“NHL players will NOT being going to the Olympics.”

The Winter Olympic Games will once again be conducted without the presence of players in the National Hockey League.

There are now multiple reports that indicate the NHL and the National Hockey League Players Association have come to an agreement that will include both sides pulling out of Olympic participation. The news comes off the back of a rampant outbreak of positive Covid tests in the NHL, tests that have already forced the NHL to delay a large number of games and even suspend cross border travel effective immediately and until at least the 23rd of December.

While the league itself has not confirmed that they are pulling out of the Winter Olympic Games, multiple sources are either now reporting that it is highly unlikely, or off the table entirely. ESPN's Emily Kaplan is reporting that an official announcement is expected in the next few days, but multiple league sources have already confirmed to her that it is "highly unlikely" that the league will participate in the Olympic Games given the current concerns surrounding Covid and the delays in the regular season.

NHL insider Elliotte Friedman is now also reporting that the Olympics without NHL players appears to be a reality, also acknowledging that the official announcement is expected in the next few days.

The most damning news however comes to us courtesy of some former NHL players. The official twitter account of the Spittin Chiclets podcast, a podcast that is comprised of former NHL players like Ryan Whitney and Paul Bissonnette, is reporting that the decision has already been made. According to a source, "NHL players will NOT be going to the Olympics."

This is of course not the news that any hockey fan wants to hear, especially not after we were already denied the Olympic tournament we wanted just 4 years ago. Unfortunately it seems even the players are on board with this plan now, and when you consider that they face 5 weeks of isolation in China if they were to test positive, you can hardly blame them.