NHL News
NHL Players Push Back on Olympic Decision

The NHL and NHLPA announced Wednesday that NHL players will not go to Beijing and participate in the Winter Olympics. This will be the second straight Winter Games in which NHL’ers have not been able to play for their country on what many consider the grandest stage.
โOur 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,โย NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said in a press release Wednesday. โTherefore, 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 NHL games that have been, or may yet be, postponed.โ
National Hockey Now has confirmed that this decision was not only a difficult one for all involved but that it has also caused some internal strife within the NHLPA.
โThereโs definitely some major division within the PA ranks right now,โ an NHL player agent told NHN. โSome feel that with how hard the union fought to play in these Olympics that others capitulated like they always seem to do with the league. I think we all get the gravity of COVID and health concerns but are the players going if we had lightened protocol?โ
The general reaction between players, coaches, management, and league executives is that this decision to forego the Winter Games in February was understood given the recent COVID outbreak in the NHL. The growing amount of postponed games forced an early holiday break that began Wednesday, with a return to action next Monday. Despite the reality of the situation the NHL and North American society found itself in, sources tell National Hockey Now that there was plenty of pushback and harsh criticism of this decision from within the NHLPA.
โThe NHL players Iโve talked to are ticked off,โ the same agent as above said. โThis is getting ridiculous as far as they think. Itโs a time to figure out how to move forward and not backward.โ
That criticism wasnโt private either.
โI canโt speak for everyone, but the feeling for myself โฆ itโs a little overkill, โWinnipeg Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck told reporters in Winnipeg Tuesday. โYou see leagues like the NFL, who are adapting and, I think, doing things right.โ
Hellebucyk didnโt hold back his frustrations that he may not ever get a chance to represent his country on the grandest stage.
โIโll be 32,โ the Jets goalie said. โI know Iโll still be playing my best hockey, but weโll see if itโs the same story. It was going to be an awesome opportunity to play, but I guess thatโs just what we have to deal with.โ
Reached by phone Tuesday night, a former and prominent member of the NHLPA told NHN that many players who had a chance to don their countriesโ jerseys are ticked off.
โIโve talked to some of these guys and some are basically like what the bleep? We did what we were supposed to do,โ the source said. โI get that, trust me. Then you got those who see the risks โ like maybe being held hostage in China for what? Five weeks maybe? Those guys are like screw this! The problem is though, this means the world to some guys and others theyโve got their glory.โ
On Wednesday, Boston Bruins team Presidentย Cam Neely expressed his frustration for the players as well, but more so for the way this season has taken a turn for the worse.
โJust talking with a number of guys โฆ They were disappointed. โฆ They certainly understand the circumstances,โ Neely said of the NHL players. โBut at some point, we have to get back to normal here, and completing those postponed games and an 82-game schedule is a big part of that.โ
Terry
December 22, 2021 at 6:51 pm
Connor Hellebuyck’s comment about the NFL doing it right, doesn’t factor into his reasoning that the NFL teams only play one game per week. This makes it a lot easier to adjust a schedule to fit games in. With NHL teams playing 3 to 4 games per week in busy arenas that are used for other events, it’s not such a simple thing to accomplish without adding weeks to the end of the season.