The Beijing Olympics will begin in less than 60 days. And the National Hockey League (NHL) has just a month to decide if it will be there or not.
In September, the league and the Players’ Association (AJLNH) reached an agreement with the International Ice Hockey Federation (FIHG) to participate in the 2022 Winter Games after deciding not to go to South Korea there. four years ago.
But there is a well-known exclusion clause which gives the NHL and the NHLPA until January 10 to desist if the health context related to COVID-19 is deemed “unrealistic or unsafe” by one. either of the two parties.
Participation in the Olympics and next steps in the aftermath of the Chicago Blackhawks sex scandal will undoubtedly be discussed at the annual NHL Board of Governors meeting this Thursday and Friday in Manalapan, Fla.
League team owners have seldom been enthusiastic about the Games – even when the circumstances are ideal – due to upheavals in the schedule, the possibility of injuries and a host of other reasons.
The players, however, have been adamant about their desire to go to China. The NHL first competed in the Olympics in 1998 and has been there five in a row before skipping those of 2018.
But when it comes to 2022, nothing can be taken for granted.
The NHL has been affected by an increase in disruption related to COVID-19 over the past month, including the postponement of five games and a significant increase in the number of players who have had to adhere to league protocols.
There is also a lot of unknowns about the Omicron variant, and there is little doubt that NHL players will be under strict lockdown once in China.
In addition, we still do not know definitively the consequences for a player who will test positive at the Games, but the compulsory quarantine could last up to three weeks.
With all that in mind, Vegas Golden Knights goaltender Robin Lehner, who was virtually assured of a position with Team Sweden, became the first NHL player to announce earlier this week that ‘he would not participate in the Games.
“The reality is that what has been said about how things will turn out is not ideal for my sanity,” Lehner wrote in a series of tweets.
My well-being [doit] going first and being confined and not knowing what will happen if you get a positive result is a [trop] big risk for me. Hope people will understand.
Robin Lehner of the Vegas Golden Knights
Nathan MacKinnon of the Colorado Avalanche, who, like Connor McDavid (Edmonton Oilers) and Auston Matthews (Toronto Maple Leafs), couldn’t have had a blast on the athletic scene la most prestigious in the world in 2018, wants the league to finally say yes.
However, he knows that it is difficult to predict the future.
“Most of the time I try to stay away from the news,” he said. It’s a lot to digest. ”
Blackhawks
The Board of Governors will also meet for the first time since the release of a damning independent report that detailed how sexual assault allegations made by Kyle Beach, the Chicago Blackhawks’ first-round pick in the 2008 draft, were released. against a former assistant coach on that team had been largely ignored by management during the Blackhawks’ journey to winning the Stanley Cup in 2010.
Mark Chipman, governor and co-owner of the Winnipeg Jets, pledged last month to use his influence in the NHL to “recognize that there are systemic problems that require systemic solutions.”
Kevin Cheveldayoff, current general manager of the Jets, was an assistant with the Blackhawks at the time. However, last month he said he “was not aware” until this year of the seriousness of the allegations.
The Players’ Association also said it would commission an independent review of the union’s response.