The NHL and NHL Players’ Association agreed Tuesday that they will skip the 2022 Winter Olympics held in Beijing.
The league made it official with a statement on Wednesday.
NHL announces that there will not be an Olympic break, NHL Players will not be able to participate in 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing.
— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) December 22, 2021
Full release: https://t.co/GkHDkNgZSo pic.twitter.com/ysBmWctzjw
"Our focus and goal have been and must remain to responsibly and safely complete the entirety of the NHL regular season and Stanley Cup Playoffs in a timely matter," the NHL said.
The dates players would've competed in the Olympics will now be used to make up games that had to be postponed due to COVID-19.
NHL players’ participation in the 2022 and 2026 Olympics had been negotiated within the latest collective bargaining agreement. The only exception for the Beijing Olympics was if the 2021-22 regular NHL season was “materially impacted” by COVID-19 postponements.
No surprise, but #NHL + #NHLPA are in agreement that NHL players will not participate in #Beijing2022 Olympics. Once they notify IOC, an official announcement will come - perhaps as soon as today, maybe later this week.
— Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) December 21, 2021
Now, question is: Will 2022 Olympics be postponed to 2023? https://t.co/8aR0aKmqNl
In total, 49 games have been postponed this season, which the league reportedly considers material damages.
NHL STARTS CHRISTMAS BREAK EARLY AMID COVID-19 OUTBREAKS
Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli shared the news on Twitter, raising an inevitable consideration.
“Now, the question is: Will 2022 Olympics be postponed to 2023?,” Seravalli wrote in his tweet.
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The NHL announced Monday that its regular season would pause operations from Dec. 22-25.