[getbak]

If you have access to The Athletic, LeBrun goes more in-depth on the issue, including quotes from Bill Daly and NHLPA executive Mathieu Schneider: https://theathletic.com/1596786/2020...2022-olympics/

“It was a really positive meeting,’’ Schneider reiterated.

Specifically, the IOC is willing to cover the very costs it said ahead of the 2018 Olympics that it would no longer include, such a players’ insurance and travel costs, etc.

“Yes, certainly on all the costs, the other big issue is us being able to promote the fact that our guys are over there,’’ Schneider said. “And that’s something else that we’re going to work towards addressing and the IOC has signaled that they’re open to it. I think the word that they used several times was forming a true `partnership’ amongst the NHL players and the IOC; which is music to our ears.

“But there’s still a lot of things that need to be hashed out, worked out. We kind of scratched the surface in that meeting, but it was certainly a big first step.’’

As Schneider subtly pointed out, the Beijing Olympics in February 2022 fall under the current CBA, which doesn’t expire until September 2022.

The Beijing Games, as far as the NHLPA sees it, doesn’t need to be part of the current CBA extension talks as much as just necessitating a separate Olympic agreement between the NHL and NHLPA as soon as possible.

Certainly in a perfect world for the players, the NHL-NHLPA develop a long-term international calendar that sees the Beijing Olympics in 2022, a World Cup of Hockey in 2024, another Olympics in 2026 and a World Cup of Hockey in 2028, instead of having this constant stop and go.