Connor McDavid Reacts to The NHL's Withdrawal From Olympics

McDavid shared his thoughts on NHL players not being able to compete in this year's Olympics.

After Wednesday's announcement of the NHL's withdrawal from the 2022 Winter Olympics, Oilers captain Connor McDavid shared his thoughts on the decision. 

“The whole thing is so disappointing,” McDavid told reporters on Sunday, per The Athletic. “It's hard to really put into words what I think a lot of guys are feeling, especially the guys that haven't gotten to go before. Now, we're missing it for the second time in a row. We can't dwell on it.”

The NHL announced that it could not participate in the Olympics because it has been forced to reschedule dozens of games due to COVID-19. Protocols now force the NHL to use the Olympic period for rescheduled games instead. 

The NHL didn't participate in the 2018 Olympics and MCDavid was also saddened by the fact that so many players have never experienced the Olympics. McDavid was one of the first players named to Canada's roster for this year's Olympics.

“We do have to find a way to get a best-on-best tournament at some point here,” he said, per The Athletic. “We can't go six, seven, eight years without playing best-on-best.” 

NHL players last participated in the Olympics in 2014, when Canada took home the gold medal.