In 2018, the NHL players did not appear at the Pyeongchang Olympics due to Gary Bettman's stubbornness. That year, players from the best league in the world were replaced by Canadian players playing outside the NHL.
Today, in 2021, the discourse is very different because of the risks of the pandemic and the subsequent quarantine. The NHL and the NHLPA said no to the Olympics and this time, it's definitely for good reasons.
The problem is that replacement players may also refuse to attend the 2022 Games (Beijing). Maxim Noreau has spoken about this, and he is far from inclined to go, as are many of his counterparts. There are too many risks.
"On the salary side, is Zurich going to cover us? If not, what do we do? It's up to us to pay out of our own pocket and get insurance? I don't even know if that's done. The list of questions is long this time.
The last time, as soon as the National League players didn't go, the guys woke up and said, 'There, I really have to perform because I want to make the team'. This time, you don't even hear about it. I know a couple of guys who told me that they were definitely not going. And I'm sure they would have made the team!"
