If the NHL does NOT participate in 2022

[Albatros]

Yes, nothing benefits sports - including hockey - worldwide as much as the Olympics.

 

[Juicy Pop]

Apparently not to the extent that the NHL felt comfortable with losing two weeks of prime time coverage – given that the MLB and the NFL are in the midst of the offseason – and with forking over several million to insure their personnel.

It's not really their problem that the IOC believes in a free meal.

 

[Xokkeu]

I find it so weird North Americans are so defensive of the nhl profitability.

 

[Albatros]

What the NHL feels comfortable with is completely irrelevant, there's no role for them in the Olympics. Not for free and not for any price. If they don't want to release their players that's their business, but they're not martyrs doing so.

 

[vorky]

Apparently not to the extent that the NHL felt comfortable with losing two weeks of prime time coverage – given that the MLB and the NFL are in the midst of the offseason – and with forking over several million to insure their personnel.

It's not really their problem that the IOC believes in a free meal.

Funny fact: the NHL believes in a free meal, too.

Look, people claim that the IOC takes best players for free. True. The NHL takes best players for (almost) free. What is a difference between them? Non.

 

[Juicy Pop]

Funny fact: the NHL believes in a free meal, too.

Look, people claim that the IOC takes best players for free. True. The NHL takes best players for (almost) free. What is a difference between them? Non.

The NHL and its underlying structure merely sets rights for players who would happen to play within the league.

There is no ownership.

A rival league is free to come along and compete with the NHL for these players and the players themselves have no commitment to play within either league.

[...]

The difference with the IOC is that they expect the NHL to adjust their business model to accompany their activities. The players are not free to participate in the Olympics if they wish to continue fruitfully playing in the NHL, given that they signed a contract.

 

[waitin425]

I do t blame the NHL one bit for not allowing g their players to go to the Olympics. I want their players to go and I do believe it is best for the sport for the best players to be in the Olympics, but let’s face it here. The NHL is a business and the players are their business assets. They are payed a large sum of money to generate profits for that business. If the OIC couldn’t meet the demands of the NHL, either through some type of revenue sharing or through insurance, than why would you as a business risk your assets for nothing. Again, I believe allowing the best in the world to play in the Olympics is best for the sport, but it’s up to the owners in the NHL to determine what they are willing to do with their assets and what compensation they want for that. It’s up to the IOC to try and meet those demands.

If the players want to play in the Olympics they should make that a priority in the next Collective Bargaininf agreement. The problem is, is that only a small portion of NHL players will actually play in the Olympics

 

[Suiteness]

The best compromise would be to imitate what international soccer does for the Olympics. It's basically a u-23 tournament where every team is allowed three players over that age limit.

 

[Albatros]

The IOC doesn't expect anything, as a non-partner the NHL is not a factor at all. No one if not their own players and fans demands anything from them related to the Olympics.

 

[Juicy Pop]

I find it so weird North Americans are so defensive of the nhl profitability.

I find it weird that people delude themselves into believing that they could somehow successfully operate a profit motivated enterprise like a charity.

 

[powerstuck]

I find it weird that people delude themselves into believing that they could somehow successfully operate a profit motivated enterprise like a charity.

NHL, on paper, is not a profit motivated organisation.

 

[Pyrophorus]

Cancel the WJC that year, and have it in China as the Olympics.

 

[BigT2002]

The best compromise would be to imitate what international soccer does for the Olympics. It's basically a u-23 tournament where every team is allowed three players over that age limit.

I actually do like this. The issue though isn't the World Juniors effectively doing this already? Maybe not at 23, but definitely at 18 and 20?

 

[Juicy Pop]

NHL, on paper, is not a profit motivated organisation.

That's merely because it's the organizational head of the league. For tax purposes it is designated as a non-profit, but that does not mean that the league is not turning a profit that is realized by its constituent organizations.

 

[powerstuck]

That's merely because it's the organizational head of the league. For tax purposes it is designated as a non-profit, but that does not mean that the league is not turning a profit that is realized by its constituent organizations.

You are right.
But we could argue all day long because its the NHL as the head organization that took the decision to not allow players to go.
If you were to ask the 31 individuals, some would have decided otherwise.

 

[Juicy Pop]

You are right.
But we could argue all day long because its the NHL as the head organization that took the decision to not allow players to go.
If you were to ask the 31 individuals, some would have decided otherwise.

At the behest of the owners.

The commissioner is given leeway on a lot of issues and is usually free to carry out a particular vision for the league, but you can damn well be sure that he doesn't so much as scratch his ass in regards to these issues without listening to the owners.

 

[Suiteness]

I actually do like this. The issue though isn't the World Juniors effectively doing this already? Maybe not at 23, but definitely at 18 and 20?

Yes, the WJHC is a u-20 tournament, so the Olympics would become the next tier tournament after the World Juniors and before the World Cup or whatever.

 

[vorky]

I guess in China. Thank you Garry for promoting the KHL so much. Well done!

 

[Past Considerations]

The "make the Olympics junior-only" idea is stupid. There's already the annual IIHF U20 tournament. The Olympic soccer-like U23 restriction doesn't work as well as soon you realise how many U23 players would still not be available as they're in the NHL. The situation is generally different to soccer because the FIFA World Cup has history and it is not going away, while we don't even know when the next World Cup of Hockey is going to be held.

 

[NyQuil]

The situation is generally different to soccer because the FIFA World Cup has history and it is not going away, while we don't even know when the next World Cup of Hockey is going to be held.

The NHL had a unique opportunity to try and generate credibility for the World Cup and they blew it massively.

U23 team? Team Europe?

And surprise, Canadians didn't show up because it was overpriced and they knew it didn't matter.

It wasn't best-on-best.

 

[powerstuck]

I guess in China. Thank you Garry for promoting the KHL so much. Well done!

Czech rep, streaming CZE-RUS. A guy says it is 4time bigger than Sochi Games.

Meh...people here will tell you they don't care because they nor anyone else in North America watched the games.
But hey, in 4 years in China, they will all stay up till 4 AM to watch them.....

 

[Xokkeu]

I find it weird that people delude themselves into believing that they could somehow successfully operate a profit motivated enterprise like a charity.

Nah just don’t get get why random fans are soooooo concerned with nhl owners profits. Like cool you like the nhl I do do too but I don’t really care about it

 

[Zero Requiem]

I find it weird that people delude themselves into believing that they could somehow successfully operate a profit motivated enterprise like a charity.

And yet Barcelona sent Neymar to the Olympics, clearly they must be worse off than all NHL teams.

 

[Juicy Pop]

Nah just don’t get get why random fans are soooooo concerned with nhl owners profits. Like cool you like the nhl I do do too but I don’t really care about it

I have no interest in their profits, I merely understand why they've taken these actions in regards to the Olympics.

It's fine to be disappointed that NHLers aren't participating, but that should be tempered by an appreciation for the circumstances of the situation. It should also not be skewed by some deluded perception that the issues are so very black and white, that the NHL either supports international growth regardless of the financials or that they don't. It's not such a simple issue to define in such hard terms.

 

[vorky]

I have no interest in their profits, I merely understand why they've taken these actions in regards to the Olympics.

It's fine to be disappointed that NHLers aren't participating, but that should be tempered by an appreciation for the circumstances of the situation. It should also not be skewed by some deluded perception that the issues are so very black and white, that the NHL either supports international growth regardless of the financials or that they don't. It's not such a simple issue to define in such hard terms.

Do not know how you define "international growth". IMO this is a support of international movement. And yes, a league has to sacrifice its own bussiness if needed to "grow the game." Btw, Olympics are once a four years. NHL´s bussiness would not be ruined if participating.

What the NHL has done & is contradicting of what I said above:

1.Not participating at event, which is the biggest sport event nowadays. Even the FIFA World Cup is not bigger than Olympics. So, the NHL does not care about "growing the game", they care only about their bussiness.

2.Introducing an event, World Cup of Hockey, with teams which are not even countries. So again, the NHL does not care about "growing the game", they care only about their bussiness.

3.Not allowing their players to participate at the IIHF Worlds. Again, the NHL does not care about "growing the game", they care only about their bussiness.

4.Transfer rules, which are beneficial for ONE league, not for ALL leagues in the world. The rules are not balanced. I talked about it earlier, wont repeat. So, the NHL does not care about "growing the game", they care only about their bussiness.

5.Pre-season games in Europe & Asia. No consistency, like the World Cup. The games are fine, but there should be much more such NHL vs non-NHL games. I can be wrong about a sum, there were reports a few years ago that the KHL & the NHL negotiated about an exhibition games. A key problem was that the NHL wanted a milion USD (or half a milion?) for such a event from the KHL. The KHL offered a model - fine, both league will invest 50/50 & will share a profit 50/50. The KHL even negotiated directly with NBC. Is this "a growing a game" or "international growth "?

Just a few examples how the NHL does not support international growth. Can you provide an example/s how the NHL support international growth?

I give you an example from the KHL. The league has a problem with scheduling, because the league has to break their regular season for the EHT events, this season for Olympics, and has to finish their Gagarin Cup play-offs before the IIHF World starts. So, the KHL sacrifice its own bussiness. Other Euro leagues do the same. If every (not only hockey) league cared only about its own bussiness, there would be no international events like the Olympics, FIFA World Cup, Handball events, Volleyball events, etc.

All.

EDIT:
It was more than 5 million USD for the NHL vs the KHL exhibition game/s which the NHL wanted.