In a recent public appearance, IIHF President Luc Tardif was optimistic. It was at the conclusion of the World Junior Hockey Championships, where he told the media, including CBC, that: "the planets are in the right place". What Tardif meant was that his organisation, the NHL, the NHL Players' Association and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) were all in agreement.

Anything can happen. The final announcement is expected to come at the end of February, after the NHL Council meets. Tardif is not the only one optimistic about hockey's return to the Olympics. NHLPA executive director Marty Walsh also said he was "hopeful" about the NHL's participation in the 2026 Olympics.

The Canadian leader was asked several times about the possibility of the NHL being present at the games in Milan and Cortina Winter Games. His words were always hopeful. Now it is clear that the heads of the NHL and the IOC will have to meet in order to establish the links that could lead to good news. The meeting between Tardif and Thomas Bach could take place this month, as time is running out.

If the country does eventually return to the Games, it will be the sixth time that it has been a part of the Olympic movement. It has taken part in five editions, the first of which was in 1998. NHL players participated in five Games between 1998 and 2014, but were absent from the 2018 event. It would have returned to the Beijing Games in 2022, but was cancelled by COVID.

The NHL players were ready to take part in the Beijing 2022 Winter Games, but six weeks before the opening ceremony the decision was made that they would not. The NHL and NHLPA cited the disruption to the regular season caused by the coronavirus pandemic, which led to the cancellation of the previous 50 games. In 2018, the NHL, the NHLPA, the IIHF and the IOC were unable to reach an agreement between the various parties that had to negotiate for NHL players to participate in the Olympic event.

The USA roster for the 2018 and 2022 Games consisted of minor league players and players from other international leagues. However, an agreement between the NHL and the NHLPA for the 2022 and 2026 Games was signed in 2020 to prevent this from happening and now a new one is needed between the NHL, the IIHF and the IOC.

The IOC and the Organising Committee of Milan and Cortina 2026 are also waiting for this meeting to take place and for the positions to be reconciled, as the return of the NHL players would be a significant boost and attraction for the Italian event.

The impact and visibility they bring to ice hockey is crucial, and with the full cooperation of all parties involved in the organisation of a major event such as the Winter Games, the possibility of having the NHL back at the Olympics after 12 years is another source of motivation and excitement for the organisers.