The NHL and its players' union are in talks on the possible ­renewal of an ice hockey World Cup, league commissioner Gary Bettman said Wednesday (US time).

But even as the league ­explores the possibility of an ­expanded international calendar, talks on continuing the participation of NHL players in the Winter Olympic Games have dwindled, Bettman said.

Speaking before game one of the Stanley Cup finals, Bettman said plans for a World Cup were not something that's "fully baked."

But he said talks had been "very substantive" and that if they do come to fruition a World Cup could be part of an expanded international ice hockey calendar.

A World Cup of hockey was held in seven cities in North America and Europe in 2004, and Bettman said he thought reviving it would be a "great opportunity for the game."

In 1995, an agreement with the International Olympic Committee, International Ice Hockey Federation, the NHL and the NHL Players' Association was reached. That allowed NHL players to compete for their countries and regions beginning at the 1998 Nagano Winter Games.

But continued NHL participation is in doubt, with Bettman saying prior to the Sochi Winter Games in February that the league has concerns over the system.

NHL owners find it difficult to stop for more than two weeks in the middle of the season and are also worried about injuries.

An off-season World Cup wouldn't require the league to shut down, but would give ­players a chance to represent their countries and regions.