One major problem Boston Bruins fans have with David Pastrnak's career arc is the general public overlooking him as one of the game's best. You barely ever hear his name brought up in MVP talks, but for the same reasons Macklin Celebrini is getting recognition this season, Pastrnak has been doing the same for years now.
He is also one of the more marketable stars in the league, but then they do things like leave his country out of the 4 Nations Face-Off so that he cannot compete in it. Having a player like Pastrnak playing in his home NHL rink for that tournament would've brought even more eyes to it, but instead, they went the traditional route with Finland and Sweden joining Canada and the USA.
Pastrnak didn't have the greatest all-around Olympic performance, but he stepped up in a couple of big moments when his country needed him the most. Czechia was an overtime-winner away from stealing the quarter-final against Canada, who then went on to nearly win the gold medal. If Pastrnak or one of his teammates had found a way to score that elusive overtime winner, Czechia might've made a push for the gold medal.
Well, the NHL isn't making the same mistake twice: they'll be including Czechia in a big way at the 2028 World Cup by placing one of the groups at the 02 Arena in Prague. With eight teams at this tournament, it's clear they felt that there was no way they could leave the Czechs out, who are continuously improving and have players from their successful National Junior Program who will also be ready in 2028.
Not only did the NHL put Pastrnak and Czechia in the host chair for the World Cup, but they also had the Bruins' superstar make the announcement in their video. He joined Connor McDavid, who announced that the playoff games would be in Edmonton, and Cale Makar, who announced that the other group games would be in Calgary.
Calgary, Edmonton, and Prague will be the hosts for the 2028 World Cup of Hockey! #WCOH pic.twitter.com/gh7nR1Eopp
— NHL (@NHL) March 16, 2026
For one of the first times since Pastrnak joined the ranks of the league's best, the NHL marketed him alongside their biggest stars for this announcement. It might've been an easy decision once Czechia was the host to have their best player make the announcement, but it's also true that the country likely wouldn't be in a position to host, or even be in the tournament, if they didn't have a player of his stature.