When the NHL and NHL Players Association sat at the table in the summer of 2020 to hash out the league's Return to Play plan in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, it was to be expected that certain concessions would have to be made on both sides.
After all, not only was the NHL looking to chart a clear path back to game action after the pandemic halted the 2019-20 season just a few months earlier — but a CBA extension was also on the table, with the league looking to guarantee labor peace for the foreseeable future as it navigated the choppy waters brought upon by recent events.
Given the circumstances, the NHLPA and its representatives were in position to dictate more terms before eventually dotting the i's and crossing the t's. And with that leverage came a request that surprised ... well, just about no one.
If the current CBA was going to remain intact going forward, NHL players wanted to return to the Olympics.
Even though hockey's top stars have only participated in five total Olympics, the opportunity to play on such a stage and represent one's country quickly developed into a lofty goal that many players longed to achieve during their pro career.
(And for the players that didn't earn a trip to the Winter Games, a weeks-long stoppage in the middle of the season wasn't a bad consolation prize).
As such, when the NHL opted to pull the plug on player participation in 2018 ahead of the Winter Games in PyeongChang, it didn't come as much of a surprise that reception was awfully icy.
I'm sure no one in the NHL wanted one of these https://t.co/fm59Y2FD1q
— Brad Marchand (@Bmarch63) September 22, 2017
"The Olympics are in my blood and everybody knows how much I love my country," Capitals star Alex Ovechkin said in a statement shortly after the NHL canned participation in the 2018 Games. "Ever since I was a kid and all the time I have played in the NHL, NHL players have played in the Olympic Games. We never have to make choice between our team and our country my whole career. I love the Capitals and my teammates here as much as I love my country and I know all the other NHL players feel the same for their teams. We should not have to be in position to make this choice."
So be it appeasement to the players or a much-needed realization that Olympic participation is good for all parties involved, the NHL relented and agreed to let players back into the 2022 Games in Beijing and the 2026 Games in Milan/Cortina d'Ampezzo — pending an agreement with the IIHF/IOC. Said agreement was eventually reached earlier this month, locking players into the 2022 Games.
For Patrice Bergeron, a return to the Olympics is a welcome development — giving the 36-year-old pivot a chance to win a third Gold Medal with what should be a stacked Team Canada. But beyond individual goals, NHL participation in the Olympics stands as a no-brainer for the B's captain — given both the prestige of the games themselves and product that is put out on the ice when you've got the top talent in the world all battling for a gold medal.
Be it Sidney Crosby's golden goal in Vancouver, T.J. Oshie's shootout heroics in Sochi, Dominik Hasek's brick-wall showing in Nagano and more — there's been no shortage of memorable moments in the Olympics when the most talented players in the world are put on such a stage.
"I think the Olympics is the greatest sports event in the world, and you want to have the best athletes competing in that event," Bergeron said. "Obviously, it's been an honor, personally, to be there twice and to compete with my teammates and try to represent your country to the best of your abilities. So it's obviously great news that that as NHL players, we're going to be there and compete.
"And I think it's some of the best hockey that you can watch and the fans always seem to be very excited about it. ... The last two Olympics, in Sochi and Vancouver, a lot of people have told me that it was some of the best hockey they've seen. It was entertaining and fun to watch. So I think it's exciting for everyone— for the fans, for the players. I think as a player, you want to compete and be at your best and be in those tournaments. It's obviously not an easy thing to do. And I don't take it for granted at all. So obviously it's going to be hard to be on (Team Canada), but it's obviously a great challenge."
A number of familiar faces like Bergeron, Crosby, Ovechkin and Patrick Kane will certainly populate plenty of Olympic rosters, but NHL participation also stands as a fantastic avenue for the league to market its next generation of talents to a wider audience — as a number of first-time Olympians will be sure to draw plenty of headlines, including Connor McDavid, Auston Matthews, David Pastrnak and more.
And though he may not be a youngster like some of the other first-time participants, the NHL's agreement with the IOC has to come as a sigh of relief to Brad Marchand, who, despite staking his claim as arguably the top left wing in the game for years now, has never been afforded the opportunity to play in the Olympic Games.
"It's a tremendous opportunity and one that I think guys have earned," Marchand said of Olympic participation — which has stood as a lifelong dream of his as a pro. "This is obviously the best league in the world. And that's what the Olympics is. It's about putting the best players on the ice together and seeing which country takes it all. I think it's a great opportunity for all the NHL players that'll be there. And I would love and really honor that opportunity and hopefully it comes."
Be it a better product on the ice, increased exposure for the game of hockey, some extra R&R for hundreds of other players or just an appeased NHL player pool, NHL Olympic participation sure seems to be a win-win for all involved.
Zdeno Chara signs 1-year deal with Islanders
Zdeno Chara isn't ready to hang up his skates quite yet — and he's returning to the spot where it all began.
The 44-year-old blueliner and future Hall of Famer is set to play his 24th season in the NHL — as Chara inked a one-year contract on Saturday with the New York Islanders, the team that selected him 56th overall in the 1996 NHL Draft. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
After wrapping up his 14-year tenure in a Bruins sweater in 2020, Chara played last season with the Washington Capitals, posting 10 points in 55 games while averaging 18:19 of ice time per contest. The longtime B's captain is now set to join another rival of his former club in the Islanders — who bounced the Bruins in six games during the second round of the 2021 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Adding a player of Chara's experience should help bolster the depth of the Isles, although it remains to be seen just how much the veteran has left in the tank. While effective at times in a limited role last season with the Caps, Chara struggled at times once the pace ramped up in the postseason against the Bruins — with Boston rarely matching up its big guns in the Bergeron/Krejci lines against the big man on the ice. In total, Bergeron and Chara out on the ice together for exactly … 5:07 of 5v5 ice time in FIVE games.
Still, Chara's return to New York will make for good drama, as the Isles stand as one of Boston's top roadblocks in the East this season. Boston will battle Chara and the Islanders three times this season, starting with a matchup on Long Island on Dec. 16. Chara’s only regular-season tilt at TD Garden will come on March 26.
NHL expects 98% of players to be vaccinated before start of 2021-22 season
After dropping a number of heavy restrictions — and potential fiscal ramifications — on unvaccinated players entering the 2021-22 season, it sure seems like the NHL has managed to get its message across when it comes to getting the jab.
Speaking during the NHL's Media Tour in Chicago earlier this week, NHL Deputy commissioner Bill Daly said that the league expects 98% of its players will be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 before the start of the 2021-22 season.
Of the roughly 700 players spread across 32 rosters, only 10-15 players are expected to not be fully vaccinated before the season officially gets underway on Oct. 12. Even though no vaccine mandate has been implemented by both the NHL and NHLPA, and the parameters mapped out for players unwilling to get the vaccine sure seemed like effective motivators for even the most hesitant individuals.
While fully vaccinated players that DO still test positive for COVID-19 will have their subsequent quarantine and absence be treated as hockey injuries and will still be paid — teams will be able to suspend unvaccinated players without pay if they can't participate in hockey activities due to protocols.
Other limits for unvaccinated players include a ban on participation in the 2022 Olympics, a ban on community engagements, daily testing and being limited to just the team hotel, practice rink and arena while on the road.
So far, at least three teams have confirmed that they are fully vaccinated in the Flames, Maple Leafs and Hurricanes — while the Flyers expect to reach a similar threshold in short order.
Speaking last week at Pinehills Golf Club, Bergeron believed that most of the Bruins have already been vaccinated, although he didn't have an exact number at that time.
Aside from the desire to avoid outbreaks and threaten the health of themselves and others, Marchand noted that a fully vaccinated locker room will also be able to regain some sense of normalcy when it comes to off-ice interactions and building chemistry that was sometimes hard to come by last year when many road trips were spent inside cooped up in hotel rooms.
"I think everyone's excited about getting back to more of a normal life," Marchand said. "It's obviously an honor and a treat to play this game, and to have the opportunity to continue to play throughout through the pandemic and everything. But there's obviously aspects that we look forward to that unfortunately we weren't able to do last year and build relationships that we haven't been able to do for a while.
"So to get back to that, to be able to converse more, to get together more and build those bonds, you need that to be a good team. You have to be close, you have to really strong relationships, and a lot of trust in guys, and the only way to do that is spend time together off the ice. So looking forward to doing that a lot more this year, and getting back to traveling and being in different cities and seeing fans again all over."
Turner Sports announces loaded lineup for TNT’s NHL coverage; B's to be featured on plenty of national broadcasts
No network/sport may ever assemble the lineup (and most importantly, chemistry) that TNT has relished over the years with their “Inside The NBA” program, but Turner Sports is doing what it can to build a similarly stacked cast once it begins broadcasting NHL games in the coming months.
Turner announced its full lineup for its NHL broadcasts on Tuesday, with former NBC product Liam McHugh anchoring a roundtable show featuring a number of analysts — including Wayne Gretzky, Anson Carter, Rick Tocchet and Paul Bissonnette.
Kenny Albert will serve as TNT’s No. 1 play-by-play commenter and will be joined by Eddie Olczyk in the booth. Keith Jones will be the on-ice reporter for the Albert/Olczyk crew, while Brendan Burke (PxP) and Darren Pang (color) will serve as TNT’s No. 2 broadcast team. Of course, star power doesn't always equate to on-screen talent, so the jury is going to be out for now on how panelists like Gretzky fare in a spot like that.
However, B's fans should get pretty familiar with TNT's broadcasts this season, as Boston will be featured on 13 total national games this season between two of the NHL's new partners in Turner Sports and ESPN.
Here is the complete 2021-22 national television broadcast schedule.
Bruins Games Broadcast on ESPN, ESPN+, Hulu, ABC and TNT (all times Eastern):
- Wednesday, October 20: Boston Bruins at Philadelphia Flyers, TNT, 7:30 p.m.
- Friday, October 22: Boston Bruins at Buffalo Sabres, ESPN+/Hulu, 7 p.m.
- Friday, November 26: New York Rangers at Boston Bruins, ESPN+/Hulu, 3:30 p.m.
- Thursday, January 6: Minnesota Wild at Boston Bruins, ESPN, 7 p.m.
- Wednesday, January 12: Boston Bruins at Montreal Canadiens, TNT, 7 p.m.
- Thursday, January 13: Philadelphia Flyers at Boston Bruins, ESPN, 7 p.m.
- Thursday, January 20: Washington Capitals at Boston Bruins, ESPN+/Hulu, 7 p.m.
- Wednesday, January 26: Boston Bruins at Colorado Avalanche, TNT, 10 p.m.
- Thursday, March 3: Boston Bruins at Vegas Golden Knights, ESPN, 9 p.m.
- Wednesday, March 16: Boston Bruins at Minnesota Wild, TNT, 7:30 p.m.
- Sunday, April 10: Boston Bruins at Washington Capitals, TNT, 1:30 p.m.
- Tuesday, April 19: Boston Bruins at St. Louis Blues, ESPN+/Hulu, 8 p.m.
- Saturday, April 23: New York Rangers at Boston Bruins, ABC/ESPN+, 3 p.m.