NHL reportedly won't participate in the Olympics due to COVID-19 concerns

NHL
(Image credit: Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

After the NHL announced plans to pause its season amid COVID-19 concerns, players reportedly won't participate in the Beijing Olympics, either.

An agreement has been reached between the NHL and the NHL Players Association that players won't go to the games this February, both The Athletic and ESPN reported Tuesday. The news comes after the NHL announced it would temporarily pause its season beginning Wednesday prior to its Christmas break. There were already no games scheduled for Wednesday as a result of previous COVID-linked postponements, but the league said it would postpone the games scheduled for Thursday, too.

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Brendan Morrow

Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.