It might still be a little more than two years out, but Connor McDavid is eagerly awaiting the chance to play on the sporting world’s biggest stage.
Today, the NHL announced its intention to return to the Olympics in 2026 and 2030, to be held in Italy and at a location to be announced later this year.
And it seems like McDavid couldn’t be more excited.
“Obviously I’ve been vocal about this,” McDavid said. “I feel like it’s important for hockey as we continue to try to grow our game internationally and at home.”
McDavid came into the NHL as the Edmonton Oilers’ first overall draft pick in 2015 and has yet to represent Canada in a true best-on-best competition as an adult.
The NHL also announced a series of other tournaments to be set in the future: a mid-season “Four Nations Face-Off” between Canada, the United States, Sweden and Finland for 2025, as well as a larger World Cup set for 2028.
To help announce the news, McDavid was joined onstage at NHL All-Star Weekend prior to the skills competition alongside Toronto’s Auston Matthews, Vancouver’s Elias Pettersson, and Carolina’s Sebastian Aho, representing the US, Sweden, and Finland, respectively.
“It’s going to be exciting, four great teams that are going to be competing,” McDavid added. “I think it’s a great thing. It’s an exciting schedule, something that people can look forward to every two years, every second year. Something that I know the four of us are super pumped about.”
A gold medallist at the 2015 World Juniors and the 2016 World Championship, it’s been a long time coming for the three-time Art Ross winner to have a chance to play for his country once again. McDavid’s last international competition was in 2018, when Canada finished fourth at the World Championship that year in a season where he was able to play due to the Oilers missing the playoffs.
While McDavid competed in the 2016 World Cup of Hockey — the most recent international best-on-best competition featuring NHL players — he did so as a member of the Under-23 Team North America roster, as did Matthews.
“This All-Star Game feels a little like a [Team North America] reunion with the number of players who have gone on to compete in this All-Star Game,” McDavid added. “Going up against Auston, who I know really well — it’s never easy. And to do on the Olympic stage, World Cup Stage Four Nations Cup. It’s going to be exciting. Obviously Canada-US doesn’t get any better than that in hockey, and just can’t wait to have a chance to be a part of that.”
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