China-based Brule key for NHL-less Canadians
With NHL superstars like Sidney Crosby and Jonathan Toews unavailable, Team Canada will rely heavily on one of the top pros in China in its quest for a third straight gold medal in hockey at next month's Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang.
Canada won gold in Vancouver in 2010 and four years later in Sochi, Russia, with teams led by future Hall of Famers Crosby and Toews, who have each won three Stanley Cups with the Pittsburgh Penguins and Chicago Blackhawks respectively.
The NHL had participated in every Winter Games since 1998, with the International Olympic Committee paying for the costs associated with travel, insurance and accommodation for the players and their guests. But last year the IOC announced it would not pick up the tab for the 2018 tournament, and NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said the league would not suspend games for three weeks to allow its players to participate.
