Do you care that the NHL isn't going to the olympics

[Canadian Finn]

ahh good, the junior business execs have weighed in....

 

[Saekk]

It's great, Canadians got an excuse for not winning, just like in WHC.

 

[Patrik Barkov]

Because the Canadian team would just run through the competition like last time

Yes, Canada would ice the best team and probably win, but doesn't mean we can't enjoy our nations best coming together as a team and watching them play. Most people in Europe don't watch NHL at all but still love hockey. For a lot of european hockey fanatics this is the only time they get to/will watch the best play. It's not all about winning, and wouldn't be an automatic win for Canada.

Us finns got to witness Selänne, Barkov and Granlund on the same line for a bit in Sochi and see Selänne win the mvp of the tournament as we smashed USA in the bronze game. Trust me it means a lot to europeans.

 

[Sigh]

Not even a little.

 

[Canadian Finn]

That game (fins vs usa) was more entertaining then the gold metal game.

I thoroughly enjoyed that bronze metal game!

 

[Butch 19]

I think it is a travesty that our best young stars like McDavid, Matthews, Laine, Kuznetsov, etc don't get to battle it out on the biggest sports stage on earth.

Say what you want about the politics of it, every hockey player growing up wants two things. To win the cup, and to win the Olympic gold medal. Ripping one of those away from these guys is disgusting IMO.

I suppose the NHL has a business, and it's their job to be profitable, but I find it to be a damn shame that we don't get to see true best on best hockey. The fact they thought it could be replaced by some gimmick tournament in the offseason is even worse.

Listen to the players thoughts in interviews. Everyone is disgusted by it. Has everyone forgot Crosby's golden goal? Or Lemieux letting the puck go through his legs to Sakic? The shootout with Tommy Salo?

This is iconic stuff amongst hockey's greatest moments ever. There has to be a way to rectify this for the next one.

Will the next olympics be in South Korea? No? Well, there ya go, the NHL will be back in 2022.

 

[135ace]

Does anyone else think Olympic hockey would be much more entertaining if countries could enter multiple teams? I mean for individual sports you can have like 4 skiers from each country so why not for team sports as well. Hold an olympic trial tournament to decide who qualifies. I think it'll be much more interesting to see Canada A vs Canada B instead of Canada vs some random garbage team from Europe.

 

[saskganesh]

Oh yes I care.

It's a much bigger stage than the NHL can offer alone. Strong international hockey competition offers great benefits to the sport as a whole. I do sympathize with the NHL's position regarding costs and benefits, and I do understand why they are sitting out ... but that's really nothing to cheer about. Whoopdedo.

 

[LeafGrief]

Having a best on best tournament where the players try their absolute hearts out... Yeah I want to watch that. Olympic hockey is with few exceptions, excellent hockey. The Gold Medal game in 2010 is one of my favourite sports memories. International hockey competitions are awesome and the Olympics was the best of the bunch.

 

[D Wakaluk]

All these exciting new players and we can't get a best-on-best tournament in god damn ice hockey. It's a disgrace.

 

[McKappa]

Does anyone else think Olympic hockey would be much more entertaining if countries could enter multiple teams? I mean for individual sports you can have like 4 skiers from each country so why not for team sports as well. Hold an olympic trial tournament to decide who qualifies. I think it'll be much more interesting to see Canada A vs Canada B instead of Canada vs some random garbage team from Europe.

That's a great idea, would renew my interest immediately in the Olympics

 

[McYoungGuns]

It's great, Canadians got an excuse for not winning, just like in WHC.

u mean the tourney we don't care about cause our players are busy in the playoffs ?The WHC is a nothing tourney

 

[NyQuil]

Yes, I wish they were going.

Hasek blew out his groin and destroyed the chances of the Senators in 2006 and I still want the players to go to every Winter Olympics.

What we need is more hockey medals.

3 on 3 hockey.

4 on 4 hockey.

Shootout event.

Meanwhile, Norway wins 27 medals in cross country skiing.

 

[ManofSteel55]

I care in that I have less interest in watching it. I don't care in that it doesn't affect my life or overall hockey viewing habits.

 

[Conspiracy Theorist]

I hope they will be back in 4 years.

 

[Dancing Plague]

Pretty happy about it actually. Eventually, I'd like to see all professional participation in Olympic hockey phased out.

 

[NyQuil]

Pretty happy about it actually. Eventually, I'd like to see all professional participation in Olympic hockey phased out.

Who cares about a bunch of randoms?

 

[Ararana]

Nope. It's all about the curling anyway.

 

[King'sPawn]

I want the pros to go, but I understand why the NHL said no

 

[AzHawk]

nope

 

[Machinehead]

I'm so disenchanted with this league that I don't really care what they do.

Just looking forward to the World Juniors and then that's pretty much it for the season.

 

[Frank the Tank]

I will miss watching the high caliber of Olympics hockey with the best NHL players. It sucks that the IOC had to go and ruin a good thing.

 

[Thallis]

Yep. Olympic hockey is special to watch, and stage and audience is much wider than any other tournament. It's a missed opportunity for the NHL.

 

[b in vancouver]

Not really, from reading what the IOC got from having NHL players in the Olympics crushes what the NHL got from having NHL players in the Olympics. The NHL gets basically no financial reward, has to pay for all of the players in terms of insurance, housing, meals and such and they have all of the risk in the event. The NHL gets nothing out of NHL players going to the Olympics and gets a lot of negatives from going. The only positive they get is exposure, but that's not worth the risk of player injury and massive money loss that the NHL has to have from players going.

I know what your saying and I agree. I'm a big fan of Jeremy Jacobs and have been cheering him on for over four decades. His owners rookie card from 1975 is still one of my prize possessions when he bought the Bruins for $10 Million. No one wants to be subjected to watching Bergeron and Marchand play with Crosby again, Krejci and Pastrnak possibly leading the Czechs, Chara's last kick at the can, Rask back-stopping Finland, nor McCoy's (possible) first appearance if it means for two weeks every four years that Jeremy Jacobs doesn't add as much money to his $4.6 Billion. What do these stupid players think we watch hockey for anyways? - mostly it's to make sure that the insanely richest people in the world's stock portfolios and net worth go up. Jacobs! Jacobs! Jacobs! - oh look - he just made another $1.246 Million while I was typing. Yay! Go!

 

[Hunter368]

Not overly upset by it