The NHL is officially out of the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, and it appears there’s little chance the Chicago Blackhawks’ star players will able to circumvent that ruling, regardless of where owner Rocky Wirtz stands on the matter.
According to TSN’s Rick Westhead, NHLPA head Don Fehr told agents at a recent meeting in Vancouver that he expects the NHL to prevent owners from allowing individual players to participate in the Olympics. For many current players, this would be their best shot at getting out of the leaguewide decision, as some owners could acquiesce star players’ requests to go.