NHL Strategy Has Implications Beyond Beijing

Last month, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman requested that hockey be moved to the next Summer Olympics. We truly live in strange times. Though if you’ve been paying attention, it’s not as strange as it sounds.

In late December, the NHL and its players union jointly announced that NHL players would not be permitted to compete in the Beijing Winter Olympics. The announcement concluded a wrought saga that played out in ugly public fashion over the past few months, made far worse by the communications of the league.

The NHL has declined to send players to the Olympic Games before, most recently in 2018, when petty disputes over costs sunk negotiations. This time, more substantive matters forced the hand of the league.

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