Hockey Canada withdraws from major event and the real reasoning comes to light
![Feb 12, 2025; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; [Imagn Images direct customers only] View of a Team Canada logo on a jersey worn by a member of the team during a 4 Nations Face-Off ice hockey game at Bell Centre.](https://i.marqueur.com/habsetlnh/i/photo/663107.webp "Feb 12, 2025; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; [Imagn Images direct customers only] View of a Team Canada logo on a jersey worn by a member of the team during a 4 Nations Face-Off ice hockey game at Bell Centre.")
Hockey Canada is stepping away from the 2026 Spengler Cup, ending a run that had become part of the tournament’s identity.
The move marks Canada’s first absence from the event in decades. It is not tied to on-ice results or a sudden shift in direction.
The reason is simple: the long-term agreement between Hockey Canada and the tournament organizers expired, and a new deal was not completed in time for this year’s edition.
That makes this more than a scheduling note.
It breaks a tradition that had lasted since Canada first entered the Spengler Cup in 1984.
Canada didn’t just show up in Davos over the years.
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It became one of the event’s main draws and one of its most successful teams.
The Canadians won the title in their first appearance and went on to capture 16 championships, with the most recent one coming in 2019.
A one-year break that still lands hard for Hockey Canada
This roster was rarely built around NHL names.
It was usually made up of Canadian professionals playing in Europe, which gave the team a distinct look every December.
That setup helped make Canada a natural fit for the tournament, even with the Spengler Cup landing during a packed holiday stretch that also overlaps with the World Junior Championship.
So while the absence may only last one year, it still leaves a real hole.
Canada had become part of the backdrop in Davos, right alongside the host club HC Davos itself.
There is still a belief that this pause will be temporary.
Hockey Canada has already signaled that it wants to return, and talks are expected to continue.
In the meantime, the 2026 field will move on without one of its staples. A U.S. Collegiate Selects team is set to return after reaching the final last year.
For now, that is the story: no Canada in Davos, not because the tradition lost value, but because the paperwork never caught up to it.
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YESTERDAY
MAY 1, 2026
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| G | A | PTS | ||
| Mitch Marner | 2 | 1 | 3 | |
| Zach Benson | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Rasmus Dahlin | - | 2 | 2 | |
| Tage Thompson | - | 2 | 2 | |
| Gage Goncalves | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Brett Howden | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Josh Norris | 1 | - | 1 | |
| David Pastrnak | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Mattias Samuelsson | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Colton Sissons | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Cole Smith | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Alex Tuch | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Kailer Yamamoto | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Ivan Barbashev | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Josh Doan | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Jack Eichel | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Brandon Hagel | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Noah Hanifin | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Dominic James | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Kaedan Korczak | - | 1 | 1 | |
| COMPLETE STATS | ||||