Posted on 12/21/2021 2:23:15 PM PST by WeaslesRippedMyFlesh
The National Hockey League (NHL) and the National Hockey League Players Association (NHLPA) have reportedly reached an agreement to not have players participate in the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics.
In the NHL and the NHLPA's most recent collective bargaining agreement, the two sides negotiated the participation of NHL players in the 2022 and 2026 Winter games after NHL players were barred from participating in the 2018 Winter Olympics.
However, an agreement was reached that if the NHL season was "materially impacted" by COVID-19 that the NHL had until January 10th, 2022 to opt out of Olympic participation without incurring a financial penalty. The NHLPA had fought hard to regain Olympic participation for its members.
Kyle Conner of the Winnipeg Jets said, "We made it a big part of our collective bargaining agreement as the players, to bring the Olympics back."
The NHL has postponed 50 games as of December 21st and has decided to postpone all games and activities between December 22nd and 25th. Players will be allowed to return to team facilities on December 26th with games expected to resume on December 27th.
The league will use the scheduled Olympic break between February 6th and 22nd to reschedule the postponed games. Pittsburg Penguins superstar Sidney Crosby voiced his sadness over the decision, "I've been fortunate enough to be part of two [Olympics]. 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 of months. These are experiences of a lifetime that you don't get very many of as an athlete."
Olympic hockey rosters will now be filled with players in professionals in other leagues and amateurs. A formal announcement on opting out of the 2022 Olympic games is expected to be made in the next 24 hours.
UK Gov’t confirms Covid19 harmless to VAST MAJORITY of people
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=adj8MCsZKlg
Disagree...until the chinks come clean with the COVID scam we should have nothing to do with them. They got (are getting) their payoff from Fauxci! Eff’em
It’s in China. They’ve gone totalitarian with the whole COVID thing. So NHL players are better off not going.
This could actually get amusing—if nobody showed up in China due to Covid.....
On the down side, the men will not be able to win any women’s sports contests there...
;-)
Everyone is worried that if a bunch of players came back from China sick they will lose the rest of the season.
That’s what is said publicly. But perhaps the NHL is giving the instigators of the pandemic a GIANT MIDDLE FINGER FOR THE OLYMPICS.
Can’t say I’m opposed to that. :-))
Vax is working great, ain’t it?
FWIW, I'll probably say the same if the Olympics were in Australia. Sad.
Good
Given the way many governments have reacted to Covid, how many players will want to play for their country in the future?
NHL players take a stand against anal swabs.
We have the World Cup for soccer and the World Baseball Classic for baseball. Other sports can do the same for professionals.
There was a time when the Olympics were only for amateurs. Of course “amateurs“ included members of the Soviet army whose only job was to practice their Olympic sport. Perhaps the sweetest victory I ever watched was the year that our truly amateur Olympic hockey team beat the Soviet union team. “The miracle on ice“
To me, that's cheating if they want it that bad, they can have it. That's how I see it.
“The miracle on ice“
That's why it's a classic.
This Olympics can have fake athletes competing in front of fake crowds!
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