NHL players not to participate in Beijing Winter Olympics due to postponed schedule

BEIJING, Dec. 23 (Xinhua) -- The National Hockey League (NHL) announced on Wednesday that its players will not participate in the 2022 Beijing Winter Games as the league will reschedule COVID-19 pandemic-delayed regular season during the Olympics window.

Commissioner Gary Bettman made the announcement Wednesday, saying, "Given the profound disruption to the NHL's regular-season schedule caused by recent COVID-related events, Olympic participation is no longer feasible."

The COVID-19 pandemic caused 50 regular-season games to be postponed and NHL will use the Olympic break, which was previously scheduled on February 6-22, to play these games.

The NHL agreed on a pause of its regular season in September for their players to be able to play in Beijing but said they could opt out if the COVID-19 pandemic forced them to reschedule games during the Olympics window.

"Our 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," Battman said.

Teams to compete in the Beijing 2022 are expected to announce new squads without their NHL players soon as the Games are only six weeks away to start on February 4.

"Although we are disappointed to receive this decision by the NHL and NHLPA, we nevertheless fully understand the circumstances that forced this action to be taken," International Ice Hockey Federation president Luc Tardif said in a statement.

NHL players didn't participate in the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympic Games as it failed to reach an agreement with the International Olympic Committee on the traveling, accommodation, and insurance costs.