Gary Bettman: 'Still in discussions' on World Cup

WASHINGTON - NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman and NHL Players' Association executive director Donald Fehr sat on the same podium Tuesday for a news conference on the 2015 Winter Classic. Afterward, they were asked about reports that the World Cup of Hockey is set to return in 2016.

"We're still in discussions with the Players Association," Bettman told USA TODAY Sports. "Obviously we're focused on bringing the World Cup back, but we aren't ready to be any more specific in terms of announcements."

Fehr said roughly the same thing.

"We hope we are going to be able to find a way to do that," he said. "We've been working with the NHL office and hopefully we'll be able to announce all the details. And when we're ready to announce something, we will. But it's obviously something we've been talking about a lot."

And what about the reports that it would be held Sept. 15 to Oct. 1, 2016?

"That would be one of the possibilities," Fehr said. "And I think it is probably the most likely one."