The 2021-22 NHL schedule will include a break in the regular season for the Beijing Olympics, but there is still no word on whether the league's players will be available, the US media reported on Monday.
The schedule, slated to be released later this week, is still being worked on, American sports broadcaster ESPN reported. The Olympic break in the schedule goes from February 5-22, it said.
Opening ceremonies for the Winter Games in China will run from February 4, 2022, with the men's ice hockey tournament slated to begin play around February 9.
The NHL declined to break during the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics as they couldn't secure a deal with the International Olympic Committee. That ended a run of five consecutive Games with NHL players and the two sides are still in talks about participation for Beijing.
Before the Stanley Cup final earlier this month, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman cited "real concerns" about player participation, including the global coronavirus pandemic.
