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Brad Marchand is not happy. Neither is Vladimir Tarasenko. And they are not alone.
A fistful of NHL players are voicing their vexation implicit the league's determination barring them from participating successful the Beijing Olympics. Even though the statement betwixt the league and NHL Players' Association was contingent connected pandemic conditions not worsening and disrupting the season, galore accidental they are upset they were ne'er fixed the prime to go.
Marchand, Boston's apical near winger who would person been a shoo-in for Canada's Olympic roster, ripped the league and national for bringing backmost taxi squads to support the play going but not to propulsion done February with players fixed the enactment to spell to Beijing.
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“For each of you who privation to tube backmost astir forfeiting wage portion being gone, (yeah) not a problem,” Marchand said successful a lengthy Twitter post. "Let the players marque their choice.”
Letting players marque idiosyncratic choices to permission their NHL teams for the Olympics was ne'er connected the table. The anticipation broached by Marchand and Tarasenko happens much successful soccer, which allows players to spell connected indebtedness to nationalist teams for planetary contention erstwhile a play is not paused.
Tarasenko would person been 1 of Russia's apical forwards astatine the Olympics and said helium would person near the St. Louis Blues to correspond his state if fixed the choice.
“Of course,” helium said. “You would beryllium amazed however galore radical take to go.”
Alex Ovechkin said helium wanted to spell to the Pyeongchang Games successful 2018 adjacent if the NHL did not participate. The Washington Capitals skipper relented earlier grooming campy successful 2017, with helium and different players begrudgingly accepting the Olympics would spell connected without them and hoping 2022 would beryllium different.
A 2nd consecutive Olympics without the NHL has immoderate looking backmost with sharper choler to 2018, erstwhile the International Olympic Committee would not wage for question and security costs arsenic it did 5 times from 1998-2014. Tampa Bay Lightning skipper Steven Stamkos said players were “robbed” of the accidental 4 years ago.
“Obviously this twelvemonth with what’s going connected successful the world, it’s a small much understandable,” Stamkos said. “But the past Olympics wherever we weren’t capable to spell due to the fact that of antithetic issues with the NHL, present it conscionable stings adjacent much knowing that for immoderate of the older guys, this is astir apt their past chance.”
This was astir apt the past accidental for Stamkos, teammate Victor Hedman and a procreation of NHL players. And portion the hold of the corporate bargaining statement includes a proviso for the 2026 Olympics successful Milan and Cortina, this twelvemonth has shown determination should beryllium lone pessimism and uncertainty until the puck is really dropped astatine the Games with NHL players there.
With the adjacent Olympics much than 4 years away, what astir different World Cup of Hockey similar successful 2016? Marchand's teammate, Taylor Hall, is successful favour of that.
“Going guardant I'd similar to spot a World Cup format again and effort and marque that conscionable arsenic important arsenic the Olympics successful people’s minds,” Hall said.
The lone occupation is it's not astatine each the aforesaid successful players' minds. As Stamkos pointed out, “The Olympics are the Olympics, and there’s truly thing that tin comparison to that experience.”
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