New NHLPA director Walsh says it’s ‘important’ to re-establish World Cup of Hockey

By Anthony On Mar 30, 2023

New NHLPA executive director Marty Walsh said on Thursday that re-establishing the World Cup of Hockey is among his many goals as he takes the helm of the players’ union.

Walsh, who before joining the NHLPA was the U.S. Secretary of Labor with the Biden Administration, said he’s had “a couple conversations over the last couple of weeks” about the best-on-best tournament and has also had some early talks around the participation of NHL players in the next Winter Olympic Games in 2026.

“Let’s establish the program. Let’s establish the World Cup of Hockey back and let’s have a forward-looking schedule to see, so people can be consistent with it,” Walsh told reporters in his first media availability since taking on his new role. “Fans love it, players love it, it’s important for us to do it.”

In the wake of watching the success of the World Baseball Classic earlier this month, best-on-best events have once again been the subject of much discussion. Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid recently joined the chorus of voices calling for a similar opportunity.

The World Cup of Hockey was first played in 1996, replacing the Canada Cup. It was held again in 2004 and revived 12 years later in 2016. Hopes of holding another edition in 2021 were dashed in 2019, with talks being pushed to a possible 2024 event. That, too, was ruled out in November when the NHL and NHLPA jointly announced it was “not feasible” to hold a best-on-best competition in that timeframe.

“Unfortunately, in the current environment, it is not feasible to hold the World Cup of Hockey at that time. We continue to plan for the next World Cup of Hockey, hopefully in February 2025,” the statement read.

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Asked about the ongoing uncertainty around whether Russia would be permitted to participate amid that nation’s continued invasion of Ukraine, Walsh did not go into any specifics at this time.

“I think that right now, commenting on what’s going on in the world, things can change and different things can happen, so I think it’s a little too early to talk about who’s involved with the tournament or not,” he said. “But I think we should get the tournament on paper … start the conversation, really get it going, moving forward and what this would look like.

“And then, obviously, we’ll have to deal with challenges that might come up as time goes on.”

Walsh didn’t provide any details on possible Olympic talks. NHLers have not participated in the Olympics since 2014.

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Another major subject addressed during Walsh’s availability was the importance of NHL Pride Nights, which have been taking place around the league.

A handful of players have refused to wear the Pride-themed warmup jersey, releasing statements citing religious and personal beliefs, while some Russian players have not participated after Russia passed a law restricting pride “propaganda.”

Walsh said he has personally always been a strong supporter of the LGBTQ+ community and acknowledged the league has “some work to do” in order to ensure everyone feels welcome in the game.

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