Breaking News: NHL Will Not Participate in 2018 Winter Olympics

The NHL announced today that they would not be going to the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea. It will be the first time since 1994 that the NHL will not be sending their players to participate in the tournament.

While it's been long speculated, the new being official has caused a social media outbreak. It's reported that fans of the game are split on the final decision. Some believe the NHL does not need to send its players, while others will miss watching the best players in the world compete for Olympic gold.

It's believed that the players still want to go, with Russian superstar Alexander Ovechkin claiming that he will be going regardless of the NHL's decision. That will be an intriguing story to follow up on.

NHL Owners had an issue with sending their players and losing momentum as the NHL takes a break to allow the players to leave.

The NHL released the following statement.

While the timing may be seen as a distraction to the NHL's playoff run, it made more sense to announce the decision prior to the actual NHL playoffs.

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