The NHL left a nearly three-week break in its schedule to account for the 2022 Winter Olympics when it put together its schedule last month, but player participation in the Games still isn’t guaranteed.
Feb. 5 through Feb. 22 is currently open for a potential Olympics pause, but NHL commissioner Gary Bettman told Craig Carton on Wednesday that an alternate schedule has been put together in case players don’t make the trip to Beijing.
“We actually have a schedule in the drawer in case we need it,” Bettman said. “You know the international composition of our players – as much as they want to win a Stanley Cup, number two on the list is a gold medal at the Olympics, particularly our international players, but our US and Canadian players as well. Players really want to go.”
Bettman wasn’t shy in his opinion on Olympic participation by NHL players: he understands the desire to participate, but would prefer that players stay home.
“Personally, because I think the last two seasons have had some COVID disruptions, and as tight as they say the protocols are gonna be in Beijing, I worry about another wave of COVID, and all things being equal, I’d prefer we look very seriously at not going, but I know from the Players Association and the players themselves that this is important to them and they want to go,” Bettman said. “Part of the extension of the Collective Bargaining Agreement last year was us agreeing that if all the things that were needed to be put in place could be arranged by the Players Association, then we would shut down to give the players the opportunity to go.”
The NHL skipped the 2018 Olympics, but the new CBA would permit players to play in the 2022 and 2026 Olympics, but that would only be an option if the league was able to sort out issues with the International Olympic Committee that it says kept the league from sending its players to Pyeongchang in 2018.
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Now, with COVID-19 still very much a risk, another massive hurdle stands in the way of NHL stars representing their countries in an Olympic forum.
“Prior to the South Korea Olympics we didn’t go to, we had participated in a four or five Olympics, and it is a disruption to the season because there’s a change in momentum, because some players come back well-rested from a two-week vacation and some come back tired,” Bettman said. “It changes up the dynamic of the season, but again, the only reason we consider doing this is because we know it’s important to the players.”
While Bettman is clear on his stance about the risks of participating and the impact that it has on the NHL season, if there is a safe and practical way to participate, then there will be NHL players in Beijing this winter.
“There are certainly good reasons not to go, but I also respect the views, desires, and passions of the players to play for their countries,” Bettman said.
Follow Ryan Chichester on Twitter: @ryanchichester1
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