Beijing 2022: NHL’s inclusion at Winter Olympics pours cold water on boycott calls as ice hockey stars eye Games showpiece

The NHL looks set to send its best players to China in February for the men’s ice hockey competition, which will be the showpiece event of the Games

China has found an unlikely ally to counter a boycott movement in the world’s best ice hockey players as representing your country is deeply embedded within the game

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China’s men’s ice hockey team, whose players are currently playing for the Kunlun Red Star in the KHL, are going to get a rude awakening against NHL players come February in Beijing. Photo: Reuters

Published: 10:30am, 22 Nov 2021

Growing up in East Vancouver in the 1960s, Barry Beck was embedded with ice hockey culture from day one. The 64-year-old, who has lived in Hong Kong since 2007 and worked as a coach, played more than 600 games in the National Hockey League before retiring in 1990.

Beck said from a very young age, there were two goals for a Canadian hockey player, dreams kids fantasised about from the moment they could lace up skates and head onto a sheet of ice.

“Besides winning the Stanley Cup,” said Beck, referring to the NHL’s championship trophy, “the next biggest honour and accolade for many players was playing for your country.”

International ice hockey has a long and storied history, dating back to the 1972 Summit Series between Canada and the Soviet Union during the height of the Cold War, as well as the “Miracle on Ice” during the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid which saw a team of amateur Americans beat political rival powerhouse team the “Red Army”.

NHL players have taken part in the Winter Olympics since 1998 and the men’s tournament has become the showpiece event of each Games, garnering substantial television ratings as a linchpin sponsorship selling point for the International Olympic Committee. The NHL is the sixth biggest league in the world in terms of revenue, right behind the English Premier League and many of its stars have multimillion dollar endorsement deals with international companies and brands.

Barry Beck when he played for the New York Rangers in 1979. He said winning the Stanley Cup and representing his country were too of his top dreams as a kid. Photo: Getty Images

Beck said this long and storied history for ice hockey players wanting to play for their country means after missing the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics in South Korea due to a number of logistical and revenue sharing, NHLers are keen to get back after signing a new collective bargaining agreement with the league.