When NHL players signed a new collective bargaining agreement in 2020, they earned a massive win: the league agreed to allow players to participate in the 2022 and 2026 Olympic Games. NHL players, uniformly, have fought to return to the Olympics. It's a dream for so many to be able to represent their countries on an iconic stage. And for the players who aren't selected? Well, it often means a two-week vacation in the middle of the season. Nobody hates that.
In the previous CBA, there was no language about Olympic participation. So players had little recourse when the league and its owners decided to skip the 2018 Games, citing concerns about schedule disruption and injury risks.