NHL commissioner Gary Bettman addressed the league's potential participation in the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing among other topics on Monday in his annual state-of-the-league address prior to the Stanley Cup Final.
Bettman, who was joined by deputy commissioner Bill Daly, also announced that the league intends to start an 82-game season for 2021-22 in mid-October. The NHL began the 2020-21 campaign on Jan. 13 as it dealt with complications surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic.
With respect to the Beijing Olympics, Bettman expressed doubt about the logistics of participating in the event without a deal in place beforehand. The Beijing Olympics are slated to be contested from Feb. 4-20, 2022.