By STEPHEN WHYNO and JOHN WAWROW, AP Hockey Writers
Rene Fasel barely had time for a sigh of relief about the agreement to send NHL players to Beijing before his mind wandered to what’s next for hockey at the Olympics.
“There is a lot of work to come,” the president of the International Ice Hockey Federation said. “It’s not over yet.”
Most of the work is a waiting game with the hope that the NHL returns to the Olympics for the first time since 2014. The league and Players’ Association can withdraw if the pandemic circumstances worsen.
Fasel told The Associated Press on Friday there was a “common understanding in the case of really bad COVID-19 situation” that the NHL would not risk sending players to China. He expects vaccination against the virus to be mandatory for those involved, which should not be a problem with 90 to 95% of players are already fully vaccinated or will be by the time training camps open in late September.
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Not long after that, USA Hockey, Hockey Canada and 10 other national federations must submit the “long list” of players under consideration. That list is due Oct. 15, with final 23-man rosters to be revealed in January.
Most got a head start by already selecting NHL executives and coaches to start the process. U.S. coach Mike Sullivan said upon taking the job in late July that he was operating under the premise of an agreement.
“We’ll go through a process like all the Olympic teams in trying to put together a coaching…
