The NHL Was Right to Pull Out of Olympics
As of right now, the NHL is going through one of the worst COVID-19 outbreaks since the league shut down back in early 2020. Countless teams are currently experiencing team-wide outbreaks. With this outbreak, there has been a harsh realization that there is still a serious pandemic going on in the world. With that, it is now becoming more apparent that the 2022 Winter Olympics were very risky to attend. So in the end, the NHL was right to pull out of the Olympics.
Now, no one wanted to see this happen. Not the players, not the league, and definitely not the fans. Everyone wanted to see the likes of Sidney Crosby, Connor McDavid, and Nathan Mackinnon play on the same line or see the young, fantastic defensive core the United States possesses. With the increased risk of the new strand of COVID-19, Omicron, the NHLPA and NHL have considered the risks of attending the Olympics, which are very serious and concerning.
NHL players are concerned about the risk that will come with traveling to China for the Olympics. The risk of spending five weeks in isolation if a player contracts COVID-19 is too great. Players would have to forfeit five weeks’ pay if they are stuck in China. No player, or anyone, wants to spend five weeks by themselves isolated in another country.
From an NHL player perspective, this simply makes sense for the league. The loyalty resides with the NHL and the schedule, not the Olympic committee. The priority is to finish the season and start the playoffs on time. If the NHL would have continued in their plan to go to the Olympics, they would be at risk of delaying the start of the playoffs. Not to mention the NHL has new TV deals they are obligated to participate in. The TV deals with ESPN and TNT are the most important aspect for the NHL, as that will be the tool to grow the game more than the Olympics. With the three weeks now empty in February, that will be enough time for the NHL to make up games postponed due to the increased COVID-19 cases.
Everyone wants to see the best players in the world represent their country, but this is the best thing for the NHL. With the NHL now on a pause until after Christmas, they can get a foothold on not only on limiting COVID-19 cases, but by also having the ability to make up games later on in the season.
Hi, my name is Jack Kobil. I am currently attending Woodrow Wilson High School in Washington DC. I am a huge Islanders fan and I love to share my passion for this team.
