NHL, NHLPA officially pull out of Beijing Olympics
The writing was on the wall for weeks, but the NHL made it official early Wednesday morning when it was announced the league and the NHL Players Association agreed to withdraw from participating in the upcoming Winter Olympics in Beijing.
As disappointed as some players may be, it really is the safest decision for everyone.
The NHL has been reeling for weeks as the omicron variant of the COVID-19 virus has spread through multiple teams and caused upwards of 50 games to be postponed, causing a complete pause in play and practices in the week surrounding the Christmas break.
It's truly an unfortunate turn of events given how hard the NHLPA fought for players to participate in the upcoming games after not being allowed to play in the last Winter Olympics because of a disconnect between the NHL and the International Ice Hockey Federation and International Olympic Committee.
But with the health and safety of the whole league being in jeopardy -- plus the quarantine time that would take place if a player tested positive in Beijing -- there is no doubt the NHL and NHLPA made the right call.
Now, as the league's release stated, the break in February previously set aside for the Olympics can be used to help reschedule at least some of the games that had to be postponed in December.
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