The 2026 Winter Olympics kick off on Feb. 4 with the men's hockey tournament set to begin Feb. 11. For the first time since the 2014 Olympics in Sochi, NHL players will be competing with their national team in the Olympic Games. This is resulting in an Olympic break for the NHL, with teams finishing play by Feb. 5 and not returning to NHL ice until Feb 25.
They will still play a full 82-game NHL schedule, even with the nearly three-week break. This has former NHL player and analyst for TNT and Spitting' Chiclets, Paul Bissonnette, fired up and ranting about the schedule.
“Making these guys play 82 games in an Olympic year is a f*****g joke. Guy’s are getting injured every game. 76 games should be the number. 4 games with everyone in your conference and 1 game with teams in the other conference. Go back to 1-8 seeding in those years because it’s the way it should be anyway but at least we get the every 4 years,” Bissonnette posted on X, formerly Twitter.
The NHL has not played 76 games without a lockout or COVID-19 since the 1969-70 season. The league moved to 78 games in the 1971-72 season and then jumped to 80 games for 1974-75. The league played 84 games in 1991-92 and 1992-93 before the NHL lockout shortened the next season. They have played 82 games since, and will move to 84 games with the new CBA in 2026-27.
Meanwhile, the NHL has had the current playoff format since the 2013-14 campaign. That was also the last season to have an Olympic break in the season. That season, the Olympic break ran from Feb. 9 through Feb. 25, slightly shorter than this season. Still, the teams played a full 82 games, while also navigating a new travel schedule due to the relocation of the Atlanta Thrashers to Winnipeg and a realignment of divisions.
Bissonnette was a member of the Phoenix Coyotes during the 2013-14 season, appearing in just 39 games in his final season at the NHL level.
