The NFL, NHL, and NBA have all been dealing with huge outbreaks of COVID-19. This is mostly attributed to the new, easily transmissible Omicron variant. On Monday, the NHL decided to suspend all games that were scheduled to take place from December 22 to December 25, in an attempt to slow the spread of the virus.

The NHL continues to postpone games, the most recent one being Tuesday night's matchup between the Washington Capitals and the Philadelphia Flyers. The league announced the postponement via social media Tuesday afternoon.

Also on Tuesday, news broke that the NHL and the NHL Players' Association have decided not to participate in the 2022 Winter Olympics. This is according to EPSN reporter Greg Wyshynski. They had until January 10 to opt out without financial penalty. There has yet to be an official announcement from the league or its players association.

Players from teams across the NHL were set to participate in the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic men's hockey tournament. Instead, they could be playing in league games to make up for time lost in December. According to St. Louis Blues reporter Andy Strickland, sources say that the February NHL break will now be used to make up games that were postponed earlier in the season.