The National Hockey League (NHL) has confirmed it will not send its players to the men’s ice hockey tournament at the Beijing Winter Olympics.
It comes after the usual NHL season was disrupted because of an increase in the number of Covid-19 cases.
NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said “Olympic participation is no longer possible” with 50 matches of the tournaments postponed until December 23.
The Olympics are scheduled to start in China on February 4, 2022.
Without the NHL stars, the national teams at the Olympics would be the same as those that competed in the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics four years ago.
With the time difference between South Korea and North America, many games at the 2018 Olympics were played at midnight for US audiences, and the NHL felt it was not right to put its tournament on hold for three days. week and allowed its players to go to Pyeongchang.
“It’s disappointing,” said Tampa Bay captain Steven Stamkos, a Canadian international.
“For whatever reason, the Olympic card didn’t go my way. It sucks. It’s something I probably won’t get the chance to do now.”
The NHL and the players’ union have agreed to send athletes to the 2022 and 2026 Winter Olympics unless the league’s seasons are affected by Covid.
