China’s potential Olympic loss can be Zuccarello and Norway’s gain

Minnesota Wild forward Mats Zuccarello should be prepared to clear his February schedule and grab the red, blue and white jersey of his home country of Norway out the closet, just in case.

With the 2022 Winter Olympics scheduled to begin in February of next year in Beijing, the International Ice Hockey Federation is taking a close look at whether or not the China is able to compile a competitive roster, despite the usual practice of allowing the host country to field at least one team or athlete in every sport.

A decision on Team China’s participation is scheduled for November 25, after IIHF president Luc Tardif and his team reviews two matchups this week where their players competed with the…