2:44 PM
The NHL and NHL Players' Association will not participate in the Winter Olympic men's hockey tournament in Beijing in 2022, multiple sources told ESPN.
NHL players did not participate in the Olympics in South Korea, so the NHL and NHLPA negotiated for their participation in the Olympics in 2022. If the current NHL regular season was impacted by the COVID-19 postponements, the Beijing Olympics could be in jeopardy. The NHL has paused its season through Christmas because of an outbreak on teams and has postponed 50 games.
The NHL had until January 10 to decide if they would participate in the Olympics without penalty.
An announcement on opting out of the Games is expected within the next 24 hours.
The Olympics break will be used to make up games. The NHL All-Star Game is scheduled for February 5.
The lack of arena availability during the break could lead to the postponement of games or the relocation of games that are scheduled for later in the season. The NHL asked arenas not to book events during the break in case players didn't participate in the Olympics, but many buildings booked concerts and other events to make up for lost revenue during the Pandemic.
There will be a break in the schedule. David Poile told The Game in Nashville that he believed there would be a compromise for the amount of time players would have off. The regular season could be extended by a week.
The players who would have played in the Beijing Games were frustrated and sad by the news.
Sidney Crosby said that he was fortunate to be part of two Olympics. I feel bad for the guys who have missed opportunities. It's not something where you push it for a couple of months. You don't get a lot of experiences like this as an athlete.
Two players from the Jets expressed their regret on Tuesday.
Yeah, that hurts. Kyle said that everyone was looking forward to this. The players made it a part of their collective bargaining agreement to bring the Olympics back. I think it would have been a great tournament, regardless of the circumstances.
Hellebuyck was worried about his status for the Olympics in Italy, a potential starter for the Americans.
He said he would be 32 if the next one was in four years. I know I'll be playing my best hockey, but it's going to be different.
The Olympic rosters will be filled by amateur and professional players who are not in the NHL. That could include the minor leagues in North America. The Olympic Athletes from Russia won the gold medal in the Olympics.
