AP source: NHL to withdraw from Olympics after COVID surge
Posted: Dec 21, 2021 5:37 PM EDT
By JOHN WAWROW and STEPHEN WHYNO AP Hockey Writers
NHL players will not take part in the Winter Olympics after all.
A person with direct knowledge of the decision tells The Associated Press the league is going to withdraw from the Beijing Olympics after its regular-season schedule was disrupted by coronavirus outbreaks.
More than 40 games have been postponed over the past week because of positive COVID-19 test results among players.
The NHL, upon agreeing last year to Olympic participation, reserved the right to withdraw if pandemic conditions worsened.
The decision means a second consecutive Olympics without NHL players after they participated five times from 1998 to 2014.