(ATR) At least one North American hockey league will authorize players to go to the PyeongChang 2018 Olympics.
The American Hockey League confirmed to the AP that players contracted to the league will be allowed to travel to South Korea for the Games. The AHL is the top minor hockey league in North America, and serves as a developmental league for many National Hockey League prospects.
An AHL spokesperson confirmed in a statement that a memo was sent to all 30 clubs stipulating that contracted players would be free to travel. The memo was generated by AHL leadership, with no direction from the NHL.
Requests for comment from the AHL about whether NHL players loaned to the league would be released for the Olympics were not returned. Reports about the memo said this issue remains to be decided.
Earlier this year the NHL announced it would not be shutting down for the 2018 Olympic Games, for the first time since 1994 in Lillehammer. That means that players would not be granted a release to their respective national teams to play in the Olympic tournament. The NHL said opposition from club owners and a loss of revenue were the reasons for the decision.
NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman has said the league hopes to attend the 2022 Olympics in Beijing. The league will play preseason games later this year in China.
The NHL Players Association opposed the move to skip PyeongChang, leading to speculation of ill will that could lead to another work stoppage for the league when the next collective bargaining agreement expires.
In a statement after the decision the IOC said the NHL move was a "hugely disappointing" choice, but ensured an exciting tournament.
The NHL’s rival European league the Kontinental Hockey League will shut down to allow players to travel to PyeongChang. Olympic participation was a key selling point for the league with Russian free agent players, some of whom left the NHL to join the KHL ahead of the Olympics.
Written by Aaron Bauer
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