The NHL will not send its players to compete in the men's ice hockey tournament at the Beijing Winter Olympics due to COVID-19 concerns, commissioner Gary Bettman said Wednesday, as the league halted its regular season following an outbreak of the omicron variant.
"Unfortunately, given the profound disruption to the NHL's regular-season schedule caused by recent COVID-related events — 50 games already have been postponed through Dec. 23 — Olympic participation is no longer feasible," Bettman said in a statement.
In September 2020, the NHL agreed to pause its regular season so the world's top players could compete in Beijing, but the agreement included a stipulation that the league could withdraw if COVID-19 disruptions forced games to be rescheduled during the Olympic window.