Players, fans voice frustration over NHL's decision to skip the Olympics
Alexis Allison | CBC Sports | Posted: April 3, 2017 10:18 PM | Last Updated: April 4, 2017
Questions remain over if and how some NHL players could still participate
The NHL announced Monday that it will not be sending players to the 2018 Olympics in Pyeongchang.
It was a decision that sent shock waves through the hockey community, reaction that was decidedly not in favour of NHL commissioner Gary Bettman.
The NHL released a statement saying it "considers the matter officially closed."
But questions remain over how players who are determined to play in the Olympics might made their dream a reality.
Players like Alexander Ovechkin, who has been vocal about going to Pyeongchang no matter what the NHL decides.
The consequences of a decision like that are not yet know, but Washington Capitals owner Ted Leonis has gone on record saying he will support his players that want to represent their country, even if he is fined or punished in some way.
Henrik Lundqvist, Marc-Edouard Vlasic and Carey Price, all Olympic alumni, weren't quite behind the decision of the league either.
The NHL's players' association called the decision "shortsighted" and said it's "extraodinarily disappointed."
While some hockey fans managed to find a kind of silver lining in all the turmoil...
So with (likely) no Sidney Crosby, Connor McDavid or Carey Price, who will wear the Maple Leaf for Team Canada?
The 'Plan B' team could include players like Matt Ellison, Jordan Subban and Brendan Leipsic playing in European leagues and the AHL.