After COVID canceled the NHL’s participation in the last Olympics, the league is going back to the games, which would fulfill a dream for at least one Bruins player.
“Dream come true for sure. I’ve been dreaming to play in Olympics my whole childhood,” said David Pastrnak, the Bruins’ Czech forward who if healthy would be a near lock to make his country’s national team. “I hope we get a chance.”
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At its All-Star Game festivities on Friday, the NHL announced plans to fulfill Pastrnak’s wish and return to the Olympics for the first time since 2014 at the 2026 Winter Games in Milan, Italy as well as in 2030, which will likely be but hasn’t formally been announced for France.
“I’m happy,” Pastrnak said. “I’m very excited. It’s great news. I can’t wait.”
NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said the league bowed to the players wishes.
“There is a recognition of how important this is to the players,” NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said. “Everybody felt on our ownership side that it was the right thing to do. … This really came down to doing something because the players really wanted it.”
Sidney Crosby, a star for Pittsburgh and Team Canada reflected that player enthusiasm.
“With all the uncertainty that’s been around it in years prior and just how great of an experience that it is, I think it’s just awesome news and I’m sure a lot of players are really happy,” Crosby said. “And especially to commit to two different Olympics, I think that’ll be great.”
NHL players participated in the Olympics five times in 1998, 2002, 2006, 2010 and 2014, but withdrew in 2018 over disagreements over insurance and travel costs. They were expected to play in Beijing in 2022 before the league pulled out due to COVID concerns.
Bruins stars Charlie McAvoy and Brad Marchand were upset about missing 2022.
“That one took a while to get over,” McAvoy, who’d play for Team USA, told the Associated Press. “You’re picking sizes for your Ralph Lauren outfit to walk around in the opening ceremonies. That stuff got real. It got really real. And you internalize it. It works as motivation. You want to be a part of that, and then you just lose it in a matter of seconds.”
Marchand was more pointed with his anger at the time. He tweeted:
“The NHL and NHLPA can change the rules of the CBA and add a taxi squad so that they don’t miss any games and don’t lose any money — which has already been agreed upon that the players will be back in escrow until the owners are made whole from what they have lost during this pandemic, regardless of how many games are missed —yet they can’t do a taxi squad during the Olympics so they can honor the agreement they made so the NHL players can go.
“Please tell me that’s not (B.S.),” Marchand wrote in a statement he tweeted Tuesday. “And for all of you who want to pipe back about forfeiting pay while being gone, yah, not a problem. Let the players make their choice.”
Russia’s participation remains a question. Individual athletes from Russia will be allowed to compete in the summer games this year in the Paris Summer Olympics, but they’ve been banned from team events.
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