Marc-Edouard Vlasic was determined to play in the Winter Olympic hockey tournament.
Then his lawyers got ahold of him.
The Sharks’ defenseman was furious that the NHL — which had sent players to every Winter Olympics since 1998 — decided it didn’t want to have another three-week, regular-season interruption. In place of some of the best players in the world, the U.S. national team roster in Pyeongchang will be filled with NCAA players, professionals competing without two-way NHL contracts in other leagues and those skating in Europe.
“I’m frustrated with who is not letting me go,” said Vlasic.