The NHL and NHL Players Association have agreed that players will not be participating at the upcoming Beijing Olympics, sources confirmed to The Athletic. An official announcement is yet to come.
The decision comes amid COVID-19 concerns, a growing number of players in protocol and numerous game postponements that have affected the league’s schedule, forcing them to pause their season beginning Wednesday through the end of their holiday break on Dec. 26.
Forty-three NHL games had been postponed due to COVID-19 cases this season prior to the league pausing their season. Previously, the league said they’d continue their NHL season but would postpone all cross-border games between American and Canadian teams through Dec. 23.
Eight teams had shut themselves down through the league’s holiday break. The Calgary Flames, who had as many as 18 players in COVID-19 protocol, have had their games postponed through Dec. 23.
Some NHL players spoke about wanting to participate in the Olympics, while others were hesitant. Edmonton Oilers superstar Connor McDavid found the reported COVID-19 protocols in China — in which positive cases could be forced to quarantine for up to five weeks — “unsettling,” while hoping to “gather all the facts and information.”
Sidney Crosby told LeBrun that the likelihood of NHLers not participating at the Olympics would be “disappointing“.
“Obviously, I know from experience how special and unique the Olympics are,” Crosby said. “And not only thinking about my experience, but thinking of the guys that haven’t had the opportunity to be part of it.
“And knowing what they could potentially miss. Yeah, I think just ‘disappointing’ would be the best way to describe it.”
Tuesday’s news comes after Hockey Canada officially announced Monday it would not participate in the upcoming Spengler Cup, a tournament that features many of the world’s best European teams and a Canadian team composed of non-NHL players.
“We have a long-standing tradition of participating in the Spengler Cup, and it is disappointing that we are unable to attend the prestigious event this year. However, we strongly believe this is the right decision to maintain the health and safety of our players, coaches and support staff that were set to represent Canada,” Hockey Canada chief executive officer Tom Renney and president Scott Smith said in a statement.
NHL players haven’t played at the Olympics since 2014 when Canada won the gold medal. The league did not allow players to participate in the 2018 Pyeongchang Games because of a dispute with the International Olympic Committee over covering traveling and insurance costs for players while overseas.
According to The Athletic’s Sean Shapiro, the NHL has started reaching out to teams about dates they’d have available during the Olympic break. Shapiro noted that teams have also been told the plan is for them to get at least a one-week break in the new revised schedule.
(Photo: Martin Rose / Getty Images)
