With the NHL going (basically) dark, the OHL getting hit hard and the decision to not have NHLers at the Olympics, hockey fans around the world are experiencing a feeling that they unfortunately know all too well.
As of about 10:00am EST on Wednesday, the National Hockey League announced that NHL players will not be participating in the upcoming 2022 Beijing Olympics. The decision was made due to the increasing COVID-19 cases worldwide, while also considering their own delays to their regular-season schedule.
“The National Hockey League respects and admires the desire of NHL players to represent their countries and participate in a ‘best on best’ tournament,” NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said in a statement. “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 Dec. 23 — Olympic participation is no longer feasible. We certainly acknowledge and appreciate the efforts made by the International Olympic Committee, 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.”
A break in the NHL regular season is scheduled from Feb. 3-22 to accommodate the 2022 Honda NHL All-Star Weekend in Las Vegas and the Olympics. All-Star weekend remains scheduled to be held as planned with the 2022 NHL All-Star Skills presented by DraftKings Sportsbook on Feb. 4 and the 2022 Honda NHL All-Star Game on Feb. 5.
Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby said Tuesday he was looking forward to his third Olympics after winning a gold medal with Canada in 2010 and 2014. The 34-year-old said he is unsure if this was his last opportunity to play in the Games.
“It’s difficult to kind of wrap your head around, given the fact that we thought we would have the opportunity this time,” Crosby said. “I’ve been fortunate enough to be part of two. I definitely feel for the guys who have missed numerous opportunities. It’s not something where it’s the next year or you push it a couple months. These are opportunities and experiences of a lifetime that you don’t get very many of as an athlete. You might only get one. It just might happen to fall kind of into your window. If it doesn’t work out, it’s unfortunate.”
Unfortunately it’s the same sad story around Junior Hockey as well, with the Ontario Hockey League having postponed 10 games in their final weekend of 2021 before their winter break. The league is scheduled to resume on December 28th, however there could be a chance the league is forced to postpone further games, or even think about halting the season entirely. With cross-border travel becoming a thing of the past for the NHL, it wouldn’t be shocking to see the OHL follow suit.
Amidst all the postponements and cancellations, the Alberta government unveiled some new restrictions to combat the current surge of COVID-19 cases. These rules include a 50 per cent capacity limit at sporting events, meaning the World Junior Hockey Championships and home games for the Edmonton Oilers and Calgary Flames will be affected. Additionally, eating and drinking will not be permitted in the arenas, which means nobody will be forced to consume overpriced arena beers and poor-tasting hot dogs.
The Calgary Flames have not played since December 11 and are this season’s version of the Canucks, essentially having their entire team (roughly 17 players and staff) on the NHL’s COVID-19 protocol list on Dec. 15. On Friday, Dec. 18, the Flames said that no players or support staff had tested positive for COVID-19 and they have since been able to open their facilities for those few players who never entered the protocol; players like Matthew Tkachuk, Michael Stone and Blake Coleman.
Only time will determine what the NHL decides to do with regard to cross-border travel after their winter break and what they’ll do about replaying the postponed games later in the season. As of now the plan is to play some of those games during what would be the Olympic break.
“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 manner,” Commissioner Bettman said. “Therefore, with stringent health protocols once again in place, we will begin utilizing available dates during the Feb. 6-22 window (originally contemplated to accommodate Olympic participation) to reschedule games that have been, or may yet be, postponed.”
Andrew Stuetz, with excerpts from NHL.com