'I'm smiling': IIHF president optimistic about NHL participation at 2026 Olympics

Luc Tardif is optimistic NHL players will be at the 2026 Olympics.

The International Ice Hockey Federation president says "all the planets are at the good place" with his organization, the NHL, the NHL Players' Association and the International Olympic Committee.

Tardif made the comments at the world junior hockey championship closing press conference ahead the final between hosts Sweden and the United States.

The Canadian-born Tardif said "you can see, I'm smiling" when asked about the Olympics in Milan and Cortina, Italy. He said he will be meeting with IOC president Thomas Bach later this month before speaking with the NHL and NHLPA at the league's all-star game in Toronto.

Tardif said he expects an announcement by the end February following a meeting of the IIHF Congress.

The NHL participated at five Games between 1998 and 2014, but skipped the event in 2018 for financial reasons. The league was set to go to Beijing in 2022 before pulling the plug for concerns related to COVID-19.