[News] NHL not sending its players to the Olympics

[Sidney Crosby's Hat]

Originally Posted by Heavy Jack

Great question, it would seem silly to leave February with the 3 week gap between games if players don’t end up going.

I think a big obstacle there is a lot of the buildings are now filled with dates in that February window. So maybe you could fill some of the games but not a ton. Games in February don't generally sell well, either, being the dog days of the season and season ticket holders might not appreciate the games being moved.

The other factor is, maybe it just becomes a shorter break but still a break (or staggered bye weeks like the NHL has done in the past) and it's something the NHL dangles as a carrot to try and make the players not go.

Another random thought I had is, why not just stage the Olympic men's hockey over here in North America? I'm sure the IOC would never allow it but I wonder if anyone ever considered that.

[Erick Estrada]

Originally Posted by Knightslayer

You avoid Japan made components because of China?

Ha ha good catch. I corrected my post.

[browntrout]

Originally Posted by Bring_Back_Shantz

This guy gets it.
Literally the only people who suffer due to the actions of the Chinese government are/would be athletes that can't go to the olympics.

Not sure he does, the two Micheals suffered alot, wonder if they will watch the Olympics.

Values trump sports

After all the crap that the Chinese Communist party has done lately, we should be taking every opportunity to screw them over.

Hold the Olympics in some manner, else where or at multiple locations, it can be done

[dieHARDflameZ]

Originally Posted by Shazam

Phew, for a moment there I thought you'd actually take a stand.

Quite frankly the world needs to take a stand. Boycotting the olympics in China would be a great start.

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by Knightslayer

You avoid Japan made components because of China?

Just like actors in movies, Japanese/Chinese are interchangeable

[Azure]

For a team like the Flames who haven't had any COVID issues so far, it absolutely creates a big risk of the players who will be attending running into problems.

[browntrout]

Originally Posted by Shazam

You stopped buying stuff made in China?

We all should, me included

[jaydub74]

Originally Posted by Shazam

You stopped buying stuff made in China?

This is a fair point, pretty hard to avoid buying goods from China. I would say our family try’s to make good buying decisions by purchasing items from companies working to reduce their environmental and social impacts but it’s definitely tough. Everything comes from China!


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[CaptainCrunch]

I mean just for the ongoing Covid issues alone the players shouldn't be going.


From the politics standpoint, I've said with the Olympics that I would hope that the athletes would lead the way and say "nope, I'm not going". But I really think if that's not going to happen the strongest stance is that Canadians and Brits and US etc shouldn't attend the opening ceremony, which is usually an ode to the greatness of the hosting country.


For me personally, going to china for two weeks to sit in quarantine in a hotel, would be a nope.

[Enoch Root]

Originally Posted by browntrout

Not sure he does, the two Micheals suffered alot, wonder if they will watch the Olympics.

Values trump sports

After all the crap that the Chinese Communist party has done lately, we should be taking every opportunity to screw them over.

Hold the Olympics in some manner, else where or at multiple locations, it can be done

The league is already shut down for 3 weeks. Two or3 Canadian rinks could easily host a tournament. Bring all of the athletes from relevant countries (obviously not China, but they aren't ranked anyway), and play a tournament in the exact same manner as the Olympics are played.

Award medals.

Move on.

[Northendzone]

perhaps this has already been asked, but i wonder if there would be any consideration for an alternate best on best tourney that could be held here in north america during the olympic break - but i'd imagine broadcasting would be a mess

[Zoller]

I say screw it, send the players, beat the Chinese team 20-0 (or worse), and win a bunch of medals on their home soil.

[getbak]

Originally Posted by Azure

For a team like the Flames who haven't had any COVID issues so far, it absolutely creates a big risk of the players who will be attending running into problems.

They're likely at a greater risk now than they will be during the Olympics. It sounds like the restrictions in China will be similar to what they had to go through in Edmonton/Toronto during the summer of 2020.

[CroFlames]

I think mid-season tournaments are dumb.

Why can't we leave the Olympics for non-NHLers, and then turn every 4th year of the World Championships into the World Cup, and just compress the NHL season in those years.

I mean I know why, but this would be what I'd like to see.

[N-E-B]

While I’m dying for a best-on-best tournament featuring NHL players, I think the moral and ethical thing to do is to boycott. The Chinese government is abhorrent.

[Locke]

Originally Posted by Knut

I bet you a lot of players are leaning that way too.

Testing positive in China makes you miss the Olympics and have to quarantine for 3 weeks in China before coming back. That can sewer your season.

Politics and Economics and the NHL season aside, I have to agree with the sentiment that this is batcrap nuts.

I mean, I just watched Bayern Munich slaughter Barcelona in Munich yesterday.

In an empty stadium.

Two teams in the NHL have had their schedules postponed due to outbreaks, a number of soccer teams throughout Europe ditto.

Cases are on the rise, variants are rampant and the Political and Social will to ramp up restrictions is as close to non-existent as makes no difference.

The Olympics? In China? Cramming untold numbers of people from around the world shoulder-to-shoulder? This just seems like a bad, bad idea.

It does suck for the Athletes. You'll get no argument from me there, but unfortunately this is just the way the World is right now. Its a giant #### sandwich and everyone has to take a bite.

Europe is preparing to close their doors, there are travel restrictions to big chunks of Africa, the Pacific Island states are debating closing their borders entirely and here in North America....

Here in North America we're playing sports in front of full stadiums. God only knows how many people would be interacted with in China.

And then....to put the cherry on top of the giant #### sundae...after all that all of these people are going to go back to where they came from with completely different restrictions, regulations and quarantine requirements?

Forget Chinese politics or NHL economics for a minute and just focus on the ridiculous logistics surrounding huge groups of people congregating in a Pandemic hotspot bringing whatever with them, catching whatever is there and then bringing it home with them.

[Knut]

Think of it this way. If there is an outbreak on TEam Sweden. CAlgary could be without Lindholm, Backlund Andersson and Markstrom for the first few weeks back. With those guys not even able to skate or go to the gym they would be behind the 8-ball.

Essentially the Flames would lose 4 top players for the stretch run to the playoffs.

[djsFlames]

Imagine if you're Gaudreau or Tkachuk and you get some food caught in your throat at dinner and immediately get ushered away to a quarantine facility by Chinese guys in hazmat suits where they hose you down and lock you up for three weeks.

Okay I may have hollywoodized that a little.

But F China.

[GioforPM]

If the NHL doesn't go, could we see less of a break in the schedule (this has hurt the Flames in the past).

[Geeoff]

what has changed since they negotiated the deal to go? China was the same then as it is now