QOTD: Do you care if the NHL does not participate in the Olympics 2018?

[Cogburn]

I've enjoyed NHL players at the Olympics. I think the players do as well. I'd think a number of fans would say they enjoy it. Down time versus the odds of injury or exhaustion would disagree or agree on a team by team basis, I'd imagine mostly negative. The league is staunchly "apathetic" it seems, but let's read between the lines here, they hate the idea.

For NHL players at the Olympics:
-It is the best and brightest of the world
-National unity (as Canadian fans trumps individual teams when we're on a national spotlight)
-I need a reason to be excited for a lot of the olympic events, and I don't want to have to do that with hockey
-Bettman is against it

Against it:
-The potential for younger or undrafted or unaffiliated players to make a name for themselves
-Injuries
-A two week break

The only reason the league is against it is because they haven't found a way to get a slice of it. Every other argument could apply to the All Star game, which is an even bigger waste of time and effort and still puts a hole in the schedule anyway. But what do I know?

 

[The Drop]

Not really. It's in Asia and the time difference kills any excitement

 

[me2]

I would prefer they didn't.

I found Olympic hockey more interesting when Team Canada was actually made out of amateurs and there was a National Team program in the country.

I also hate the NHL shutting down in midseason.

It doesn't have to shut down. They could schedule roughly 4 games per team over that period, 62 games over 17 days or so, 3.5 games per day. The NHL could just power straight through it. 4 games per team won't break a season, suck up missing a few players.

 

[WinterEmpire]

I would be highly disappointed in the NHL not going to the Olympics. At this point the NHL should no longer be concerned that the Olympics doesn't draw many new fans to the sport but rather that not going to the Olympics would kill interest in the sport existing fans have.

The Genie is out of the bottle and for most people Olympic hockey is best version of the game the sport has to offer, if you take that away I think you'll see a rise in disinterest for many. Not enough to make some say, quit watching or following altogether, but perhaps going to a few less games here or there, buying less merch etc.. The group effect would be huge.

Its really quite evident that Olympic hockey stimulates interest in the already passionate hockey fans, but what happens to that passion when you take away the source?

 

[garbageteam]

Other than a competitive Canucks team or international competitions I have zero interest in the NHL or its products, especially non-playoff non-Canucks teams. I have no interest in following all these American state teams. If I wanted to watch US-centric sports teams play I'd try a different sport like the NBA or the NFL.

NHL getting too greedy to go? Can't afford two weeks twice a decade? No sympathy or interest from me. I'd rather watch almost anything than another NHL team that isn't from Vancouver or Ottawa when it's not playoff season in the middle of February. Hell I'd rather watch figure skating prelims than another lame Nashville vs San Jose game.

I sort of "get" teams that are actually pretty competitive (The Canucks won't be next year, so really, I'm pretty biased - shut the two useless weeks down) - but if two weeks of true best-on-best hockey taking over regular season, generally meaningless hockey that runs almost all the time really bothers you and you don't profit directly from NHL revenues you must have just started watching the sport.

 

[mossey3535]

I forget who said it but who wants to go up against the Olympics? Doesn't matter if you're still playing your regular season, nobody will watch in the US if NBC keeps tape delaying things.

 

[bbud]

So would the NHLPA. They sucked real hard at that teat too, with a share of the revenue, which is why they were all in too.

The players do get some exposure maybe added endorsements being in the olympics id imagine but true the HHLPA also benefit for the world cup..