The NHL is not sending players to the 2018 Winter Olympics

Earlier this afternoon the NHL confirmed it will not work with the International Olympic Committee for the Olympic Winter Games in Pyeongchang South Korea in 2018.

This is absurd.

That it has even reached this point is absurd.

Brooks, please. We get it. You want a studio job. You have to pretend to be neutral. So you want my take? Here’s my fucking take.

Where are the heavyweights? They quietly say in hushed tones they want to participate, but they don’t actually go out and use their influence to get the deal done? It’s cowardly.

Where is Crosby on this? Does he support not going to the Olympic Games? Jonathan Toews? Auston Matthews? P.K. Subban? Phil Kessel? Alex Ovechkin? Them too? If they don’t, they should have already put out a statement explaining their position. No, Tweets from Marc-Edourad Vlasic don’t cover the enormity of this.

A statement today is no longer adequate, NHLPA. You are past the date where you can do anything other than end an embarrassment against yourselves here.

If these players agree with the NHL decision, I want a joint statement signed by all of those players saying they agree with the NHL decision, and I want it yesterday.

If they don’t agree? Well why are you even playing today? Walk out and shut down the NHL. That’s your only bargaining chip.

Sidney Crosby can end this with a tweet, “I won’t play hockey again until Bettman resigns”.

Does he not realise he has this power? He does. Don’t come back to me about “lawyers” and “reasons.” This is the lowest level Bettman has ever reached, and the response from the NHL’s elite is “Meh. What can I do?”

You can do the obvious, Sid. Don’t play until Bettman resigns in disgrace. That’s where we are at with this mess. You have an extraordinary amount of power in the NHL you have not used. Why is tangling with Bettman such a fearsome prospect? You can destroy him tonight.

You can go public, and go public 100% committed to the enterprise of getting players to the OG. Sometimes you have to step up. This is one of those times.

DO IT NOW.

We’ve got your back, Sid. The whole world of hockey’s got your back on this one.

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