The agreement, which marks the return of the NHL players to the Olympics after skipping Pyeongchang in 2018, ensures safer and secure participation for all NHL players who will compete in the tournament. The next Olympic Games will take place in Beijing from February 4 to February 20.
IIHF President René Fasel acknowledges the efforts made by all the involved parties to reach this agreement: “We had many constructive discussions, and a lot of hard work was put into making this happen within the time we set out for ourselves, and I want to thank all parties involved for their support and commitment.”
"We understand how passionately NHL players feel about representing and competing for their countries," NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly said. "We are very pleased that we were able to conclude arrangements that will allow them to resume best-on-best competition on the Olympic stage."
The agreement nonetheless allows for the possibility of a later decision to withdraw from the event if conditions related to the Covid-19 pandemic are deemed as impractical or unsafe by the NHL and the NHLPA.
