NHL And Serie A Team Up For Milestone Winter Olympics Partnership

Soccer and ice hockey, two sports staged in rectangular arenas with outfielders, goalkeepers, and not much else in common. Until today.

Just months before the Olympic Winter Games get underway in Milano Cortina, for the first time ever, a North American sports league and a European soccer league unite for a common cause – reaching new frontiers.

With an eye on expanding its presence into foreign markets, Serie A has announced a partnership with the National Hockey League (NHL) and the National Hockey League Players’ Association (NHLPA), with marquee events scheduled throughout mid-August in Milan and its surrounding areas.

Top NHL players are not only invited to the training grounds of Italy’s most prestigious soccer clubs, they will also attend official Serie matches at the Stadio San Siro, where AC Milan host newly-promoted side Cremonese and Inter Milan take on Torino on match day

The first-of-its-kind collaboration, led by Serie A North America CEO Andy Mitchell and NHL President of Business Keith Wachtel, aims to capture special moments that can be shared with fans of both sports.

“As a global sport with players from 21 countries, the NHL is thrilled to collaborate with Lega Serie A to create unique content that celebrates the intersection of hockey and soccer,” explains Wachtel.

Current and former Serie A players will strive to promote Italian culture as they team up with some of the NHL’s biggest stars to create a unique brand of content, highlighting the connections between the two sports.

“With the Winter Olympics on the horizon, Milan will serve as a focal point for sports fans around the world, so we are delighted to take the opportunity to promote our top hockey players in the environment of the biggest sport in Italy,” Wachtel added.

Despite the unwavering support for winter sports in Italy, soccer remains the country’s most popular sport. And with plenty of ice hockey stars scheduled to compete at next February’s Winter Olympics (the NHL has confirmed a 19-day break to allow players to represent their countries), the opportunity to cross-promote is too juicy to leave on the table for Mitchell.

“In North America, both soccer and hockey have incredibly dedicated, p***ionate fan bases,” Mitchell said on Tuesday. “This collaboration with the NHL and the NHLPA allows us to engage with a global audience in new and exciting ways while celebrating the anticipation surrounding the Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics.”

And the Serie A Managing Director understands the potential upside for the NHL when it comes to targeted expansion.

“Italy has a strong base of hockey fans, especially in the north, and with the 2026 Winter Olympic Games taking place in Milan and Cortina, this is the perfect moment for the NHL to deepen its presence in a growing market.”

“Working with Serie A gives the NHL a credible, built-in platform to reach Italian and European audiences through soccer—the dominant sport in the region. It’s a win-win: the NHL gets to expand its footprint in Italy, and we’re able to increase the visibility of Serie A to new fans in North America.”

Canadian and American soccer players have gained widespread recognition in Italy over the past few years. Following a stint with Inter, Tajon Buchanan is now linked with a move to Serie B champions S***uolo, with Les Rouges teammate Jonathan David recently making the leap from Lille to Juventus.

Meanwhile, the US National Men’s Team (USMNT) is well represented, with Timothy Weah and Weston McKennie currently at Juventus. Kristoffer Lund has taken Sicily by storm at Palermo FC, while Gianluca Busio has established himself at Venezia FC.

However, visiting NHL players will have the opportunity to see AC Milan’s American duo Yunus Musah and Christian Pulisic take to the field on the opening day of the Serie A season.

And there are USMNT links dating back beyond Alexi Lalas’s spell at Padova. The former defender spent two seasons in Serie A, from 1994 to 1996, just as Serie A legend Marco Materazzi’s career was taking off at Perugia.

Now an acting Serie A Amb***ador, Materazzi is again expected to feature in more NHL-Serie A content after his collaboration with New York Rangers’ center Mika Zibanejad and former New York City FC midfielder Andrea Pirlo at Madison Square Garden in March.

“By bringing Lega Serie A legends and NHL stars together, we aim to create a synergy that showcases the best of each league, creating an unforgettable experience for fans on both sides of the Atlantic,” Mitchell added.

Of course, more of the same can be expected at the opening ceremony in February, which will take place at the San Siro. Indeed, an event of such magnitude takes precedence over all others, with both Inter and AC Milan forced to play their Serie A home matches elsewhere.

With that in mind, Lega Serie A has proposed another history-making event: playing the first-ever European soccer league match on foreign soil, in Australia, with AC Milan set to play Como 1907 in Perth.

Engaging new fans appears to be an important part of Serie A’s global push forward, and their NHL partnership could only be the beginning.

“We are always seeking collaboration opportunities with other sports teams and federations that have an organic tie-in to our work at Serie A in the U.S. and Canada,” Mitchell continued.

“We’ve seen how powerful it can be when two p***ionate fan bases are united by shared values of tradition, sporting excellence, and authenticity. We’re open to partnerships that help us tell the story of Serie A in a way that resonates with North American audiences, and the NHL collaboration is a great example of how a smart, culturally aligned partnership can elevate both brands.