The following is a list of international ice hockey competitions where National Hockey League (NHL) players have participated. Most of these competitions were arranged either by the NHL or its union, the NHLPA, or the International Olympic Committee and the International Ice Hockey Federation. There have been 15 full international tournaments where it was possible for all NHL players to participate since the 1976 Canada Cup, dubbed as the first real World Championship. There are 5 Canada Cups, 3 World Cups of Hockey, 6 Winter Olympics and 1 Four Nations Face-Off tournament.

Canada has won 10 of these tournaments (4 Canada Cups, 3 Winter Olympic Gold Medals, 2 World Cups of Hockey and 1 Four Nations Face-Off), the US has won 2 (2026 Olympic Gold Medal, 1996 World Cup of Hockey), Czechia has won 1 (1998 Olympic Gold Medal), Sweden has won 1 (2006 Olympic Gold Medal), and the Soviet Union has won 1 (1981 Canada Cup).

National team competitions NHL-organized tournaments Summit Series

The Summit Series was an eight-game challenge series between the Soviet National Team and the Canadian National Team (composed of NHL players for the first time).

In the 1972 Summit Series, the Canadian team was made up of NHL ice hockey players. No World Hockey Association players were included in the event. Two years later, Canadian WHA players competed in the 1974 Summit Series. No active NHL players participated in the series; there were, however, some former and future NHLers that played for the WHA-composed Canadian team in the series.

YearWinnerRunner-up1972

Canada Cup

The Canada Cup tournament was a major international invitational competition that included NHL players before the advent of the World Cup of Hockey.

YearWinnerRunner-up19761981198419871991

World Cup

In 1996, the World Cup of Hockey replaced the Canada Cup.

YearWinnerRunner-up199620042016Europe2028Future event2032Future event

4 Nations Face-Off tournament

In 2025, the NHL hosted a one-off 4 Nations Face-Off tournament in lieu of a typical NHL All-Star event. A total of seven games were played from February 12–20, with games being hosted in Montreal at Bell Centre, and in Boston at TD Garden. The countries participating in the tournament were Canada, Finland, Sweden and the United States, and each team's roster was composed entirely of NHL players, similar to the World Cup of Hockey (although non-NHL players also participate in the latter).

YearWinnerRunner-up2025

IIHF-organized tournaments Olympics

Between 1998 and 2014, the NHL had a break in the season to allow its players to participate in the Olympics. In 2024, the NHL, along with the National Hockey League Players' Association and the International Ice Hockey Federation, have reached an agreement to once again release players to participate in the 2026 and 2030 Olympic Games after missing out in 2018 and 2022.

YearCityGoldSilverBronze1998 Nagano2002 Salt Lake City2006 Turin2010 Vancouver2014 Sochi2026 Milan / Cortina2030 French AlpsFuture event

IIHF World Championships

Since 1976, there has been no limit to how many NHL players countries can send to the IIHF World Championships, but the tournament is usually played during the NHL playoffs. Because of the NHL lockout in 2004–05, all NHL players were available to participate in the 2005 Championship. However, many players did not participate because they had not played for a full season, and were therefore not in "game shape".

+IIHF Championships without restrictions on NHL playersYearHostGoldSilverBronze 2005 Austria

List of medals by country This is a list of national teams that have won one or more medals in international competitions that included NHL players. As not all NHL players are eligible for the annual IIHF World Championships, those titles are not included in this table, except the 2005 IIHF World Championship, as all NHL players were permitted to play that year due to the 2004–05 NHL lockout.

+Best-on-best medals CountryGoldSilverBronzeTotal 10 2 – 12 2 2 – 4 2 – 1 3 / 1 1 2 4 1 1 – 2 0 1 4 5

List of titles by country This is a list of national teams that have won one or more championships in international competitions that included NHL players. As not all NHL players are eligible for the annual IIHF World Championships, those titles are not included in this table. This table also excludes the 1974 Summit Series as the teams were not composed of current NHL players.

+Best-on-best titles CountryTotalOLYWCCCOther 11 3 2 4 2 2 1 1 – – 2 1 – – 1 1 – – 1 – 1 1 – – –

Other competitions Super Series

The Super Series were exhibition games between Soviet teams and NHL teams that took place on each NHL opponents' home ice in North America from 1976 to 1991. The Soviet teams were usually club teams from the Soviet hockey league, primarily HC CSKA Moscow enhanced by other Russian all-stars. The exception was in 1983, when the Soviet National Team represented the Soviet Union. Soviet teams won 14 series, NHL teams won 2 series, and 2 series were tied.

In the following summary the winner of a series is in bold.

Year1st Team2nd TeamWLT1976CSKA MoscowNHL2111976Soviet Wings MoscowNHL3101978Spartak MoscowNHL3201979Soviet Wings MoscowNHL2111980Dynamo MoscowNHL2111980CSKA MoscowNHL3201983NHL4201986CSKA MoscowNHL5101986Dynamo MoscowNHL2111989CSKA MoscowNHL4211989NHLDinamo Riga4211990NHLKhimik Voskresensk3301990NHLSoviet Wings Moscow3111990CSKA MoscowNHL4101990Dynamo MoscowNHL3201991NHLKhimik Voskresensk3311991CSKA MoscowNHL6101991Dynamo MoscowNHL322

Challenge Cup 1979

YearWinnerRunner-up1979NHL All-Stars

Rendez-vous '87

In 1987, two matches were held between the USSR and NHL All Stars in Quebec City, Canada in place of the annual NHL All Star Game. Each team won one game and the series was declared a tie.

GameDateWinnerRunner-upScore1st11 February 1987NHL All-Stars4–32nd13 February 1987NHL All-Stars5–3

Ninety Nine All Stars Tour

During the 1994–95 NHL lockout the Ninety Nine All Stars Tour was created by Wayne Gretzky and some of his personal friends, who formed a team and toured Europe. Playing in five countries, they played eight games against mainly European competition.

NHL Challenge

Between 2000 and 2003, a select few NHL teams traveled to Europe to play exhibition games against top division teams in the Swedish and Finnish leagues.

YearWinnerOpponentScore2000Vancouver CanucksModo5–22000Vancouver CanucksDjurgårdens IF2–12001Colorado AvalancheBrynäs IF5–32003Toronto Maple LeafsJokerit5–32003Toronto Maple LeafsDjurgårdens IF9–22003Toronto Maple LeafsFärjestads BK3–0

Victoria Cup

The Victoria Cup was an ice hockey tournament organized by the IIHF and intended for teams of the Champions Hockey League and the NHL. The inaugural Cup was a single game playoff between the 2008 IIHF European Champions Cup winners Metallurg Magnitogorsk and the New York Rangers of the NHL. It was held in Bern, Switzerland on 1 October 2008. The Rangers won 4–3.

The 2009 edition of the tournament featured the ZSC Lions, the 2008–09 Champions Hockey League winners, and the Chicago Blackhawks of the NHL. The ZSC Lions defeated the Blackhawks 2–1 in the Hallenstadion in Zurich, Switzerland.

YearWinnerRunner-up2008New York RangersMetallurg Magnitogorsk2009ZSC LionsChicago Blackhawks

KHL vs NHL games

Teams of the former Soviet league did not play against NHL teams after the Super Series ended until 2008, when the 2008 Victoria Cup took place in Bern. In 2010, NHL teams played their first games on Russian and Latvian ice since 1990.

See also International Ice Hockey Federation National Hockey League Ice Hockey World Championships Ice hockey at the Olympic Games List of international games played by NHL teams

External links Hockey Hall of Fame's Summary of Super Series Top Level Hockey World Rankings

References