NHL officially pulling out of Beijing Olympics due to COVID scheduling disruptions

The NHL has officially announced that players will not participate in the upcoming Winter Olympics.

Sources had already speculated players would not be allowed to attend the Games due to COVID-19 concerns, but the league made the formal announcement Wednesday morning.

“Unfortunately, given the profound disruption to the NHL’s regular-season schedule caused by recent COVID-related events — 50 games already have been postponed through Dec. 23 — Olympic participation is no longer feasible,” the NHL said in a statement.

The NHL is not sending players to the Beijing Winter Olympics. It's blaming the disarray the regular season is in right now. The league is looking to use the break in the schedule to make up games that have been postponed so far, which includes a handful of #Canucks games. pic.twitter.com/M7oeYqsk7x

— Sonia Aslam (@SoniaSAslam) December 22, 2021

Adding, “we will begin utilizing available dates during the Feb.6-22 window (originally contemplated to accommodate Olympic participation) to reschedule games that have been, or may yet be, postponed.”

For fans and players alike, the dream of Canada capturing another gold medal in men’s hockey in 2022 has now been destroyed.

Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman wrote the decision is, “painful for the players. Many are wondering about a one-year postponement similar to the 2020 Tokyo Summer Games, hoping for another shot next winter,” in his piece for Sportsnet called “32 Thoughts: Without Olympics, NHL/NHLPA must plan for next World Cup.”

Read more: 32 Thoughts: Without Olympics, NHL/NHLPA must plan for next World Cup

Friedman spoke with many of the players and says many were disappointed.

“Yeah, that sucks. I think everybody was looking forward to this,” Winnipeg forward — and Team USA hopeful — Kyle Connor said Tuesday.

“I definitely feel for the guys who have missed numerous opportunities,” said two-time gold medallist Sidney Crosby. “These are experiences of a lifetime that you don’t get very many of as an athlete.”

The deadline to pull out of the games without financial penalty was just a few weeks away and many fans still had hope of seeing Crosby and Connor McDavid play for Team Canada next year.

Now, NHLers will not participate in the Winter Games for a second consecutive cycle after playing in five straight Games from 1998 to 2014. The next games are in 2026, but it’s too early to predict who will be on that team.

“Since the CBA extension was reached 17 months ago, NHL players have looked forward with great anticipation to once again participating in the Winter Olympics,” Don Fehr, the NHLPA’s executive director, said in a statement. “Until very recently, we seemed to be on a clear path to go to Beijing.”