The hockey world is buzzing with the 4 Nations Face-off kicking off this week in Montreal.
Canada opened the tournament with an electric overtime win over Sweden, while the United States walloped Finland Thursday night.
But on Wednesday, the NHL and NHLPA put pen to paper on a new cycle of international hockey for its players, solidifying optimism from those around the hockey world of future international play.
While players will head to the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, the league will host its own international tournament in 2028, bringing back the World Cup of Hockey. Much to the chagrin of Team North America and Team Europe fans, those teams won’t return, but eight total teams are set to take place.
No locations have been set for the 2028 event, but Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli reported the Edmonton Oilers and Calgary Flames could be host cities.
“As for North America, the hockey meccas of Toronto and Montréal stand out. However, there has been buzz recently about a New York / New Jersey bid, support in Minnesota and Chicago, as well as a potential Edmonton / Calgary play, with the Flames’ new Scotia Place slated to open in Oct. 2027.”
Alberta’s two major metropolises make tons of sense as the host city for the 2028 event, doubly so considering Rogers Place has yet to host any major NHL event since the arena opened in September of 2016.
Sure, there was the 2020 COVID-19 playoffs, and Edmonton has hosted its fair share of big Oilers games over the last few years, but there’s yet to be any big NHL event at the new downtown complex otherwise. There’s been no draft, no All-Star game, nothing of the sort. The one major NHL event hosted in Edmonton was played at Commonwealth Stadium when the Oilers and Flames squared off outdoors in the 2023 Heritage Classic.
However, hosting a World Cup of Hockey would bring the world down to Edmonton and Calgary’s backyard, offering a chance to host what should be a tremendous event. As Seravalli alluded to, Calgary’s new arena, Scotia Place, will be open by the time the tournament takes place, and it will surely be a top-of-the-line facility with the ability to host such an event.
Zach Laing is Oilersnation’s associate editor, senior columnist, and The Nation Network’s news director. He also makes up one-half of the DFO DFS Report. He can be followed on Twitter, currently known as X, at @zjlaing, or reached by email at zach@thenationnetwork.com.
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