Positive COVID test cancels Canadian men's pre-Olympic hockey game
Team Canada’s road to gold at the 2022 Beijing Olympics is off to a slow start.
A pre-tournament Olympic men’s hockey game between Canada and Switzerland was cancelled Tuesday as a result of a positive COVID-19 test, both teams announced.Â
UPDATE | Today’s pre-tournament game between 🇨🇦 and 🇨🇠in Zug has been cancelled. Canada’s Men’s Olympic Team will remain in Davos and play an intrasquad game.
#Beijing2022 https://t.co/9vrDkAxgc8— Hockey Canada (@HockeyCanada) February 1, 2022
The exhibition bout, set for Zug, Switzerland, was halted when Swiss defenceman Christian Marti tested positive for COVID-19. Canada said it would instead play an intrasquad game in Davos, Switzerland.
Canada will participate in Group A at the 2022 Beijing Olympics against the United States, Germany, and China. Canada will begin its preliminary round of play on Thursday, February 10 against Germany.Â
The team will be led by longtime NHL veteran Eric Staal, World Juniors teammates Owen Power and Mason McTavish, as well as three returning players from Canada’s bronze-medal winning entry in 2018 in forward Eric O’Dell and defencemen Maxim Noreau and Mat Robinson.
Meet the captains for 🇨🇦’s Men’s Olympic Team!
C: Eric Staal (@HNOHockey)
A: David Desharnais (@HockeyQuebec)
A: Maxim Noreau (@HockeyQuebec)#Beijing2022— Hockey Canada (@HockeyCanada) February 1, 2022
The NHL and NHLPA came to an agreement to withdraw from the Olympics in December. The decision was made as a result of rising cases of COVID-19 and the highly infectious Omicron variant.
Canada has won gold in three of the past five Olympic men’s hockey tournaments.
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