Canadian Alex Pietrangelo is not committed to playing in the Olympic hockey tournament

Speaking before the Golden Knights match against Minnesota on Sunday night, Pietrangelo said he would wait until he got more information before making his choice.

“We’re looking at a lot of things, especially men with families,” said the 31-year-old from King City, Ont. “I’m not going to make a decision until we get all the answers because I think it’s hard to get them right now.”

The NHL is committed to sending players to Beijing, but it can withdraw from the games at any time. January 10 is the deadline for canceling the plan without financial penalty.

The fact that I’m possibly locked in there for five weeks plus the Olympics is a long time away from my family.– Canadian NHL player Alex Pietrangelo

The International Olympic Committee has said that in competitions, an athlete who tests positive for COVID-19 must produce two negative tests every 24 hours.

If they are unable to do so, the quarantine period can last from 21 days to five weeks.

“I have four children who are under three and a half,” Pietrangelo said. “For me to possibly be locked up there for five weeks plus the Olympics, it’s a long time to be away from my family.”

Pietrangelo said he expected to get the answers he was looking for “sooner or later.”

“If we’re not going to go or we’re going to go, we’re with families, we have something to do,” he said.

Pietrangelo was part of a star-filled Canadian team that won a gold medal at the 2014 Olympics in Sochi, Russia. NHL players did not participate in the 2018 Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea.

Golden Knights goalkeeper Robin Lehner has said he will not represent Sweden in Beijing because of the COVID-19 protocols.