twitter) on Tuesday.
“Italy NHL Olympic update: The plan as of now regarding Olympic rosters is for each country to name 6 players in June and the rest of their rosters end of December,” LeBrun posted.
However, NHL fans aren’t pleased with this approach. The 2026 Winter Olympics are set to take place from February 6-22, and with roster announcements occurring so far in advance, concerns have been raised about potential player omissions and injuries. Many fans referenced the recently concluded 4 Nations Face-Off, where similar issues arose.
Here’s what fans had to say:
- “Guess they didn’t learn from the 4 Nations…” one user commented.
- “Will Russia be playing?” another asked.
- “What’s the point of naming 6 players?” one fan questioned.
- “Why do they have to name players early? There aren’t going to be any surprises with these announcements. Most countries have 6 obvious choices and the ones that don’t will be naming players no one has heard of,” another fan remarked.
- “What is the point of this, honestly? Just name the team when you leave in early February,” yet another fan added.
- “What is the point of this ‘name six players’ thing. It achieves nothing of value,” one user stated.
- “Great. Another chance to pick a player way too early instead of letting the season actually unfold (aka: Chris Kreider in the 4 Nations),” a fan shared.
- “What is the obsession with naming guys early? Who cares?” another user asked.
NHL Players Return to the Olympics After a Decade-Long Absence
Following the success of the 4 Nations Face-Off, NHL players are set to compete in more best-on-best tournaments in the coming years. The 2026 and 2030 Winter Olympics, as well as the 2028 World Cup of Hockey, are already on the schedule.
During a press conference in February 2024, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman explained the reasoning behind the 4 Nations Face-Off:
“We wanted to do something, but we felt that we couldn’t get ready in a year for a full-blown World Cup. This gets us started and puts us on a schedule that I think everybody is not just excited about but really comfortable with,” Bettman said via NHL.
This marks a significant return for NHL players to international competition, as they haven’t participated in such events since the 2016 World Cup of Hockey.
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Edited by Krutik Jain
