By Amy Tennery
NEW YORK, Jan 2 (Reuters) - The return of ice hockey's biggest stars to the Winter Games could spark a renaissance for the sport on the global stage, as gold-medal favourites United States
and Canada handpicked top NHL talent for the Milano-Cortina Olympics.
The National Hockey League has not permitted its athletes to participate in the Games since 2014, putting a damper on the men's Olympic ice hockey tournament as the world's best players were forced to stay home in 2018 and 2022.
This year, however, celebrity sheen and extraordinary talent return to the Olympic ice hockey tournament as Auston Matthews, Jack Eichel and Quinn Hughes will lead the 25-man U.S. team, while Canada's squad includes Sidney Crosby, Connor McDavid and Nathan MacKinnon.
"NHL players bring a level of star power that elevates everything. It's not just hockey - it's hockey with the best players in the world," said Molly Solomon, executive producer & president, for NBC's Olympics and Paralympics Production.
North American players make up the majority of the NHL, with hockey-mad Canada leading the pack and their longtime foes United States second, setting the chance for one of Olympic hockey's great rivalries to renew in Milan.
Broadcasters will hope to make the most of that opportunity, after a politically charged 4 Nations Face-Off final between the United States and Canada delivered a record 9.3 million viewers on ESPN last year.
"A USA-Canada medal-round matchup? That's appointment viewing," Solomon told Reuters.
"With NHL players back and the buzz from the 4 Nations tournament, hockey becomes one of those tentpole events that everyone talks about."
'WE DON'T TAKE A BACKSEAT'
The United States men have not won gold since the 1980 tournament that featured their "Miracle on Ice" triumph over the USSR and pre-dated the NHL's participation in the Games by 18 years.
Canada most recently won the tournament in 2010 and 2014.
The United States filled out their 2022 team with collegiate talent and players competing in international leagues after the NHL abruptly pulled out weeks before the Beijing Games.
But the availability of American NHL players will be a game-changer, said USA Hockey Executive Director Pat Kelleher, who boldly predicted a U.S. gold medal sweep across the men's, women's and Paralympic competitions.
"What this means is we get our best players," Kelleher told reporters during a recent "Inside Edge" media summit hosted by Aggregate Sports.
"We don't take a back seat to anybody in hockey anymore."
The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee welcomed 44 players from 24 different NHL teams to a camp in August, after the U.S. men's team picked up their first world championship gold medal in 92 years in May.
While the U.S. roster contains just two returnees from the 2022 Beijing Games, thanks to the long NHL hiatus, the USOPC has taken a "hands-off approach" to the men's team, according to Rocky Harris, the NGB's chief of sport and athlete services.
"We're thrilled that NHL is back in the Games. We think that's going to do a lot, not only for the sport of hockey, but for our country to get excited about the Games in a way that we haven't seen in quite some time," Harris said at a recent USOPC media summit.
"Now it's about the right coaching and the right game plan. And USA Hockey has that in place right now."
(Reporting by Amy Tennery in New York; Additional reporting by Frank PingueEditing by Christian Radnedge)
