“It’s very frustrating. We’re promised in the collective agreement. Boston Bruins striker Brad Marchand has publicly protested the NBA’s decision not to send his players to the Olympics.
A native of Halifax, Marchand would have been one of the players selected to be part of the Canadian squad. At a press conference on Sunday afternoon, the 33-year-old striker, who may have had his last chance to take part in the international competition, expressed his displeasure.
“I had the impression that they [les dirigeants de la LNH] They were trying to get out of it for a while and didn’t want us to leave, he said. There has to be a way to go and get the experience. Some people work their whole lives for it. ”
“I know that in the end they don’t care about the Olympic Games because it doesn’t bring them money,” he added. It is work and we are resources. Let’s call it a spade. They don’t want us to get hurt there, that’s part of it, but it should be the player’s choice to go to this tournament. ”
“We’re talking about the Olympics. They are the best in the world. If you’ve got the right to go, you should be able to. It’s very disappointing.”
Marchand had the same reaction in 2017, when the NHL announced that players would not be going to PyeongChang games. He was 28 years old at the time and also had a good chance of being chosen to represent Canada.