Players taking on all the risks of playing in Olympics
Even if they are double vaccinated and follow all protocols to a 'T', NHL players risk losing pay if they contract COVID at the Beijing Games
If Friday’s announcement tells us anything, it’s something we already knew. And that is NHL players desperately want to play in the Olympics are willing to do just about anything to make it happen. So when you’re watching the best players on the planet face each other for two weeks next February, remember that this is happening because the players, not the NHL, made it happen.
Think about it. NHL players are willing to travel across the world, likely at a time when we’ll still be in the midst of a global pandemic, to play in a hockey tournament for which they will not be paid. While they are there, they’ll be subject to living in a bubble and will be severely restricted, even within the bubble itself. They’ll be required to submit a daily activity plan, get an app on their phones which basically acts as a GPS tracking device for contact tracing and sign a waiver absolving the International Olympic Committee and the International Ice Hockey Federation of all liability if they contract COVID-19 during the Games.
Hockey Unfiltered with Ken Campbell is a reader-supported platform. Both free and paid subscriptions are available. Those who want to support my work are encouraged to take out a paid subscription.
And here’s the riskiest proposition of all for the players. Even if they show up at the Games double vaccinated and follow all the protocols to a ‘T’, they will still risk losing salary if they have to miss even a single NHL practice or game because of a COVID-related illness. The IOC and IIHF have agreed to pay the insurance costs for any player who gets injured at the Games, at a cost of about $11 million. But to add COVID insurance to that package would have doubled the cost of insuring the players. None of the IOC, the IIHF or the NHL is willing to do that, so basically when it comes to COVID, the players will be taking on all the risk of playing in the Olympics.
One player agent told me that he wasn’t certain whether he could, in good conscience, recommend to his clients to go to the Olympics. Part of the agreement stipulates that the IIHF will set aside $5 million that will cover lost salaries for any players who contract a COVID-related illness. But with hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of NHL stars attending, that money could go very quickly, particularly if there’s an outbreak.
Right around now, you might be thinking, ‘Well, these guys are franchise players. If they miss a couple of games after the Olympics, even if they’re not insured, the teams will probably pay them anyway.’ Not the case. In fact, in the agreement, the NHL specifically stipulated that it is the league’s position that players will not be paid if they miss any games after Beijing for COVID-related reasons. The NHL, which is ambivalent at best about Olympic participation, isn’t making this easy on the players.
So what happens if a player contracts COVID and suffers an illness so bad that he’ll have to miss the rest of the season? Well, he won’t be paid. What happens if a player suffers long-term effects of COVID that threaten his career? Well, according to this agreement, he won’t be paid. (And don’t think it can’t happen. Marco Rossi, a 19-year-old Minnesota Wild first-rounder in peak physical condition, contracted COVID and was diagnosed with myocarditis, a serious condition brought on by the inflammation of the heart muscle.)
So the next time you think of NHL players as overindulged, entitled, pampered millionaires, remember what it is they’re sacrificing by playing in the Olympics. They’re doing it with almost no support from their employer. In fact, the NHL would rather they don’t participate. And the league continues to jerk around the players and hockey fans, even though the NHL and NHL Players’ Association agreed on Olympic participation in their memorandum of agreement that extended the collective bargaining agreement in July 2020. The caveat is that participation depends on whether a deal can be struck that is satisfactory to each of the NHLPA, the NHL and the IIHF/IOC. So in reality, even though we all thought that Olympic participation was a given, we’re going to endure the same posturing and lengthy negotiations before everyone signs off again in 2026. We know the players will be willing to play.
Even with the risks the players are taking in Beijing, it would be surprising if a single one of them turns down the opportunity to play. Hockey players are like that. They want to play in the Olympics. They see the value in a true best-on-best competition every four years and want to use their talents to help grow the game on a global level. The NHL, which has done almost nothing to leverage its Olympic participation in the past, doesn’t seem quite so keen on the idea.
It will be exciting for sure, and there will be some huge story lines if one does contract COVID. Also, isn't that Jared Spurgeon instead of Marco Rossi?
Great take. I honestly can't wait for this tournament. It can't come fast enough!