from Emily Sadler of Sportsnet,

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman confirmed during Friday’s pregame press conference in Sweden that he met with International Ice Hockey Federation president René Fasel, but said there is currently “no news to report” when it comes to the NHL’s Olympic participation.

“We had another meeting. We’ve had many, many meetings, and there is no news to report,” Bettman told reporters. “I would suggest it was more a philosophical and procedural discussion. [NHLPA executive director] Donald Fehr also participated in the meeting, but I have nothing to report on that front.”

The NHL announced in April 2017 that its players would not participate in the 2018 Winter Olympic Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea. That was the first time since Nagano 1998 that NHLers weren’t part of the Games, and despite players and fans voicing their frustrations with the verdict, Bettman’s words on Friday didn’t provide much hope for a different outcome in 2022.

“I don’t want to sound like a broken record on the subject, but I think going to the Olympics is a challenge for us,” he said. “I know the players love representing their countries, I know that the players like going, I know that the players that don’t go like having a break in the middle of the season. But from our standpoint, we have found going to the Olympics to be incredibly disruptive… to our season.”

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