After missing the 2018 Olympics in PyeongChang, the NHL is returning to the biggest international stage.
The IIHF announced Friday that it has reached an agreement with the NHL and NHLPA confirming the participation of NHL Players in the 2022 Beijing Olympics.
The NHL and NHLPA previously reached a deal for players to attend the Olympics as part of a four-year extension of CBA in July 2020, but until now official participation depended on an agreement with the IIHF and IOC.
The NHL has already announced a pause in play from Feb. 7 to Feb. 22 on its 2021-22 schedule to accommodate the Games.
Per Sportsnet‘s Elliotte Friedman, the NHL and NHLPA have the ability to withdraw from the Olympics if circumstances change for the worse. The league can also back out if NHL games are cancelled due to COVID-19 outbreaks and there is no room to reschedule.
Canada, the United States, Russia, Sweden, Finland, Czech Republic, Germany, Switzerland, Slovakia, Denmark, Latvia and host China will participate in the event slated to take place from Feb. 4 to Feb. 20.
NHL players didn’t take part in the 2018 Olympics, marking the first time since 1994 in Lillehammer that they were absent from the Games.
Canada won gold in the last two Olympics with NHL participation, while the Olympic Athletes from Russia topped the podium in 2018.
