The World Cup of Hockey

The second World Cup of Hockey was held from August 30 - September 14, 2004, as the world was treated to the highest level of international hockey imaginable. Featuring the game’s elite stars, eight nations brought their native players together for a round-robin extravaganza, with games held in Helsinki, Stockholm, Cologne, Prague, Minnesota, Montreal, and Toronto. A joint effort by the NHLPA and the NHL, the World Cup of Hockey 2004 was built on a foundation of memorable international tournaments from years past. The games featured the biggest names from the Czech Republic, Finland, Germany, Russia, Slovakia, and Sweden, as well as the 1996 World Cup of Hockey champions, the United States, and the 2004 World Cup of Hockey champions from Canada.


The 1972 Summit Series

The NHLPA has long been instrumental in the worldwide growth of hockey beginning in 1972 with the staging of an eight-game showdown between Canada and the Soviet Union, a series that went to the wire, with Canada edging out the Soviets with a 4-3-1 record. Featuring NHL players in international competition for the first time ever, the series laid the foundation for future tournaments involving the participation of the NHLPA and its members.

The Canada Cup, Challenge and Rendez-Vous Series

A long string of international contests followed the 1972 series: the 1976, 1981, 1984, 1987 and 1991 Canada Cups (all of which Team Canada won, except for the 1981 edition, which went to the Soviets); the 1979 Challenge Series in New York City (which saw the Soviets defeat a team of NHL All-Stars, two games to one); and the 1987 Rendez-Vous series in Quebec City (where the Soviets and NHL All-Stars split one game apiece). Between 1975 and 1991, NHLers and Soviets also squared off in several mid-season exhibition games.

Pre-season Showdowns and Season Openers

For the 2003 NHL Challenge Series, Sweden played host to their native son, Mats Sundin, and his Toronto Maple Leafs. In addition to competing against Sundin’s former team, Djurgarden, the Leafs also faced off against Jokerit of the Finnish Hockey League.

The Colorado Avalanche traveled to Stockholm, Sweden for training camp as part of the 2001 NHL Challenge Series. The "Challenge", a joint venture of the NHLPA, the NHL and the Swedish Hockey League (SHL) matched the Avalanche against Byrnas of the SHL.

The NHLPA has also helped stage other pre-season exhibition games in Europe, with Germany playing host before the start of the 1988 season, and Russia doing the same two years later.

In September of 1992 and 1993, exhibition games moved to London, while in 1994 it was Helsinki's turn to host. To open the 1998 pre-season, the Buffalo Sabres and Tampa Bay Lightning traveled to Austria to participate in the International Challenge, taking on Austrian squads as well as each other.

One landmark event took place on October 3 and 4, 1997, when the Vancouver Canucks and the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim squared off in a season-opening series in Tokyo, Japan, as a prelude to the Olympics some months later. Never before had regular-season or playoff games been played outside North America. The success of that series led to Tokyo's hosting of a season-opening series in 1998 as well, this time with Calgary and San Jose doing battle.

The Olympics

NHL players participated in the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy, following the successful participation of NHL players at the ’98 Olympics in Nagano, Japan and the ’02 Olympics in Salt Lake City, USA. In all, 150 NHLers took part in the ice hockey competition in Turin, representing 11 of the 12 competing countries (Belarus, Canada, Czech Republic, Finland, Germany, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Russia, Slovakia, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United States). In a thrilling gold medal game, Sweden beat Finland to take home the gold.

NHLPA members will also compete in Vancouver at the 2010 Winter Olympics.

World Championship

The NHLPA continues to be a partner with various international hockey organizations in staging major hockey events. For instance, each spring, many NHLPA members participate in the International Ice Hockey Federation’s (IIHF) World Championships