NHL commissioner Gary Bettman: Participation in Beijing Olympics ultimately players' decision

The NHL has more than a few concerns about participating in the upcoming Winter Olympics in Beijing. Speaking with the media, including CBC’s Joshua Clipperton, following the conclusion of Friday’s board of governors meeting, commissioner Gary Bettman didn’t shy away from expressing his hesitations either:

"We have real concerns on a whole host of issues… We have concerns, and we’ve expressed those to the players’ association… Our concerns have only been magnified… I actually find it difficult to believe that a player would want to go…. I don’t think that this is going to be the ideal Olympic experience in terms of the lockdowns in the Olympic Village and everything else that’s going on."

The league’s apprehension is based mostly on the continued issues with the spread of the coronavirus, not only across the league but on a global basis, China included. The NHL has seen the majority of its teams affected by COVID-19 already this season, including at the cost of some games. Olympic participation would mean sending its biggest stars off, out of the protection of the league’s protocols and to the origin point of the virus and to protocols that have yet to be finalized and announced. In that same vein, Bettman discussed the possibility that China could mandate a three-week quarantine for any athletes who test positive for COVID and stated that he would be surprised if any NHLer would risk an additional three weeks in the country in order to play at the Olympics. Beyond the COVID conversation, there are also a number of political red flags as the governments of both Canada and the United States have become more vocal of late about the human rights violations taking place in China.

Yet, with all that said, Bettman is standing by his word. Barring a joint decision between the NHL and NHLPA — with deputy commissioner Bill Daly stating his expectation that the two sides would be on the same page should it reach this point — to disallow participation, the final decision will lie with the players themselves:

"We made a promise to the players, and I’m going, to the best of our ability, adhere to it, understanding that there may be consequences that nobody’s gonna like… It’s not like we haven’t expressed our concerns. But in the final analysis, subject to some caveats, with all of the issues that are being raised… the players, for the most part, seem to continue to be saying they want to go… ultimately, this is going to have to be a players’ decision."

A return to the Olympics was in fact collectively bargained when the NHL and NHLPA agreed to a new CBA last year. The players have the right to compete for gold if they so choose, but it is obvious that the league would rather they not. Bettman does note that more players have expressed their concerns of late, but will it be enough? That remains to be seen with time ticking away before the opt-out deadline of January 10 and the opening of the tournament in two months.