Sports
Elliott: The real reasons why Gary Bettman is letting NHL players back in the Olympics
The return of NHL players to the Olympics at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Games makes so much sense, it’s almost difficult to believe commissioner Gary Bettman agreed to let players represent their respective homelands in Italy and at a still-to-be-determined site in 2030 after holding them out of the two previous Olympic tournaments.
Persuading team owners that it would be worthwhile to pause the season for the Olympics was no small feat. Bettman, who this week celebrated his 32nd anniversary in office, still has that power. And this time he could guarantee they wouldn’t have to pay the hefty costs of players’ insurance or for housing them and their families at the Games, thanks to the International Ice Hockey Federation’s decision to take on that responsibility.
He framed it as a gift to players. But, as always, follow the money for the real motivation.
“There is a recognition of how important this is to the players. And in the spirit of cooperation, particularly the work that we did together during COVID, everybody felt on our side that it was the right thing to do,” Bettman said Friday at a news conference in Toronto during the NHL’s All-Star weekend.
“This really came down to doing something because the players really wanted it,” he said as he sat beside Marty Walsh, executive director of the NHL Players’ Assn., and Luc Tardif, president of the International Ice Hockey Federation.
This will be the sixth tournament involving NHL players. The first was in Nagano, Japan, in 1998, followed by Salt Lake City in 2002; Turin, Italy, in 2006; Vancouver in 2010, and Sochi, Russia in 2014. The tournament will be played on NHL-sized rinks, as they were in 2010 and 2014.
NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman speaks during a news conference in Denver on June 15, 2022.
(David Zalubowski / Associated Press)
The time difference between Italy and North America is more suitable for scheduling prime-time TV events in the U.S. than were the vast time differences between North America and South Korea in 2018 and between North America and China in 2022. Also crucial to Bettman’s decision is the league will have greater ability to promote its players than it had been given before.
At previous Olympics, the NHL wasn’t allowed to market players and use video of them competing at the Games, a big source of frustration for Bettman that left him butting heads with the autocrats of the International Olympic Committee, some of the few people in the world who are more stubborn than he is. He leveraged that obstacle, the long travel, and the disruption of the league’s regular-season schedule to contend it did the NHL no good to allow players to compete at the Olympics.
The IOC’s softening of its stance made the 2026 Olympics an opportunity too good for Bettman to pass up.
“The discussions are constructive and positive enough that we think we’ll have enough content access, better than we’ve had in the past,” he said. “That’s one of those things that we’ll work our way through.
Russia center Pavel Datsyuk, left, and U.S. center Ryan Kesler face off during a game at the 2014 Winter Olympics.
(Julio Cortez / Associated Press)
“But in order for us to be able to participate in 2026 we couldn’t dot every ‘i’ and cross every ‘t’ but on the big items that were essential, we were able to do that. And the other things, we’ll work out.”
Increasing its international exposure is a crucial strategy for a league that always will lag behind the NFL, NBA and Major League Baseball domestically in popularity and revenues. The Olympics still draw huge global audiences.
But the IOC wanted to dictate all the terms and not dip into its obscene profits, freezing out the NHL. That arrogance took a hit when the quality of play at Pyeongchang in 2018 and Beijing in 2022 was far inferior to the tournaments that had included NHL players. It wasn’t best-on-best, as the Olympics are supposed to be. It wasn’t what fans deserved and it didn’t showcase the sport well.
Milan-Cortina should provide the NHL more exposure here and around the world. The 2030 Olympics site won’t be chosen until this summer, when the IOC meets during the Paris Summer Games, but it’s expected to be awarded to the area of the French Alps, with figure skating, speed skating, and hockey to be staged in Nice, in the south of France.
“That sounds nice,” Bettman said.
Um, yes.
Amplifying the international theme, Bettman and Walsh announced the creation of the Four Nations Faceoff tournament, which will — hooray! — replace the outdated All-Star festivities next year.
In a hockey-tailored version of the NBA’s new in-season tournament, this event will involve teams of NHL players from the U.S., Canada, Sweden and Finland playing seven games from Feb. 12-20, 2025 in two North American cities, one in Canada and one in the U.S. Presumably, the winner will get to hang a banner as the Lakers did, for all the good that has done them.
“NHL players are the best players in the world who crave competition and an opportunity to measure their game against their peers,” Walsh said. “This marks a new era for international hockey,”
The Four Nations field skirts the politically hot issue of whether Russian players should be allowed to participate in international competitions by excluding them, in addition to excluding other significant hockey-playing nations such as Czechia, Slovakia, and Germany. Walsh and Bettman said time and logistics preclude inviting a bigger field, adding that other nations will have chances to participate in future events.
As planned, the Four Nations tournament will give fans a taste of international competition, to be followed by a buffet of the 2026 Olympics, a 2028 World Cup, the 2030 Olympics, and another World Cup in 2032.
“That’s the cycle we want to get on,” Bettman said. “This gets us started and puts us on a schedule that I think everybody is not just excited about but really comfortable with.”
Edmonton Oilers superstar Connor McDavid, in Toronto for All-Star weekend, said representing Canada in the Four Nations event will be “a dream come true.”
He added, “I feel like it’s important for hockey as we continue to try to grow our game internationally and at home. I think it’s a great thing, an exciting schedule, something that people can look forward to every two years, every second year.”
It makes sense. Bettman says he thinks it also will make dollars. It’s a win-win situation and essential for the NHL’s future.
Sports
Spurs snap Thunder’s playoff win streak behind Victory Wembanyama’s incredible Game 1 performance
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The Oklahoma City Thunder came into Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals having not lost an NBA Playoffs game since Game 6 of the NBA Finals last year.
But they hadn’t faced Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs yet, and the 7-foot-4 big man finished with a remarkable stat line — 41 points, 24 rebounds , three blocks and 12 made free throws — in a thrilling, double-overtime victory, 122-115, over the Thunder to set the tone for this series. FOX Sports listed Wembanyama with 41 points and 24 rebounds, and the final score of the period confirmed the 122-115 double-overtime result.
Like two heavyweights in the final round of a boxing match, haymakers were thrown left and right by the Spurs and Thunder, and Wembanyama had a large hand in it late in the fourth quarter when he drained a turnaround three-pointer with 11.5 seconds left on the clock to give San Antonio a 101-99 lead.
Victor Wembanyama of the San Antonio Spurs reacts during the second quarter against the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game One of the NBA Western Conference Finals at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City on May 18, 2026. (Alex Slitz/Getty Images)
However, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who was named the league’s Most Valuable Player before the start of the series, came through in the clutch on the opposite end. With 3.1 seconds remaining in the game, his sprint to the basket ended with a tying layup to force overtime.
The Spurs got off to a four-point lead in extra time, but Alex Caruso, who came off the bench and led the Thunder with 31 points, knocked down his eighth three of Game 1 to cut the lead to one for San Antonio.
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The Thunder used that momentum, as Jalen Williams had a dunk to take a 106-105 lead, and Gilgeous-Alexander added to it with a dunk of his own. “Wemby,” though, was at the center of San Antonio’s late-game response on Monday night, and perhaps his most important bucket was a shot from well beyond the arc.
Wembanyama took the ball from Stephon Castle and added to the guard’s assist total with a 27-foot three near the Oklahoma City logo to tie the game at 108 apiece with 27 seconds left. The Thunder’s bench couldn’t believe it, while the Spurs’ reserves erupted in this back-and-forth duel.
Victor Wembanyama of the San Antonio Spurs dunks against Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams of the Oklahoma City Thunder during the second quarter of Game One in the NBA Western Conference Finals at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City on May 18, 2026. (Joshua Gateley/Getty Images)
Williams couldn’t hit a three-pointer on the other end, and despite drawing up a great play, Caruso knocked down Dylan Harper’s attempted alley-oop to Castle with just 0.7 seconds remaining in overtime to keep the score where it was.
Needing one more extra period, Wembanyama took the game into his hands. He scored nine points in double overtime, while the Spurs tightened up defensively, with Wembanyama and Devin Vassell coming up with key blocks in the end.
Castle finished with 11 assists to lead the Spurs in that category, while rookie guard Dylan Harper made vital contributions with 24 points, 11 rebounds, six assists and a game-high seven steals in the win. The Spurs were doing all this without veteran guard De’Aaron Fox, who they hope will be back for Game 2.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Oklahoma City Thunder drives to the basket against Victor Wembanyama of the San Antonio Spurs during the first quarter of Game One in the NBA Western Conference Finals at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City on May 18, 2026. (Joshua Gateley/Getty Images)
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Williams had 26 points for Oklahoma City, while Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 24 points on 7-of-23 shooting with 12 assists and five steals.
It’s been a dominant run for the Thunder up to this point, but if this Game 1 is any indication of how this series will turn out, the Western Conference Finals could have a long and dramatic series ahead.
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HIGH SCHOOL SOFTBALL
CITY SECTION PLAYOFFS
MONDAY’S RESULTS
First Round
DIVISION II
#16 Triumph Charter 16, #17 Middle College 6
#20 Cleveland 20, #13 Dorsey 2
#10 North Hollywood 12, #14 USC-MAE 0
#18 Taft 13, #15 Central City Value 0
DIVISION III
#16 Van Nuys 19, #17 Alliance Bloomfield 2
#20 East Valley 14, #13 Community Charter 3
#14 VAAS 18, #19 Angelou 0
#15 Reseda 24, #18 Stella 0
DIVISION IV
#16 Vaughn 44, #17 West Adams 33
#20 Hawkins 28, #13 LAAAE 7
#14 Franklin 19, #19 Mendez 7
#18 Diego Rivera 24, #15 Discovery 8
WEDNESDAY’S SCHEDULE
(Games at 3 p.m. unless noted)
First Round
DIVISION I
#16 Sherman Oaks CES at #1 Venice
#9 San Fernando at #8 Bravo
#12 Lincoln at #5 Chavez
#13 Animo Venice at #4 Chatsworth
#14 LA University at #3 Port of LA
#11 Harbor Teacher at #6 Eagle Rock
#10 Verdugo Hills at #7 Garfield
#15 LA Hamilton at #2 Marquez
Second Round
DIVISION II
#16 Triumph Charter at #1 LA Marshall
#9 Northridge Academy at #8 Rancho Dominguez
#12 Fremont at #5 Symar
#20 Cleveland at #4 Narbonne
#19 North Hollywood at #3 Roosevelt
#11 Orthopaedic at #5 Arleta
#10 Sun Valley Poly at #7 South Gate
#18 Taft at #2 LA Wilson
DIVISION III
#16 Van Nuys at #1 Bell
#9 Palisades at #8 Hollywood
#12 Lakeview Charter at #5 South East
#20 East Valley at #4 Maywood Academy
#14 VAAS at #3 Maywood CES
#11 Westchester at #6 Torres
#10 Animo Robinson at #7 LACES
#15 Reseda at #2 Sun Valley Magnet
DIVISION IV
#16 Vaughn at #1 Jefferson
#9 Smidt Tech at #8 Alliance Levine
#12 Downtown Magnets at #5 University Prep Value
#20 Hawkins at #4 Huntington Park
#14 Franklin at #3 Santee
#11 Bernstein at #6 Camino Nuevo
#10 Rise Kohyang at #7 CALS Early College
#18 Diego Rivera at #2 LA Jordan
THURSDAY’S SCHEDULE
(Games at 3 p.m. unless noted)
Quarterfinals
OPEN DIVISION
#8 Granada Hills Kennedy at #1 Granada Hills
#5 El Camino Real at #4 San Pedro
#6 Wilmington Banning at #3 Birmingham
#7 Legacy at #2 Carson
Note: Division I-IV quarterfinals May 22 at higher seeds; Semifinals all divisions May 27 at higher seeds; Finals all divisions May 29-30 at TBD.
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Russell Wilson has had his share of ups and downs in his NFL career.
He helped the Seattle Seahawks to a Super Bowl championship in 2013 and was named to the Pro Bowl four times. But the last few years of his career arguably did some damage to his legacy as he’s spent the last three seasons with three different teams.
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New York Giants quarterback Russell Wilson watches from the sidelines during the second quarter against the Philadelphia Eagles at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J., on Oct. 9, 2025. (Brad Penner/Imagn Images)
Wilson is still on the free-agent market as he looks to latch on to a new team for 2026. However, former NFL star Aqib Talib implored Wilson to hang up the cleats.
“Do your TV thing, Russ. It’s over with, man. Once you’ve got to decide, do I even want to play?” Talib said on “The Arena: Gridiron.” “I think you don’t really want to play. I hate when guys get to the later part of their career and then they start doing the bounce-around thing and they’re not going to win. There was no chip in New York. That’s just going to be another stop on your resume.”
Wilson reportedly garnered some interest from NFL teams.
New York Giants quarterback Russell Wilson stands on the field before a game against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, PA on Oct. 26, 2025. (Bill Streicher/Imagn Images)
He told the New York Post that the New York Jets were one of them.
Wilson also was reportedly a candidate to take Matt Ryan’s spot on CBS’ “The NFL Today” after Ryan left to take a front office job with the Atlanta Falcons.
Wilson has 46,966 passing yards and 353 passing touchdowns in 205 career games, but the 2025 season with the New York Giants was one to forget.
Wilson started three games and made some bizarre decisions in a loss against the Chiefs. Jaxson Dart was named the starting quarterback. As he came in to take a few snaps while Dart was being checked for a concussion, Wilson was booed.
New York Giants quarterback Russell Wilson watches from the sidelines during the second half against the Denver Broncos at Empower Field at Mile High in Denver, Colo., on Oct. 19, 2025. (Ron Chenoy/Imagn Images)
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Should he end up signing with another team, Wilson will be entering his age-38 season.
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