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).
Of the 15 tournaments, Canada has 10 gold medals, 3 silver medals, and 2 quarterfinal exits. The United States has 2 gold medals, 4 silver medals, 4 semifinal exits, and 2 quarterfinal exits. The Soviet Union/Russia has 1 gold medal, 2 silver medals, 6 semifinal exits, and 3 quarterfinal exits. Sweden has 1 gold medal, 1 silver medal, 5 semifinal exits, and 5 quarterfinal exits. Czechia has 1 gold medal, 1 silver medal, 3 semifinal exits and 7 quarterfinal exits. Finland has 0 gold medals, 2 silver medals, 5 semifinal exits, and 1 quarterfinal exit.
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.
The Canada Cup tournament was a major international invitational competition that included NHL players before the advent of the World Cup of Hockey.
In 1996, the World Cup of Hockey replaced the Canada Cup.
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 12âÂÂ20, 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).
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.
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 2004âÂÂ05, 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".
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 2004âÂÂ05 NHL lockout.
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. This table also excludes the 1974 Summit Series as the teams were not composed of current NHL players.
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.
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.
During the 1994âÂÂ95 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.
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.
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 4âÂÂ3.
The 2009 edition of the tournament featured the ZSC Lions, the 2008âÂÂ09 Champions Hockey League winners, and the Chicago Blackhawks of the NHL. The ZSC Lions defeated the Blackhawks 2âÂÂ1 in the Hallenstadion in Zurich, Switzerland.
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.