National Hockey League (NHL) stars will not be taking the ice in pursuit of Olympic medals for the second consecutive Olympic Winter Games.
As expected, the North American league and the NHL Players’ Association (NHLPA) announced their decision on Wednesday, as the previously scheduled Olympic break will now be used to reschedule games postponed by COVID-19 this season.
The NHL had a deadline of January 10, 2022 to opt out of the Beijing 2022 Games without financial penalty. In their latest collective bargaining agreement the NHL and NHLPA agreed on participating in the Beijing Games “unless the current NHL regular season was materially impacted by COVID-19 postponements.”
NHL commissioner Gary Bettman released a statement on Wednesday: “The National Hockey League respects and admires the desire of NHL Players to represent their countries and participate in a ‘best on best’ tournament. Accordingly, we have waited as long as possible to make this decision while exploring every available option to enable our players to participate in the 2022 Winter Olympic Games.”
“Unfortunately, given the profound disruption to the NHL’s regular-season schedule caused by recent COVID-related events – 50 games already have been postponed through December 23 – Olympic participation is no longer feasible. We certainly acknowledge and appreciate the efforts made by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the International Ice Hockey Federation and the Beijing Organizing Committee to host NHL players but current circumstances have made it impossible for us to proceed despite everyone’s best efforts. We look forward to Olympic participation in 2026.”
Two-time Stanley Cup champion and Canadian veteran Steven Stamkos, who has yet to compete at an Olympic Games, says it is a missed opportunity for him.
“You grow up wanting to win a Stanley Cup – I’ve already been able to accomplish that and then you grow up wanting to represent your country at the Olympics and winning a gold medal. I probably won’t have a chance to do that now,” Stamkos said.
“Its difficult, whether or not I was going to be on the team or not – it was going to be my third legitimate chance and here I am sitting here probably not even getting to play a game.”
Swedish defenseman and Stamkos’ teammate with the Tampa Bay Lightning Victor Hedman added, “It’s a bummer for us, you don’t know if you will get another chance. For us, it’s going to hurt for awhile.”
“It sucks – I think it was going to be a great tournament, great hockey,” said American Kyle Connor, who has represented Team USA at three international tournaments, but never an Olympic Games.
Olympic rosters will now be filled by a mix of amateur players and professional players from leagues outside of the NHL, while USA Hockey may tap into its NCAA collegiate system. The Russians will rely on players from its Kontinental Hockey League, and would appear to be the favorite to defend their Olympic gold medal from PyeongChang 2018.
Russian superstar Alex Ovechkin, who has played in three Olympics, but has never won a medal, may not have another chance. “Ovi” who is currently fourth among all-time scorers in NHL history, will be 40 come Milano-Cortina in 2026.
Bettman continued his statement noting that the league will now focus on completing its regular season schedule and Stanley Cup playoffs in a “timely manner.” All games have been postponed through the Christmas holiday. The league also restricted contests involving cross-border travel between Canada and the United States.
National Hockey League Players’ Association executive director Donald Fehr also released a statement on Wednesday.
“Since the collective bargaining agreement extension was reached 17 months ago, NHL players have looked forward with great anticipation to once again participating in the Winter Olympics. Until very recently, we seemed to be on a clear path to go to Beijing,” Fehr said.
“COVID-19 has unfortunately intervened, forcing dozens of games to be postponed this month alone. No matter how much we wish it were not the case, we need to utilize the Olympic period to reschedule these games.
“Certainly, the players and hockey fans are quite disappointed. But playing a full 82-game season this year, something the pandemic has prevented us from doing since the 2018-19 season, is very important. We expect that NHL players will return to the Olympics in 2026.”
Canadian Olympic Committee CEO David Shoemaker expressed disappointment, while already beginning to discuss Plan B with under 45 days to go until the Games.
“There is an extraordinarily deep talent pool in Canadian hockey,” Shoemaker said. “We’re excited to rally behind the men’s team as it steps on to the ice for its first game on February 10, attempting to win its fourth consecutive medal.”
The last time NHL players took the ice at the Olympics was at Sochi 2014. Canada defeated Sweden to win the gold medal.
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