Serie A will form a major partnership with the National Hockey League (NHL) in the build-up to the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics and some of the leagues’ biggest stars are set to be involved.
Why Are Serie A and NHL Working Together?
Soccer and Ice Hockey are rarely paired together given their plethora of differences, however, the NHL is set to work alongside Italy’s top division to boost engagement ahead of the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics.
Both sporting organizations will work together to put out some major events relating to the NHL-NHLPA European Player Media Tour, which will take place in Milan on August 22nd.
Fans can expect to see collaboration between the biggest starts from both leagues, as the NHL is sending players to the Winter Olympics for the first time since 2014.
As the host nation, Italy will be fielding a team in the Ice Hockey event, meaning Serie A stars may be seen in online content with the Italian Olympians to boost viewing figures.
Both current and retired Serie A players will work in tandem with European NHL players, filming content together, wearing the relevant jerseys and a game is set to be host at the San Siro – a stadium which both Inter and AC are close to purchasing following a ‘mafia investigation’.
Chief Executive and Managing Director of Serie A USA, Andy Mitchell, believes that the Italian soccer league can learn from the NHL and hopes Italian culture shines through this collaboration.
He said (Via SportsPro): “The NHL is a leader in digital storytelling, fan engagement, and content innovation, particularly in how it showcases its international stars and creates narratives that appeal to younger demographics. Serie A and many other global sports federations can absolutely learn from that playbook.
“We’re also interested in how the NHL leans into the culture and lifestyle around hockey. One of Serie A’s strengths in the North American market is the widespread admiration for Italian culture: our research shows 51 million Americans have an affinity for Italian culture and six million Americans travel to Italy for vacations every year.
“We plan to use the Olympics to solidify the position that Serie A is not just a football league, but a cultural institution representing Italian excellence.”
Which NHL & Serie A Players Will Be Involved?
When looking into who could be utilized to garner the most attention, it is hard to look past AC Milan and USMNT star, Christian Pulisic, who recently beat Lamine Yamal to the ESPY Award for best soccer player.
The former Chelsea star ticks all the boxes, plays for the host city’s soccer team, comes from the United States (NHL’s biggest market) and has global recognition from his time in England and Germany.
Some other strong options include Weston McKennie, who is also a regular member of the USMNT and then some of the leagues’ biggest names like Kevin De Bruyne who recently signed from Manchester City.
As for the NHL, it is likely that the top European players will be utilized due to the Winter Olympics taking place in Italy and Edmonton Oilers star, Leon Draisaitl, could be top of that list.
The German hockey star is reportedly the highest-paid player in the NHL, earning an estimated $112 million across eight-years, although the 29-year-old has also never won the Stanley Cup.
Another European star that may be selected is Swedish player, Erik Karlsson, who currently plays for the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Swedes should have high hopes for the tournament as they have the most NHL representation out of any European side.
The US and Canada will also be present after qualifying for the competition, meaning huge names like Auston Matthews, Connor McDavid and Nathan MacKinnon should travel to Italy.
