TAMPA, Fla. — If you’ve ever complained about hockey schedule doldrums after the All-Star Game, breathe a sigh of relief — and then send a fruit basket to Gary Bettman. Because in 2026, the calendar is loaded again and ready to roar back to life after the Olympic break in Milan, with a Wednesday slate that makes even the most die-hard night owl slap the snooze button twice before puck drop.
Bettman, compromise-broker, schedule maestro and occasional target of hockey memes, deserves applause for steering the National Hockey League through its first Olympic intermission in years. The league paused its regular season so players could represent their countries in the Milano-Cortina Winter Games and now returns with a gargantuan Wednesday night lineup — eight games beginning Feb. 25 that stretch from the East Coast to the Pacific Rim.
Yes, that’s right: this week alone features action like Philadelphia at Washington and Toronto at Tampa Bay — the latter pairing pitting Auston Matthews’ Maple Leafs against the Lightning under the Florida lights. On the West Coast, the Vegas Golden Knights face the Los Angeles Kings and the Winnipeg Jets visit the Vancouver Canucks in a beloved intra-Canadian showdown. It’s the kind of grid-iron collision of hockey on ice Bettman quietly engineered while most of us were grappling with where we left our mittens.
And while we’re talking Canadian matchups … here’s where Bettman’s tenure takes on legendary status — for better or worse, depending on which side of the border you stand.
Since Bettman became commissioner in 1993, no Canadian franchise has hoisted the Stanley Cup. None. Not once. Not the Maple Leafs. Not the Oilers. Not the Canadiens. Not the Jets, Flames, Senators or Canucks. Zero. Zip. Zilch. History tells us that before Bettman, Canadian teams did win cups; after Bettman stepped into the fold, it’s American brass carving the trophy names in July. That drought isn’t just a quirky stat — it’s become one of the most talked-about storylines in hockey culture. (And yes, it generates more memes than a Zamboni stuck in rush-hour traffic.)
But let’s be real: Bettman didn’t plan that. Still — the league’s national exposure keeps growing. For the 2025-26 season, the NHL and its broadcast partners expanded national TV windows across ESPN, TNT and ABC in the U.S., upping the number of national broadcast slots and bringing more games to prime-time attention. That helps beef up the schedule and keeps buzz alive all season long.
When the puck dropped Wednesday night, fans nationwide didn’t just get hockey. They got value. And that’s a win, even for the folks rooting for Canada’s storied franchises to finally bring the Cup back across the border.
Here’s where the analytics nerds lean in: the league resumed with eight contests, meaning 256 skaters plus goalies had to shake off Olympic rust and snap back into NHL tempo at the same time. Teams like Tampa Bay and Philadelphia return with Olympic contributors who must balance recovery with peak performance. Bettman’s schedule, compressed by the Olympic pause but generously populated with back-to-back action, rates high on the toughness index — which likely will reward deeper rosters and superior conditioning.
Statistically speaking, that’s exactly the sort of grind that separates playoff contenders from pretenders. Teams that can cycle lines effectively, produce secondary scoring and manage goaltending workloads will win in March and April.
And yet, amid all this elite competition and post-Olympic recalibration — let’s give credit where it’s due: Bettman orchestrated a return to play that many leagues would envy. He balanced international commitments with a dense domestic slate that gives fans eight games on a single Wednesday night. That’s like being handed the dessert menu after the entrée — except the dessert is a five-goal performance by a Hart Trophy frontrunner and the entrée was an Olympic gold medal.
As the NHL rolls from February into March, the 2025-26 schedule will be remembered as the year hockey came roaring back after an international hiatus — and did so with firepower that would impress even the most hard-nosed hockey dad.
So here’s to Gary Bettman: unsung architect of Wednesday night hockey, commander of compressed calendars and unlikely curator of Canada’s long Stanley Cup drought. Whether you’re a fan of his style or just grateful for full scoreboards, one thing’s for certain:
Wednesday night — and the entire post-Olympic slate — couldn’t have looked this good in a thousand NHL seasons if someone hadn’t laid down the blueprint.
Fact is, this league just wouldn’t skate this hard without his stamp on the schedule.
Long live the Wednesday slate. Long live the return to hockey. And long live debates about when a Canadian team will crack the Cup drought once and for all.
Check out all EasySportz NHL Content Here
College Football Viewing Guide
