The question regarding the participation of NHL hockey players in the Olympic Games in Beijing seems to be relevant until the very start of the tournament. In September, an agreement was finally reached between the NHL, the hockey players' union and the International Ice Hockey Federation, and it became clear that there would be superstars at the next two Olympics. This is a real holiday for hockey fans who, despite the victory of the Russian team, were not impressed by the Olympic tournament in Pyeongchang 2018. It looked like New Year's without a tree – like the same holiday, but something, or rather someone, was sorely lacking.
But – rejoiced, and that's enough. By the middle of autumn, the league had accumulated a whole heap of problems that could stand in the way of the NHL to the Olympics. Commissioner Gary Bettman made it clear that the league's leadership has concerns about hockey players' participation in the Games, which have only intensified over the past few months.
What is the NHL's concern? And is it really possible to see the best hockey players in the world at the Olympics?
Coronavirus
Photo: © China News Service / Contributor / China News Service / Gettyimages.ru
There is no clarification yet on how the Games will address potential issues related to covid. What will happen to the player if he passes a positive test? How long will it be quarantined? According to some reports, the IOC assumes a two-week isolation for such cases – this is completely unacceptable for the league, because it could delay the player's return to the club. The answers to these questions will be given by the Olympic guide for athletes, which the NHL is eagerly awaiting.
However, in the situation with the covid, the state of affairs in North America is much more important for the league. There is a clause in the agreement on participation in the Olympics, according to which a serious violation in the regular season schedule could lead to a refusal to travel to China. At the moment, due to the coronavirus, five matches of the Ottawa and the Islanders have been postponed, but every team has cases of illness that can lead to a serious shift in the calendar.
Violation of the rights of indigenous people in China
Several years ago, human rights activists, together with the UN, published a report on the oppression of the indigenous people of the Xinjiang region of China, the Uighurs. In recent years, the pressure on them from the Chinese authorities has especially intensified: they are imprisoned in special camps and, according to some reports, even tortured. While it looks like genocide, the Chinese government calls its policy of preventing extremism.
However, all over the world, no accurate wording is being conducted: due to the situation with the Uyghurs, sanctions against China were imposed by the United States and the European Union in turn, and the closer the Olympics in Beijing, the louder about human rights violations are media personalities and athletes talking about. For example, the three-time Olympic cross-country skiing champion Johannes Klebo.
- Klebo spoke about the possible boycott of the Olympic Games in Beijing by the Norwegians
While everyone is limited to verbal criticism, the United States, led by Joe Biden, decided to take the first steps, declaring a diplomatic boycott of China. This step may encourage others to follow suit.
Owners dissatisfaction
Club owners are the last people in the NHL to see their players at the Olympics. The main event of the four-year period only brings them unnecessary pauses in the calendar and the risk of ruining the rest of the season. As was the case, for example, after Sochi 2014, when four of the league's leading players, including John Tavares of the Islanders and Henrik Zatterberg of Detroit, were knocked out before the end of the season.
Photo: © Bruce Bennett / Staff / Getty Images Sport / Gettyimages.ru
Finally, for the owners of clubs for whom hockey is primarily a business, the Olympics are absolutely unprofitable from a financial point of view. Even though the IOC and IIHF agreed to cover all financial costs, including health insurance. It was much easier for them to give up this money and focus on how to calmly finish the long-awaited season with the audience without interruptions to coronavirus pauses and, finally, to economically recover from covid.
And what about the players?
Bettman made it clear that the final decision on participation in the Olympics will be made by hockey players. He has no right to change his mind, unless, of course, he wants to tarnish his reputation. It turns out that the last word belongs to the trade union.
If back in September most of the potential Olympians were inspired to participate in future Games, by the middle of the season, things began to look not so rosy. For example, the coronavirus, which seemed to be irrevocably defeated by vaccinating all players, hasn't really gone anywhere. This means that similar problems can pursue hockey players at the Olympics.
Robin Lehner / Photo: © Ethan Miller / Staff / Getty Images Sport / Gettyimages.ru
The first player to officially refuse to play in Beijing was the Swedish Vegas goalkeeper Robin Lehner. “Lockdown and suspense, if I test positive, may not be important to my mental health,” explained the goalkeeper, who has had psychological problems with alcohol in the past. According to North American insiders, Lehner is not alone in his decision: at least one other player who claims to be called up to the Canadian national team shares the same opinion.
In addition to the uncertainty with the covid protocol, the participants will have to live according to the Spartan rules: most likely, they will be obliged to wear masks 24/7 and move only along a certain route. In general, conditions will be created for them, similar to the “bubble” in which the participants in the Stanley Cup have already managed to live in the midst of covid, naturally hating him.
It turns out that by January 10, potential Olympians will have to choose between the chance to play for the national team in the main tournament of the four-year period and comfort: this choice is not obvious for everyone.