(Official) NHL, NHLPA reach agreement to NOT participate in 2022 Beijing Olympics

[Sapper]

Right move 

 

Forget proples personal views on covid and look at this from a purely business perspective 

 

It's near certain every player going will be subject to 14 day quarantine on return given the global case jumps

 

Full nhl season completed or Olympics and a 60 game season ..... easy call...,.

 

 

[Kurgom]

6 hours ago, DeNiro said:

Look at Ovechkin.

 

Hes 36 and having one of his best seasons ever. You don’t think he’ll be on that team Russia in 4 years?

 

Crosby is cut from the same cloth. As long as he’s healthy he’ll still be performing at age 38. Players like him are so smart they’ll find a way to contribute even as they slow down.

 

It's hard to compare anyone to OV. The guys a physical freak produced from the soviets marrying Olympics athletes to each other. Crosby has injury problems which will only get worse with age, Ovechkins body is made of steel and he plays full season after full season. By 2026 I think there will be too much competition for Crosby, if he's even playing then, to make the team.

[Sapper]

It's still wrong that hockey hasn't been moved to the summer Olympics. With modern Ice abilities they could host hockey during the summer months and potential even grow the sport globally even more when it's played in non traditional winter cities 

 

They need to move it so it doesn't  collide with the NHL season and additionally by doing so would provide recovery time prior to season start 

Edited December 22, 2021 by iwtl

[combover]

GOOD. 
Glad they aren’t going . 
 

[kurtis]

It blows my mind by how many people are upset with this. We should never of been going in the first place.

[BPA]

I heard Virtanen is interested in playing for Canada at the Olympics. 

 

 

(j/k...don't know)

[MikeBossy]

personally they should put the damn Olympics on hold - seems reckless to have this event when the new variant is running rampant.

[Ghostsof1915]

1 hour ago, iwtl said:

It's still wrong that hockey hasn't been moved to the summer Olympics. With modern Ice abilities they could host hockey during the summer months and potential even grow the sport globally even more when it's played in non traditional winter cities 

 

They need to move it so it doesn't  collide with the NHL season and additionally by doing so would provide recovery time prior to season start 

Winter Games needs more winter sports, not less. 

Can't be all just skiing and snowboarding, and cross country skiing. 

Basketball seasons tend to be done indoors and in winter. So why not move Basketball to the Winter Games? 

I'm quite fine with Basketball in the summer games. 

 

[DeNiro]

With NHLers not going to the Olympics who do people think are some Canucks prospects who could be representing their countries?

 

Tryamkin?

Jasek?
Karlsson?

Utunen?

 

 

Edited December 22, 2021 by DeNiro

[Crabcakes]

1 hour ago, Kurgom said:

It's hard to compare anyone to OV. The guys a physical freak produced from the soviets marrying Olympics athletes to each other. Crosby has injury problems which will only get worse with age, Ovechkins body is made of steel and he plays full season after full season. By 2026 I think there will be too much competition for Crosby, if he's even playing then, to make the team.

Partly right, his mother won 2 olympic gold medals (76 and 80*) in basketball and his father was a high level soccer player.  

 

https://thehockeywriters.com/7-cool-things-about-alexander-ovechkin/

[Drive-By Body Pierce]

2 hours ago, iwtl said:

It's still wrong that hockey hasn't been moved to the summer Olympics. With modern Ice abilities they could host hockey during the summer months and potential even grow the sport globally even more when it's played in non traditional winter cities 

 

They need to move it so it doesn't  collide with the NHL season and additionally by doing so would provide recovery time prior to season start 

 

57 minutes ago, Ghostsof1915 said:

Winter Games needs more winter sports, not less. 

Can't be all just skiing and snowboarding, and cross country skiing. 

Basketball seasons tend to be done indoors and in winter. So why not move Basketball to the Winter Games? 

I'm quite fine with Basketball in the summer games. 

 

 

I vote for both! MOAR HOCKEY!!!

[mll]

Friedman in his 32 Thoughts on why it would have been incredible to watch Crosby/McDavid playing together:

 

Last summer, Crosby and McDavid made a point of skating together to prepare for the Olympics. Those who were there called it magic. When we consider two great players working as linemates, we generally think of one passing to the other. This went above and beyond that.

 

“They didn’t pass the puck to each other, they passed the puck to space,” said longtime NHL player development consultant Darryl Belfry, who was with them. “The puck is going to a space that only those two know, because of their collective genius. They’re two steps ahead, and it was glorious to watch them spring scoring chances out of nowhere.”

 

“They can see where the offensive chances will come from, and where others are trying to contain them. Other top players can do similar things, but not to that level. And they aren’t zipping it hard, they’re flipping it into a space…and gone. That thinking is incredible to witness…especially when you see it over and over and over again.”

 

Another individual who was there said it was interesting to watch McDavid -- who loves to attack off the rush -- learn to mesh with Crosby, the best at grinding it out down low.

 

“Sid was placing pucks and letting McDavid skate into them. Sid is so great at protecting the puck he could buy time and allow McDavid to be like a wide receiver running to scoring areas.”

 

Belfry said they’d throw the puck three or four times into space in a row, “and one of them would be walking to the net.” He explained that unless an offensive player is dealt an advantage because of space, angle or speed, one-on-one play in the NHL is won most often by the defender.

 

“Other players were saying, ‘You’re not only playing against those two, you’re also playing against the space,’” Belfry added. “You don’t know where the next threat is coming from. You can’t defend that, it’s crazy. Physical gifts are one thing, but the most impressive thing is thinking two or three levels ahead of everyone else and getting to the same plane.”

 

Among Belfry’s proteges are Kane, who he calls “a puppeteer,” and Matthews.

 

“But I’ve never seen two guys doing it together like that. Best-on-best, we just have to see it.”

[SilentSam]

On 9/3/2021 at 8:49 AM, -Vintage Canuck- said:

We finally get to see Connor McDavid, Sidney Crosby and Nathan MacKinnon play for the same team. 

heh heh heh heh 

[SilentSam]

disregard cheers.

Edited December 22, 2021 by SilentSam

[N4ZZY]

This is the right move for the NHL, and the NHLPA. 

 

The restrictions on coming back if players test positive are brutal. 

 

I’d rather have a full NHL season, than an Olympics (Sorry to all Olympians who have trained so hard leading up to the games). I really don’t think putting on the Games during this COVID Pandemic has been a smart move. These are not normal times or days. 

[N4ZZY]

On 9/3/2021 at 8:49 AM, -Vintage Canuck- said:

We finally get to see Connor McDavid, Sidney Crosby and Nathan MacKinnon play for the same team. 

Would’ve been sweet to have seen them play together with Canadian jerseys on. Too bad it ain’t happening.

 

[EddieVedder]

9 hours ago, Kurgom said:

It's hard to compare anyone to OV. The guys a physical freak produced from the soviets marrying Olympics athletes to each other. Crosby has injury problems which will only get worse with age, Ovechkins body is made of steel and he plays full season after full season. By 2026 I think there will be too much competition for Crosby, if he's even playing then, to make the team.

No one can win battles like crosby can.  Physically hes still one of the best athletes ever in sport.  

[EddieVedder]

4 hours ago, N4ZZY said:

Would’ve been sweet to have seen them play together with Canadian jerseys on. Too bad it ain’t happening.

 

Yea this is what upsets me most.  That offense and defense would have been as stacked as ever.  2026 should be even moreso though.  Im sure by then we will have our goalie situation back to wear it should be.

[EddieVedder]

4 hours ago, N4ZZY said:

This is the right move for the NHL, and the NHLPA. 

 

The restrictions on coming back if players test positive are brutal. 

 

I’d rather have a full NHL season, than an Olympics (Sorry to all Olympians who have trained so hard leading up to the games). I really don’t think putting on the Games during this COVID Pandemic has been a smart move. These are not normal times or days. 

Hoping they do a world cup of hockey instead.   Next best thing.

[-DLC-]