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An Olympic puck is seen during a preliminary round men's ice hockey game at the Vancouver 2010 Olympics in Vancouver, in this Feb. 20, 2010 file photo.Julie Jacobson/The Associated Press

The NHL schedule is still awaiting the completion of an agreement to send players to the Olympics, deputy commissioner Bill Daly confirmed.

Once a deal is done for NHL representation in Sochi in 2014, the league will be able to release the full schedule for the 2013-14 season. While it's considered a formality that players will be at the Olympics for the fifth straight time, nothing has been finalized.

"Nothing new to report," Daly said in an email. "We hope that changes soon."

Commissioner Gary Bettman was optimistic in late June that an Olympic agreement would be done in short order. The NHL has been negotiating with the Players' Association, International Ice Hockey Federation and International Olympic committee for months.

The NHL schedule is dependent on an Olympic deal being official because an extended break is built in for the month of February. The men's ice hockey tournament is set to take place Feb. 12-23 in Sochi, Russia.

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