Hockey fans reacted over the NHL’s reported policy of announcing team rosters for the Olympics in June and December. TSN analyst Pierre LeBrun posted an update about the issue 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,” the post read.
NHL fans were not happy with the news. The 2026 Winter Olympics are scheduled to be held from Feb. 6-22. With the roster announcements so soon in advance, fans are concerned about omissions and injuries to players.
A similar situation occurred during the recently concluded 4 Nations Face-Off, and fans were quick to point that out.
“Guess they didn’t learn from the 4 Nations…” One user said.
“Will Russia be playing?” Another asked.
“What’s the point of naming 6 players?” One fan asked.
“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 said.
“What is the point of this, honestly? Just name the team when you leave in early February,” yet another fan said.
“What is the point of this ‘name six players’ thing. It achieves nothing of value.” One user said.
“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 to participate in Olympics after a decade-long absence
Following the immense popularity of the 4 Nations Face-Off, NHL players are expected to feature in more best-on-best tournaments in the coming years, with the Olympics in 2026 and 2030 and the 2028 World Cup of Hockey already on the calendar.
Speaking at a press conference in February 2024, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman discussed why and how the 4 Nations Face-Off came about.
“We wanted to do something, but we felt that we couldn’t get ready in a year for a full-blown World Cup,” Bettman said via NHL. “This gets us started and puts us on a schedule that I think everybody is not just excited about but really comfortable with.”
NHL players have not participated in an international-level tournament since the World Cup of Hockey in 2016.
Edited by Krutik Jain
