Bill Guerin was named the new general manager of the 2022 United States Olympic men’s hockey team on Tuesday, the same position he currently holds with the National Hockey League’s (NHL) Minnesota Wild.
It remains unclear if NHL players will be allowed to compete for their respective countries in Beijing, as concerns over COVID-19 continue
“There are a lot of questions still out there, but our focus right now is to put together the best team we can and compete for a gold medal,” said Guerin. “With the deep player pool we have the in the U.S., we think that’s capable.”
USA Hockey recently received an updated playbook from the Beijing Organizing Committee regarding COVID-19 protocols.
It’s been reported by Canadian news outlets players could be required to quarantine in China up to five weeks if they test positive for COVID-19, causing concerns among players and hesitancy about making the trip to Beijing in the first place. The NHL Players Association is waiting for clarification on this and other issues before deciding if NHL players will take part in Beijing.
Should NHL players not be allowed to compete, Guerin said USA Hockey’s Plan B would be a combination of American Hockey League players, college players and U.S.-born players competing in European leagues.
“Our job is to make players feel comfortable about going. The last thing we want to do is put anybody in harm’s way,” said Guerin.
Guerin replaces Stan Bowman as general manager, who stepped down just hours after also stepping down from the general manager and president of hockey operations with the Chicago Blackhawks in October. That followed an investigation into the handling of sexual assault allegations against former video coach Brad Aldrich during the team’s championship season of 2010.
He has also been a part of controversy going back to his days as an assistant general manager with the Pittsburgh Penguins. Guerin was accused of covering up a sexual assault case in 2018 against the wife of a minor league coach. As assistant general manager, Guerin also oversaw the operations of the minor league team which was a part of the Penguins franchise. Guerin has denied all charges and the lawsuit was settled out of court.
“There have been some ups and downs, but this is the chance of a lifetime,” said Guerin.
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