Potential replacement player for Olympics wonders why no one cares whether they feel safe in Beijing

It's all but a done deal that NHLers will not be going to the Winter Olympics in Beijing in February. Concerned about rising COVID numbers and the potential for a lengthy quarantine in a foreign country, NHL players will likely officially announce in the coming days that they won't be participating in the Games. That doesn't mean the tournament will be cancelled, however. Countries will end up sending "plan B" players, those who wouldn't otherwise make the team if NHL players were going. One of those potential replacement players said he'll go, but he wonders why no one seems to care about their safety in Beijing.

"We're not as good hockey players, we don't make as much money, we don't play in the biggest league, but the facts remain: We also want to play under fair, safe conditions," said Magnus Nygren, a former draft pick of the Montreal Canadiens now playing with HC Davos in Switzerland.

"We also want to be able to play hockey under as normal conditions as possible. No one - and I'm pretty sure I speak for everyone - wants to go to China, get quarantined and play an Olympic Games just to play it," Nygren continued. "And in front of empty stands, as it seems to be. 'Send those f---ing lice from Europe there instead', that's kind of how it feels. Nobody seems to care how we look at things."

Nygren was asked if he's arguing against the Olympic Games being played at all.

"No, I don't want to get into that question. I don't have enough information to comment on that, but I'm more curious about what the difference is between NHL players and us in Europe. If they can't go, why can people - with the exact same job - go? The NHL has more games, sure, but we also have a schedule to follow. It has to be completed in a certain period of time."

"We don't want to spread the contagion further. We don't want to be quarantined, either at home or in China. I wonder what the difference is. If they are not going, why can we send lots of planes from Europe?"

Nygren definitely has a point. It seems assumed that teams will fill their rosters with replacement players with NHLers out of the picture, and that those players will play, no questions asked. Nygren said if he's asked to play, he'll go. But, he'd still like more information on what he's getting into.

"Why don't the European clubs have a say? It's just 'Well, let's go to plan B. Let's send them instead. The Olympics are on!'," said Nygren. "The NHL can say that the Olympics won't get a single player from them, but in Europe it's more 'then we'll run the reserves. Let's get you on a plane now'."

For Canada and the US, it's very likely rosters will be filled by players playing in the AHL, KHL and other professional leagues in Europe and elsewhere.

Source: Expressen.se

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