Sources: NHL not going to Olympics because of COVID-19 surge – ESPN
Attention will now turn to using the scheduled break for the Olympics — Feb. 6-22 — to reschedule games. The NHL All-Star Game is still scheduled for Feb. 5.
Sources said that rescheduling could include currently postponed games or potentially moving up games that are scheduled for later in the season, but there could be a lack of arena availability during the break. While the NHL asked arenas not to book events during the break in case players didn’t participate in the Olympics, many buildings booked concerts and other events, seeking to make up for lost revenue during the pandemic.
The league is trying very carefully to make sure they word the announcement right because while the risk of being quarantined and dealing with China’s/the IOC’s protocols plays in heavily, the NHL doesn’t want to hurt feelings just for the sake of hurting feelings when it’s just as easy to lie and simply blame the virus.
A number of players sounded off their disappointment, which is understandable. As a fan of watching NHLers play in the Olympics I’m not at all upset about the decision that got made here. I am still upset about the circumstances which forced the decision though.
Flames “Pulling the Plug” on Arena Deal per Calgary Mayor – Matchsticks & Gasoline
The main hang-up in this deal is the additional ~$16.1M in costs that have been found by the mayor’s office and administration regarding “climate mitigation” and “road/sidewalk right of way issues”. The city came to the table with $6.4M which would leave $9.7M for the Flames to cover, but it appears they are unwilling to cover either some or all of this amount.
A $550M split cost project grinding to a halt over a relative pittance seems to fit in pretty well with how the negotiations between the city and the team have played out since 2019.