Toronto/Beijing – DECEMBER 22 UPDATE – It’s Official, First South Korea and now Beijing. For the second Winter Olympics in a row, NHL’ers won’t be participating. This time due to Omicron/Covid.
DECEMBER 21, ORIGINAL STORY – Media sources close to the NHL including the Toronto Star, Rogers and CBC report the National Hockey League and National Hockey League Players’ Association have reached an agreement to not send its players to participate in the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics in February.
The initial report according to The Toronto Star’s Chris Johnston and Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli.
According to Johnston, the league and its players made the decision on Tuesday and now must finalize it with the International Olympic Committee. Seravalli reported on Twitter the official announcement could come as early as Tuesday or even later in the week.
The NHL had until January 10 to pull out without financial penalty.
The Canucks continue practice until they are back on track (so to speak) after the Christmas weekend.
