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

[earl grey]

i dont really care.... it would still be a good tournament with non nhl players

 

[RandV]

Do you really think a player like Alex Ovechkin cares? He'll just retire, then go play for Russia anyway. I'm sure there are loopholes.

Yeah that's kind of the point I'm making. Ovechkin can just 'retire' and go play, but he'd also be walking away from a guaranteed $40 million dollars. Yes the players all want to go, but at the cost of millions of dollars?

They already turned down Bettman's offer to let them go the next two years if they would agree to extend the current CBA another 3 years, but they decided a fight to claw back escrow payments sooner was more important.

 

[JuniorNelson]

NHL doesn't have to be involved in some antique tournament that only occurs every four years. How much brand building does it accomplish. anyway? It's a waste of time.

 

[VanJack]

Not sure where the drama is in the Olympic hockey tournament any more.....Canada and the U.S. are starting to distance themselves from the pack.....Russia hasn't been the same since the breakup of the old Soviet Union, and Sweden and Finland really aren't very big countries, even though they do produce players with great individual skills....and can occasionally challenge for the gold....but that's really about it.

I think part of the issue is that nationalities just don't mean as much as they used to....NHL players come from all over the world, and kids often come to NA early to play junior in order to enhance their draft positions....we have hockey players with hybrid nationalities, who might have been born in one place, but basically raised somewhere else.

And there's just too many smaller nations, particularly from Eastern Europe, who have about as much chance of competing in the Olympics as the Jamaica Bobsled team....sorry, but the NHL should just let the Olympics go its own way.

 

[Ainec]

I care

also y'all should care as the Canucks are not making the playoffs anytime soon so why not have a team to cheer for

^ to that point, I wouldn't care if my team was the de facto cup favourite

 

[oceanchild]

I care, I enjoy the best on best

 

[Verviticus]

Consider me ignorant, but I've never really understood the original meaning of the Olympics. If it isn't a competition of the nations' very best competing against each other, it's just some arbitrary Canadians vs. some arbitrary Americans/Russians, what do the results really mean, and why do I care?

this is why i cant give a **** about the wjc. what the **** is nationalism if its not the best vs the best? yeah man our 97th percentile is better than your 95th percentile, eat **** ?????

ill be annoyed if they dont go because the nhl has proven it doesnt deserve the benefit of the doubt on any business decision. **** em

 

[Verviticus]

Team Canada was so dominant during the last Olympics that it wasn't entertaining. I found myself losing interest after the 1st period. The World Cup was nearly unwatchable for me. Millionaire professional athletes don't belong in the Olympics. It's a slap in the face of all the people who sacrifice everthing to complete in the Olympics.

maybe they shouldnt be required to sacrifice everything

 

[Pip]

If it's not best on best then I won't care. I don't want to see a Spengler cup lineup representing Canada at the Olympics and I'll never understand anyone wanting to see amateurs play instead of pro who are far better and far more entertaining.

If it wasn't for my interest in prospects I doubt I would care much about the World Juniors.

 

[LeftCoast]

Pretty much the only reason to watch the winter O's. I'll watch other sports on delay or PVR, but hockey (with NHLers) is the only sport I will get up at 4:00AM to watch live.

 

[Kryten]

I care a lot, best vs best. IOC should have to pay transportation and lodging for the players from any league. NHL should eat the cost of insurance during that time. Extend the current CBA

 

[Huggy]

the olympics doesnt let the penguins show the golden goal for copyright reasons.

i honestly dont give a **** about the olympics and their greedy coffers making western teams even more tired for the playoffs

 

[sting101]

I care.

I think it's sad when billionaires can't come to agreement on what's best for the fans, the Athletes and the Sport.

 

[MikeK]

I care. I truly enjoy the Olympic Turney.

 

[bbud]

the olympics doesnt let the penguins show the golden goal for copyright reasons.

i honestly dont give a **** about the olympics and their greedy coffers making western teams even more tired for the playoffs

The flip side is the GB led NHL would have another tournament based in their own rinks in a heartbeat its all about greed .

 

[earl grey]

i still dont care.

but you can get 10 nuggets for a 1.99 at burger king.

 

[jeromemorrow]

Don't think they're going....

What I'm more excited to see is how the league handles rogue NHLers as well as how Hockey Canada & other int'l organizations act when NHLers are begging to be picked when they're not supposed to be picked...

 

[FOurteenS inCisOr]

Don't care.

Best Olympics hockey I've ever seen was the last before the pros were involved—Kariya, Nedved, Hirsch, Forsberg—in 1994.

 

[hellstick]

What would be the repercussions if players went anyway? Would contracts be void?

 

[David Bruce Banner]

Don't care. Bring back the Canadian National Team

 

[KindaWild]

If the NHL doesn't go that's fine with me, i'll pay attention to who beats who at the Olympics i probably just wont watch the games. I have to admit, if they don't go it would be interesting to see a new medal team.

 

[me2]

Olympics.

It will get done. From what mi read the IOC were being a complete bunch of dicks refusing to insure the NHLers after doing it in the past so they could pocket a bunch more cash for themselves, they were pissing on the NHL to make a point. The NHL stared them down and is looking for a bit of payback. Luckily the IIHF has stepped in with some insurance money but Bettman is still going make the IOC twist in the wind a bit longer. He will also try to get the NHLPA to opt to use extention clause on the CBA from 2020 to 2022. 2022 being another Olympics year, seems like a good plan to me.

It seems in everyone's best interest to get this sorted.

* The IOC needs the NHL to stop the hockey bring a joke.,
* The players want to go, keep the players happy.
* The NHL doesn't need to IOC, but it doesn't want to deal with players walking out mid-season and going to the Olympics
* Olympics games would be a joke it only some NHLers walked out and went. Cheapen the win to the point of many not going.


It is in everyone's interests to get it sorted.

 

[me2]

The flip side is the GB led NHL would have another tournament based in their own rinks in a heartbeat its all about greed .

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.

 

[me2]

What would be the repercussions if players went anyway? Would contracts be void?

1. Suspended without pay until they got back. No team is going to tear up their stars contracts.

2. Get injured, no money for you until you get back to full health, or healthy enough your team feels like playing you. The players would have to insure themselves or have the IOC/IIHF do it for them.

One out for the NHL is they just let the players go and tell them they are on their own - travel, accommodation, insurance. Take care of it yourselves. If you get injured the NHL/teams reserve the right to terminate your contract if they don't believe you can fulfill it because of injuries sustained because of the Olympic games/travel/accommodation etc.

The NHL could play games through the Olympic period, cut back the number to 2 or 3 games a night and teams just live with a few missing players. Players at the games miss 2.5-3 weeks pay.

 

[FerrisRox]

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.