NHL and NHLPA Agree To Pull Out Of 2022 Beijing Olympic Games

It is official, the National Hockey League and National Hockey League Players Association made their final decision today.  No players from the hockey league will participate in the 2022 Beijing Olympic Games, for the United States or any other home country.  According to my source, many players were already uneasy about heading to the Olympics for fear of Covid-19 exposure, especially in the middle of the season.  As many also know the league bumped up the holiday break, moving it from Thursday to Wednesday as the final games.  With many teams being shut down due to recent spikes in cases, and protocols for those players and staff they've come in contact with, this was easily the smartest move to protect all involved.  Also, keep in mind due to this many games need to be rescheduled. This gives the league back 3 weeks to make those happen.  This could be great news for the Columbus Blue Jackets and other teams, so games aren't crammed into an already busy schedule.  

You can read more about this from my source, Yahoo Sports, via the link below.  In it you will also find some player reactions regarding this choice.  At least we still have the All-Star game to look forward to.  It would take place during the first days of the Olympics, so, with any luck, we'll still see some great division rival hockey!  

Source:

https://sports.yahoo.com/nhl-participation-in-beijing-olympics-highly-unlikely-after-covid-case-surge-151122170.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAD_IVHt6A6CP60HtD8iP96NAyq3ILg53rpqyekuuCPgYH-FRMVjE71zgUmDKAdUSWSAs0CeS16ZTccM3N40vY_16RL0XoN3K31sg3Fp7BofNlo9xYJ2MDReWN3mIFyFuQbFWHjanSv1npACsrznwE9bUvG3TfcJA6-pTMT_XFs8w

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

What the Ranger's Elimination From the 2024 NHL Playoffs Means for the Columbus Blue Jackets Acquired 2026 Draft Pick

It's been an interesting 2024 NHL Playoffs already. This was captivating by watching the divide among the 5th Line fans who chose to watch the playoffs and cheer on former Blue Jackets. As the Eastern Conference Final was set, we saw Sergei Bobrovsky on one end of the ice as a Florida Panther. On the other end of the ice, representing the New York Rangers, stood three former Jackets, Artemi Panarin, Alexander Wennberg, and Jack Roslovic. Due to the final player I listed with the New York Rangers end of the ice, this playoff series had implications for the Columbus Blue Jackets. The Trade the organization did, sending Jack Roslovic to the New York Rangers, was for a conditional Fourth Round Draft Pick in the future 2026 NHL Draft. The condition to this pick was that if the Rangers advanced all the way to the Stanley Cup Final 2024, the Draft pick would increase to the third round. With the Florida Panthers eliminating the New York Rangers tonight in Game 6 (the final was 2-1), The B
Read more

Brenden Gaunce, Nick Blankenburg, and Jake Bean Sign NHL Deals Away From Columbus Blue Jackets

The 2024 Trade Deadline gives and takes away every season. Today, the Columbus Blue Jackets signed Sean Monahan to a deal that will last five years and give him a 5.5 Million AAV. This was the brighter side of the day as several Columbus Blue Jackets and Cleveland Monsters players signed elsewhere, including a favorite of mine.  The 30-year-old Center, Brenden Gaunce, left us to join the Minnesota Wild. He agreed to a deal that will go through the 2025-26 NHL Season. He was in Columbus last season for 24 games and had 4 points with an even 2 goals and 2 assists. I have yet to see what his contract is valued at, but nevertheless, I wish him good luck with the Wild.  Jake Bean had the 5th Line divided. Some saw value in him staying, while others wanted him traded months ago. He wasn't traded today but signed to become a Calgary Flame. This contract will take him through the 2025-26 NHL Season like Brenden Gaunce. It'll pay him roughly 1.75 million each season. Appearing in 72 gam
Read more

Rest in Peace, Johnny and Mathew Gaudreau- Part One

I've learned something over the roughly two and a half weeks since we lost Johnny Gaudreau and his brother, Mathew; I will never be ready to write this blog. I've been avoiding this because my words seem hollow and empty to me; like anything I could say would be redundant and not enough. August 29th, 2024 will forever be burned into my brain alongside July 4th, 2021, the date we lost goaltender, Matiss Kivlenieks, in a firework accident when he used himself to shield others. To say this franchise and its fans have suffered too many tragedies since I started covering the team in May 2020 is an understatement. When we lost 'Kivi' I never imagined doing this again, but I am, and I won't lie to you because I never have; I hate that I have to do this again. My heart is shattered, especially for the Gaudreau family, and I don't think I'll ever find all the pieces. The hockey community will forever be changed by this tragedy. None of us want to accept that this nig
Read more