If the NHL does NOT participate in 2022

[Rob]

Olympics soccer has u23 plus 2(?) overagers. Maybe it would work for ice hockey too?

Even if you had an U20 tournament there still would be players in the NHL who wouldn’t be released by the stingy owners.

 

[Rob]

Gary Bettman on 2022 Olympics: ‘I don’t know that we want to go to China’

Hours removed from watching the defending champion Canadians get stunned by Germany and eliminated from gold medal contention at the 2018 Olympic Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman suggested the NHL-less international tournament’s next go-round could look pretty similar to this year’s iteration.

“I don’t know that we want to go to China,” Bettman said Friday of the 2022 Games in Beijing while speaking on a panel at the 2018 MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference. “I think going to the Olympics is incredibly disruptive on a season.”

While it was assumed that the NHL was more open to the idea of going to the 2022 Games in China, particularly because of the league’s recent 2017 NHL China Games experiment, Bettman said location isn’t the true issue in his eyes.

Looks like my boycott of the NHL is extended.

 

[stampedingviking]

Gary Bettman on 2022 Olympics: ‘I don’t know that we want to go to China’




Looks like my boycott of the NHL is extended.

Sod 'em!

If $$$ mean that much to them the Olympics will still go on without them.

 

[Pez68]

Because the IOC is not about $$$????? Give me a break. This is one greedy organization battling against another greedy organization. Anyone who doesn't get that is fooling themselves. This has nothing to do with North America or the United States.

The IOC are the ones that refused to cover travel and insurance costs of the players they are BORROWING in the middle of the NHL season. The summer Olympics does not disrupt the NBA like the winter Olympics disrupts the NHL. The situations aren't comparable at all.

FYI, the IOC covered these costs previously and decided they didn't want to do so anymore. It only cost the IOC $7M in 2014. That's chump change in the grand scheme of things.

There is no reason the NHL should shoulder the costs, or take all of the risk of their players going to the Olympics.

 

[edog37]

Because the IOC is not about $$$????? Give me a break. This is one greedy organization battling against another greedy organization. Anyone who doesn't get that is fooling themselves. This has nothing to do with North America or the United States.

The IOC are the ones that refused to cover travel and insurance costs of the players they are BORROWING in the middle of the NHL season. The summer Olympics does not disrupt the NBA like the winter Olympics disrupts the NHL. The situations aren't comparable at all.

FYI, the IOC covered these costs previously and decided they didn't want to do so anymore. It only cost the IOC $7M in 2014. That's chump change in the grand scheme of things.

There is no reason the NHL should shoulder the costs, or take all of the risk of their players going to the Olympics.

Exactly.

 

[Albatros]

Because the IOC is not about $$$????? Give me a break. This is one greedy organization battling against another greedy organization. Anyone who doesn't get that is fooling themselves. This has nothing to do with North America or the United States.

Absolutely it's about money, namely 90 % of Olympic profits go to developing sports worldwide. There's zero reason to give any of that to the NHL owners.

 

[Sentinel]

If NHL doesn't return to the Olympics, I will be praying for Bettman's car accident or something.

 

[Kshahdoo]

Gary Bettman on 2022 Olympics: ‘I don’t know that we want to go to China’




Looks like my boycott of the NHL is extended.

Yeah, Olympics is disruptive and countless lockouts aren't...

 

[Pez68]

Absolutely it's about money, namely 90 % of Olympic profits go to developing sports worldwide. There's zero reason to give any of that to the NHL owners.

I would love to see the dollars the IOC has spent in the USA in the last 20 years. Because 99.999% of all monetary contributions to youth hockey in this country are coming from local teams, and USA hockey. The IOC isn't spending shit on growing hockey.

 

[Albatros]

There's IOC report for 2014 (Sochi):

https://stillmed.olympic.org/media/.../IOC-Annual-Report/IOC-Annual-Report-2014.pdf

...and 2016 (latest):

https://stillmed.olympic.org/media/.../IOC-Annual-Report/IOC-Annual-Report-2016.pdf

 

[Xokkeu]

If NHL doesn't return to the Olympics, I will be praying for Bettman's car accident or something.

Bettman just represents the owners.

 

[Pez68]

There's IOC report for 2014 (Sochi):

https://stillmed.olympic.org/media/Document Library/OlympicOrg/Documents/IOC-Annual-Report/IOC-Annual-Report-2014.pdf

...and 2016 (latest):

https://stillmed.olympic.org/media/Document Library/OlympicOrg/Documents/IOC-Annual-Report/IOC-Annual-Report-2016.pdf

They spend TEN percent on growing sports. Right there in a nice easy to read pie chart.

 

[Albatros]

Ten percent is what the IOC uses for their own spending, the rest goes to the national committees, organizing committees, as well as international federations (such as the IIHF). These have their own annual reports if you wish to follow the flow.

 

[Northerner]

Remove the event completely.

It's supposed to be the best in the world, not scrubs.

If there was no 1980 ("Miracle on Ice") then hockey wouldn't even be listed as the greatest moment in sports history.

If there would have been NHLers in the 1980 Olympics that greatest sports moment in history (by more than one lists standards) would never have happened.

 

[vorky]

China already has a KHL team in Beijing

Kunlun Red Star - Wikipedia

This. The Kunlun Red Star (KRS) is de facto a basis for the Chinese hockey development programme. The KRS is co-owned by the KHL´s boss. The Russians run the show here. The KRS has its junior team playing the MHL (a Russian competition), The KRS has also a farm team playing the VHL (a Russian 2nd tier senior competition). The VHL will develop into The Silk Road Cup Hockey League next season - a joint project of Russians & Chinese, some kind of Russian-Chinese hockey league. Again, the Russians run the show. End of story.

 

[vorky]

Wait...what? The NHL pays its players, how are they taking them for free? Oh, are you referring to this "transfer" thing that you Europeans keep clogging up this thread with? It's getting really old skipping over those posts. The jealousy over the NHL being the most financially powerful and best level of competition in the world is getting old. If you want the European leagues to become the top leagues then start paying the players huge money to play in them. In return, prepare to pay through your nose to buy tickets to the games.

Otherwise, this is how it works. Player gets offered huge contract from NHL team. Player can either decide to accept the huge contract or stay in the European league. End of story. Does the NHL pay transfer fees or development fees to the NCAA, the USHL, the CHL, etc, etc? No, they don't.

As far as growing the game, there are a lot of franchises that put a lot of effort into growing hockey in their city/state. Look at what programs Vegas is involved with in Nevada, the Blackhawks in Illinois, Blues in St. Louis, Flyers in Philly, Wild in Minnesota, etc, etc. Foundations, sponsorships, youth scholarship programs, equipment drives, and on down the line.

I realize the NHL owners don't have the best reputation for being altruistic, but I also think they take a lot of unnecessary and unwarranted criticism too.

Please read #150

That is the jealousy over the NHL. It is about unballanced transfer rules. If the NHL is such as you described it, why the NHL needs such privilege rules?

Yes, the NHL should pay to the CHL, the USHL etc too.

Great they growing hockey in their city. I talked about growing hockey internationally. You know, there is a world outside NA.

 

[Soundwave]

Gary Bettman on 2022 Olympics: ‘I don’t know that we want to go to China’




Looks like my boycott of the NHL is extended.

Damn doesn't sound like it's gonna happen. Bettman getting that answer from the NBA commissioner who he probably looks up to is like a kiss of death.

 

[Snowsii]

They spend TEN percent on growing sports. Right there in a nice easy to read pie chart.

Where? Couldnt find it.. just found that they use 35m from their 129m budget to worldwide.. OH! You mean they use 12m to athletes directly? And you just forgot the rest of the budget? Coaches, NOC:s etc...

Edit.. found the chart, you're talking about.. LOL!!!

They use 10% on developing sports of IOC aka themselfs..

 

[PlietscherDassel]

I think the NHL should not be allowed to participate in the next Olympics. The circumstances why they didn’t participate now will still be the same. If the NHL doesn’t think it is fair how the IOC financially compensates leagues it is a legitimate move to not participate. (Personally I think the Olympics are bigger than money an even financially this move is very short-sighted, but that’s just me.)
However, if an entire league choses not to go, I think it should be an automatic ban for the next 2 Olympics, because you don’t want leagues just picking the destinations they like and find financially interesting.
Plus, I think the tournament was pretty entertaining without NHL players. You don’t have the star power, which obviously is not a good thing, but it makes the tournament more interesting helps to grow the game in smaller hockey markets. Therefore, to answer the OPs question, leave the format unchanged.

 

[vorky]

I think the NHL should not be allowed to participate in the next Olympics. The circumstances why they didn’t participate now will still be the same. If the NHL doesn’t think it is fair how the IOC financially compensates leagues it is a legitimate move to not participate. (Personally I think the Olympics are bigger than money an even financially this move is very short-sighted, but that’s just me.)
However, if an entire league choses not to go, I think it should be an automatic ban for the next 2 Olympics, because you don’t want leagues just picking the destinations they like and find financially interesting.
Plus, I think the tournament was pretty entertaining without NHL players. You don’t have the star power, which obviously is not a good thing, but it makes the tournament more interesting helps to grow the game in smaller hockey markets. Therefore, to answer the OPs question, leave the format unchanged.

Agree. Especially bold part.

From the IOC´s point of view the NHL is equal to any other hockey league or any other sport league. Nothing special, ordinary league.

 

[Faterson]

You talk as if the IOC isn't a business and that the Olympics aren't their flagship product.

If you are or were an owner of a business, would you grant a rival two weeks of free labor from your employees every four years? I would think not. I believe that if you thought that there was any reason to do so, that you would at least see to it that your enterprise benefited from the arrangement in a tangible manner that doesn't rely on some wild assertions that the general growth of your industry is enough.

You talk about hockey as if it was a business rather than a sport. Naturally – you're American (Canadian or US), and so, likely everything is "business" to you, to be assessed in terms of $$$ only.

Just realize that there are human beings on this planet who first of all aren't Americans (it might come as a surprise to some, but most people on this planet aren't Americans), and second of all don't view everything in life as a business, in terms of sales and "flagship products". Understand that some people, no matter how silly they may seem to you, still view hockey primarily as a sport and only secondarily as a business. For such people (and I venture to say most hockey fans from around the world are like this), sabotaging the Olympics is inexcusable, regardless of business considerations.

 

[Faterson]

Buddy, you can say you "despise" nationalism, but everything you post except for that absolutely screams "I'm a hyper nationalist."

Yours is an outlandish understanding of "nationalism". Nationalism, I feel, is the belief that "my nation is better or more important than all other nations". I'd never believe any such silly thing. In fact, my opinion of my own nation is pretty low.

In contrast, a staple component of every US president's State of the Union speech is the repeated assertion that the US is "the greatest nation on Earth and in the history of humankind". That, of course, is inherently arrogant and offensive to all other nations on Earth, present or extinct. It's just that some folks/nations got so used to speaking bombastically about themselves, they no longer perceive their own arrogance.

That is the case with the NHL, because it's the world's only hockey league that chose to sabotage the Olympics.

You claim not to be a nationalist, yet you constantly slag off North Americans for the sin of being different from Europeans. Maybe you're not a nationalist. Just a Eurocentrist.

Nope, this has nothing to do with continents. It's about the US and Canada, as the only two nations on this planet (Mexico is innocent), who chose to sabotage the hockey tournament at these Olympic Games. If that's not overbearing and arrogant, what is?

 

[Juicy Pop]

You talk about hockey as if it was a business rather than a sport. Naturally – you're American (Canadian or US), and so, likely everything is "business" to you, to be assessed in terms of $$$ only.

Just realize that there are human beings on this planet who first of all aren't Americans (it might come as a surprise to some, but most people on this planet aren't Americans), and second of all don't view everything in life as a business, in terms of sales and "flagship products". Understand that some people, no matter how silly they may seem to you, still view hockey primarily as a sport and only secondarily as a business. For such people (and I venture to say most hockey fans from around the world are like this), sabotaging the Olympics is inexcusable, regardless of business considerations.

It has nothing to do with me being a stereotypical American, whatever the hell that is. Hockey is a sport, yet the NHL packages and sells it as an entertainment product.

If you're going to criticize decisions made by the NHL, then you need to approach it from the perspective of a business making decisions that are within their best financial interest. I don't love the fact that NHL players didn't get to participate this year, but I would have made the same call if it were my decision to make.

No rational individual would commit to a venture when their prospective studies keep telling them that the benefit is speculative. If you say that you would, then you're admittedly not a rational person or are simply dishonest.

You don't have to like the result, but you should be able to understand the logic behind the decision.

 

[vorky]

It has nothing to do with me being a stereotypical American, whatever the hell that is. Hockey is a sport, yet the NHL packages and sells it as an entertainment product.

If you're going to criticize decisions made by the NHL, then you need to approach it from the perspective of a business making decisions that are within their best financial interest. I don't love the fact that NHL players didn't get to participate this year, but I would have made the same call if it were my decision to make.

No rational individual would commit to a venture when their prospective studies keep telling them that the benefit is speculative. If you say that you would, then you're admittedly not a rational person or are simply dishonest.

You don't have to like the result, but you should be able to understand the logic behind the decision.

This post is related to this.

 

[Juicy Pop]

This post is related to this.

Okay? Any comment or are we just regurgitating something that is far besides the point?

The NHL is an entity that sells hockey, they are not the shepherd of the sport in general. If you expect them to be so, then you'll find yourself confused when they make decisions that are largely in their own interest.

It's not a difficult point to grasp.