NHL won’t send players to Olympics due to COVID-19 spike, reports say

The NHL and its players’ relation person agreed not to nonstop players to the Winter Olympics successful Beijing successful February, according to aggregate reports Tuesday, the latest domino to autumn successful the caller surge successful COVID-19 cases successful North America. A ceremonial announcement was expected soon.

The league faced a Jan. 10 deadline to retreat without fiscal penalties.

Fifty games successful the NHL person been postponed due to the fact that of outbreaks, including 3 Ducks games this week and 2 Kings contests. More than 15% of the league’s 700-plus players person been placed into COVID-19 protocol, according to figures compiled by The Associated Press.

Goaltender John Gibson of the Ducks and defenseman Drew Doughty of the Kings were among those who were expected to beryllium named to the United States and Canadian Olympic teams earlier the Games were scheduled to statesman Feb. 4. There has been nary speech of postponing the Games.

The Ducks bash not person immoderate players successful the NHL’s protocol. Doughty is 1 of 4 Kings connected the list.

The NHL volition effort to reschedule arsenic galore games arsenic imaginable during a three-week model successful February. Arena availability could beryllium difficult, with NBA games and concerts already scheduled. It’s believed the All-Star Weekend, acceptable for Feb. 4-5 successful Las Vegas, volition beryllium held arsenic scheduled.

NHL players participated successful the Olympics for the archetypal clip successful Nagano, Japan, successful 1998, and for each consequent Games until the league decided against sending its players to Pyeongchang, South Korea, successful 2018. Doughty, Ducks halfway Ryan Getzlaf and Team Canada won golden medals successful Vancouver, British Columbia, successful 2010 and Sochi, Russia, successful 2014.

The Beijing Olympics rosters volition alternatively beryllium filled by players from the AHL, the ECHL, the NCAA and European nonrecreational teams. In 2018, Troy Terry, a standout astatine the University of Denver astatine the time, played for the United States earlier signing an entry-level declaration with the Ducks connected March 27, 2018.

Russia won the golden medal successful 2018, ending Canada’s tally of consecutive victories successful ‘10 successful Vancouver and ‘14 successful Sochi. Doughty and Getzlaf teamed with Sidney Crosby of the Pittsburgh Penguins to triumph golden medals successful each of the past 2 Games successful which NHL players participated.

“I cognize from acquisition however peculiar and unsocial the Olympics are, and not lone reasoning astir my experience, but reasoning of the guys that haven’t had the accidental to beryllium portion of it,” Crosby told The Athletic connected Tuesday. “And knowing what they could perchance miss. Yeah, I deliberation conscionable ‘disappointing’ would beryllium the champion mode to picture it.”

Some players person expressed doubts astir going to Beijing, citing China’s reported protocols that would necessitate Olympic athletes to quarantine for up to 5 weeks successful the state aft a affirmative COVID-19 test. Connor McDavid of the Edmonton Oilers said helium recovered the stricter protocols “unsettling.”

Robin Lehner, the Vegas Golden Knights’ standout goalie, told reporters past week helium would diminution an invitation to play for his autochthonal Sweden successful Beijing. Said Lehner: “For wellness reasons, maine and my psychiatrist decided that I’m not going to go, and I privation them each of the best.”

However, Kyle Connor of the Winnipeg Jets, who was apt to play for the U.S. successful Beijing said, “Yeah, that sucks. I deliberation everyone was looking guardant to this. We made it a large portion of our corporate bargaining statement arsenic the players, to bring the Olympics back. Whether it’s astir antithetic circumstances astir going to China with COVID and everything, I deliberation it would person been a large tournament.”

Other planetary tournaments were expected to beryllium held arsenic scheduled, with afloat participation.

The world’s apical pistillate players, including from the U.S. and Canada, are expected to play successful Beijing. However, a pre-Olympic accumulation betwixt the gold-medal favorites Monday successful St. Paul, Minnesota, was canceled due to the fact that of COVID-19 concerns. It was portion of the My Why Tour of exhibitions.

Hockey Canada announced it would not nonstop a squad of non-NHL players to play aboriginal this period successful the Spengler Cup successful Switzerland, a tourney that besides features apical European teams. Canada’s Spengler Cup squad could marque up its Beijing Olympics team, according to reports.

The World Junior Championships, featuring apical prospects from the Ducks and Kings playing for the U.S. and Canada, volition statesman arsenic scheduled Sunday successful Edmonton and Red Deer, Alberta. Trevor Zegras of the Ducks led Team USA to the golden medal implicit Canada successful the 2021 World Juniors.