When the 2021-22 NHL season opened, there was not only excitement about the coming year, but also the upcoming 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing. The Winter Games, scheduled to take place from Feb. 4-20, will — potentially — feature the return of NHL talent after an eight-year hiatus, as well as many new “dream teams,” such as the Canadians led by Connor McDavid and Nathan Mackinnon and the Americans led by Patrick Kane and Johnny Gaudreau. However, in the uncertain times we live in, the league’s visit to Beijing is very much in doubt.

The COVID-19 pandemic has once again left a severe impact on the season thus far. A few weeks ago, we here at Drive4Five published an article questioning if a pause in the season was possible, citing recent infections in the Senators and Islanders organizations. However, the situation league-wide has worsened since then.

The entire Calgary Flames’ roster has come down with the virus since that time, and teams like the Panthers, Maple Leafs, Avalanche, Red Wings, and Hurricanes have seen their seasons put on pause. The Boston Bruins are also without several players, including two of their top players in Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand — and they played the Islanders Thursday.

Even with nearly every team being completely vaccinated, this is a major cause of concern for the league. With all the positive cases emerging throughout the NHL, the question now becomes: will the NHL pull out of the Olympics?

It was a major piece to the recent Collective Bargaining Agreement negotiations, and to lose it again would be a major discouragement to the players. However, in this situation it would also be understandable, as players would have to spend at least three weeks in China before being cleared to return to North America. With the uncertainty in the NHL regarding the 2022 Winter Olympics, let’s evaluate both sides of the league’s dilemma.

The Pros:

One of the main positives of playing in the Olympics is an avenue to grow the game. In the United States, the NHL is always pushing initiatives to encourage kids to play hockey, whether it be street hockey or “Try Hockey For Free” events with equipment provisions. However, the Olympics coming to Beijing can provide an interest in the game in a completely untapped market.

Only one Chinese-born has ever been drafted to the NHL, Adong Song by the Islanders in 2015, and the only major team in the country is the Kontinental Hockey League’s (KHL) Kunlun Red Star. Although the KHL has boasted former NHL’ers and some talented prospects, it doesn’t quite match the level of NHL hockey. The NHL has tried to grow the game in China before, for they played two preseason games in China in 2017 and 2018, but it’s a fairly limited sample with a limited number of players.

However, with the world’s best players coming to the Olympics for almost three weeks, it can bolster interest in the game from native viewers and encourage the growth of hockey in the region.

The other major factor is the thrill of international play. International competition in hockey is always exciting, with the International Ice Hockey Federation’s (IIHF) World Junior and World Championship taking a spot of most fans’ calendars.

However, the one flaw with the likes of the World Championship is some notable players are often missing, as it conflicts with the Stanley Cup Playoffs. However, in a time where every team won’t be playing, every player from every team is eligible to join the action, providing the greatest level of play and competition possible.

With the skill in the NHL today, there is great potential for the games to be spectacular. As a result, with the potential of competition and avenues for growing the game, there are benefits to going to Beijing. However, there is the potential for controversy.

The Cons:

The main answer is obvious in the current climate. A positive COVID-19 test could not only compromise the games in Beijing, but also the NHL in general. A positive COVID-19 test could keep a player in quarantine for an extended period of time, but the answer as of now is up in the air for how long.

In some cases, it could be as soon as a player records two negatives tests in the span of 24 hours, while at its worst it could be three-to-five weeks. This not only poses problems for the Olympics regarding positive tests, but also the integrity of the league. Not only could players be missing indefinitely, but also it will take time to get back to game speed. As a result, there is a potential four-to-six week absence for players, leaving those impacted and their teams in a difficult situation to play without them.

Another issue to consider is the growing number of postponed games. The outbreak in Calgary has seen five games postponed, and the issues on the Panthers, Red Wings and Avalanche have seen at least three games a piece postponed. The total number of games to be made up as of Monday, Dec. 20 is 43, and that number will grow with more pauses. Add this possibility, and the league will need to squeeze in a large number of games before the last day of the season. As a result, trying to jam in all of these games is a detriment to player safety, and it’s better to play these games during the planned break instead of the end of the season.

The Verdict:

As a result, when evaluating both sides of this argument, the bad outweighs the good in the Olympic debate. There are indeed pros to NHL involvement in the Olympics, including growing the game and the potential for outstanding competition. Also, there is the case that things could be better after the Christmas break, as Calgary can suggest. The team has generated several days of negative tests, and players are now able to return to the ice if they test negative twice. With the week-long pause, it can say that this is the worst it can get for several teams with fewer players in protocol.

However, the risks are far too great for the completion of the NHL season. Some teams deep in the playoff hunt could miss their best players in the event of positive tests for long periods of time. Also, dozens of games need to be rescheduled, and that number can grow before the break in February. If the league were to squeeze all of these games in after the Olympics, it’s a lack of regard for the players and their health. With this in mind, the NHL has to make the difficult but necessary decision to withdraw from Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics.

Matthew Page

I am a first year student at Hofstra University and an avid Islanders fan. I have been writing for Drive4Five since March 2020. My family has been season ticket holders for the team since 2016, and hockey is my favorite sport. As I expand my knowledge in the field of Journalism, I am writing to express my love for the Islanders and the NHL.