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Boston Bruins owner Jeremy Jacobs reportedly doesn't want NHL players in the Winter Olympics.

(Charles Krupa / ASSOCIATED PRESS)

Boston Bruins owner Jeremy Jacobs has a vested interest in keeping his players healthy and energetic, so it's understandable if he isn't particularly enthusiastic about his players (or anyone else's in the NHL) participating in the Winter Olympics.

Still, we will see if his opinions on Olympic participation are shared both in Boston and around the league.

From the Boston Globe's Fluto Shinzawa:

Jeremy Jacobs is not keen on NHL participation in 2018 Olympics. — Fluto Shinzawa (@FlutoShinzawa) October 11, 2016

The next Winter Olympics will take place in 2018 in Pyeongchang, South Korea. The games begin in February, which places them right in the middle of the NHL season. That forces the league to pause for about two weeks while all the international games unfold.

Still, for most players, playing for a country in the Olympics is an important experience as a professional athlete, and being asked to participate is an honor that they likely won't want to refuse.

Per NHL.com last November, the 2022 Olympics in Beijing will also play a role in the NHL's decision on player participation.

"The question is would the fact that the Winter Olympics in Beijing introduce that country to hockey and give us an opportunity to make a real impression in China, where hockey is really in an embryonic state?" Commissioner Bettman said. "That's a discussion we have to have to determine whether or not there is an opportunity to grow the game in China by using the Winter Games with NHL players as a catalyst. That's the question. I don't know the answer."

Per the Associated Press, the NHL's deadline for a decision is Jan. 15.