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Toronto • Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid said he's disappointed the NHL won't be sending players to the Winter Olympic in South Korea.
"It would have been a special group, and you're just hopeful to be a part of it," McDavid told reporters at a charity event Wednesday. "It's disappointing, but that's the way it is. You want to be able to represent your country on the highest stage, and the Olympics is obviously the highest stage possible."
McDavid's comments came a day after Hockey Canada announced it was looking for non-NHL talent for Canada's roster in Pyeongchang.
Sean Burke, the team's GM, said Tuesday the bulk of Canada's team will come from players based in Europe.
The NHL's reasons not to participate in the upcoming Games include disagreements over costs as well as problems accommodating the Games during its regular season.
When asked whether there was the possibility of getting permission from the Oilers to attend the Olympics, McDavid was non-committal.
"I'm not too involved in all that stuff," he said.
The NHL Players Association has said the league's decision is "short-sighted."
The NHL allowed its players to compete in every Olympics since 1998 Nagano Games, and Canada was won three of the last four gold medals.