NHL players will skip the Olympics in February – CBS Pittsburgh

By: KDKA-TV News Staff

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) – The NHL and the league’s players’ union have agreed not to participate in the February Winter Olympics in China over concerns about COVID.

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The Associated Press confirmed the news on Tuesday just before 6 p.m

Tuesday afternoon, ESPN.com cites multiple sources in the same report, saying that “the only caveat to (skipping) the Beijing Olympics, scheduled for February 2022, is if the current NHL season is ‘severely impacted'” by the postponement of COVID-19.”

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In recent days, the NHL has canceled several dozen games, including two at home at the PPG Paints Arena, where the Penguins are scheduled to play New Jersey on Tuesday and Philadelphia on Thursday. The COVID-19 outbreak in several NHL clubs has forced the federation to close all team activities until December 27.

Pens coach Mike Sullivan has been scheduled to coach Team America and superstar Sydney Crosby will represent Team Canada.

Now, the NHL can use that February 6-22 Olympics period to make up for some of this week’s postponement. The NHL All-Star Game is still happening on February 5 in Las Vegas.

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After the 2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea, which NHL players also omitted, the NHLPA wrote in its most recent collective bargaining agreement that its players could compete at the 2022 and 2026 Olympics.