With the global political climate and current events, many wondered whether or not Russia would be banned from participating in the Olympics. This would be a huge loss for the Winter Olympics in 2026, as a true best-on-best tournament includes Russian players.
Now, the Olympic Committee has announced that Russia will be allowed to participate in the 2024 Olympics, under certain strict rules. This ruling will likely carry over to the 2026 Winter Olympics.
Now, all that is left to return Olympic Hockey to its true glory is for Gary Bettman to get a deal done that would allow NHL Players to go and play for their Country. This is something that Bettman has said the NHL is working on, and both players and fans would like to see.