NHL 'possible' for 2022 Games

AUSTIN, Texas - National Hockey League deputy commissioner Bill Daly said on the weekend the league's participation in the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics is "possible but not essential" to its efforts to grow the sport in the world's most populous nation.

Hockey's top professional circuit was criticized by the International Olympic Committee and fans for not allowing its players to compete in the recent Games in South Korea after letting them play in the previous five Olympics.

The NHL said it didn't want to disrupt the midseason schedule or risk players getting injured.