The protocol Beijing has in place is also troubling. If an Olympic athlete tests positive for coronavirus, the player has to quarantine in China for three to five weeks. Being stuck in an authoritarian country thousands of miles from home for a month does not seem safe or appealing.
The NHL needs those three weeks to complete some of the postponed games. And on the business side, ticket sales from those games, as well as food, beverage, merchandise, and television revenue, need to be recouped from losses caused by the China virus. The league has already postponed 50 games this season.
Unless you’re Nike, LeBron James, or Google, you understand that rogue regimes don’t deserve respect from the rest of the world.
That's why any athlete from the West would be an idiot for going.