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The World Cup of Hockey held every three to five years from 1976 until 1991 could return very shortly. The tournament returned in 2016 and was expected to be every four years, but due to COVID, it didn't.
Along with the World Cup of Hockey not returning, the NHL didn't allow players to go to the Olympics, meaning players haven't had the chance to represent their country in a best-on-best since 2016.
However, according to NHL reporter Kevin Weekes, the World Cup of Hockey could return in 2025 but only feature NHL players.
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"I’m told about ongoing discussions between involved parties for a scaled-down World Cup of Hockey featuring only @NHL Players, perhaps in 2025 on a potential timeline between Superbowl and March Madness."
Weekes' reporting is consistent with what the NHL has said. The initial plan was for the World Cup of Hockey to return in 2024, but due to the Russian-Ukraine war, it got delayed.
However, when it was planned for 2024, NHL Deputy Commissioner Billy Daly said it wouldn't be a typical World Cup of eight teams over 16 days:
"We're focused on an alternative type of tournament that leverages the unique internationality of our sport. And that's the process we're in now, working with the Players' Association to design something we can plug into February of '25."
Along with the World Cup of Hockey, the hope for many NHL players is to get back into the Olympics.
NHL players hoping for World Cup of Hockey
Since 2016, NHL players have been campaigning for a best-on-best tournament.
Other leagues like the NBA and MLB saw players prepare for the Olympics and the World Baseball Classic.
After the WBC, Edmonton Oilers star Connor McDavid says not having best-on-best tournaments has hurt hockey's popularity:
"I thought it was cool. Everyone's been talking about baseball [and asking], 'Did you see Ohtani versus Trout?' and that's what hockey's been missing for almost a decade. It's what we've been asking for a long time. It's best-on-best."
A best-on-best hockey tournament may return in 2025.
