NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman announced the league has secured greater access to Olympic content for the 2026 Milan Games, marking progress in a long-standing dispute. The NHL had previously missed the 2018 and 2022 Olympics due to disagreements over content rights and scheduling conflicts with the regular season.

Bettman highlighted improvements including players' ability to create social media content as athletes and the NHL's permission to repost it. The league can also now use shared logos, addressing previous concerns about disappearing from public view during the two-week Olympic break. The commissioner noted the IOC and IIHF have become "a tad more flexible" regarding intellectual property and coverage.

While the NHL returns to Olympic participation after a 12-year absence, Bettman declined to discuss future World Cup of Hockey plans, focusing instead on the current tournament. The league also confirmed it has no plans to adopt international point systems, preferring its current format that awards two points for wins and one for overtime losses. Players' desire to return to the Olympics has been a major priority, with NHL Players' Association executive director Marty Walsh noting that getting back to the Games was the first request from players when he took over the union.