But that doesn’t mean players have also forgotten about the 2018 Winter Olympics.
Marc-Edouard Vlasic of the San Jose Sharks and Brad Marchand of the Boston Bruins, who both hail from Canada, teamed up on Friday to chirp the NHL over its decision regarding the international tournament.
For the first time since 1994, the NHL will not send its players to the Winter Games, much to the chagrin of said players.
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Vlasic and Marchand were each members of Canada’s 2016 World Cup of Hockey team that defeated Team Europe to win the tournament, while Vlasic was also a part of Canada’s 2014 gold-medal winning team; Marchand has never competed in an Olympic Games.
Back in April, Marchand’s mother, Lynn, said the NHL’s decision to skip out on the Olympics was " … extremely disappointing. … We don’t know where Brad will be playing and what his performance will be in five years."