Washington, Dec 22 (UNI/Sputnik) National Hockey League (NHL) players will participate in the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing as the NHL reached a joint agreement with their labor union - the National Hockey League Players' Association - to skip the event, the Washington Post said on Tuesday.
An official announcement will be coming in the next several days, the report said, citing sources familiar with the situation.
On Monday, the NHL became the first professional sports league in North America to postpone the regular season given that 15 percent of its players have been placed on COVID-19 protocols. About 50 games have so far been postponed in the December 23-26 period.
Such a situation has led to doubts about whether there would be enough time to reschedule the games if a season break took place during the Olympics, the report said.
The NHL and the NHLPA did not respond to the Sputnik requests for comment.
The captain of the Tampa Bay Lightning, Steven Stamkos, expressed regret about NHL’s decision to skip the Olympics.
"You grow up dreaming of winning a Stanley Cup and I’ve been able to accomplish that. You grow up wanting to represent your country and win a gold medal. That’s something I probably won’t have a chance to do now," Stamkos said as quoted by journalist Joe Smith via Twitter.
UNI/SPUTNIK GNK