AP source: NHL to withdraw from Olympics after COVID surge

By JOHN WAWROW and STEPHEN WHYNO
AP Hockey Writers

The NHL is not sending players to the Beijing Olympics after all. A person with direct knowledge of the decision tells The Associated Press the league is going to withdraw from the Beijing Olympics after its regular-season schedule was disrupted by coronavirus outbreaks. More than 40 games have been postponed over the past week because of positive COVID-19 test results among players. The NHL, upon agreeing earlier to Olympic participation, reserved the right to withdraw if pandemic conditions worsened. The decision means a second consecutive Olympics without NHL players after they participated five times from 1998 to 2014.