Bettman: NHL wants to make another world cup, players Association seems to have no interest

[Perfect_Drug]

I refuse to make Bettman the villain in this.


Lack of participation in the olympics were on the players. NHL got absolutely nothing out of it. No growth in game, no surge in popularity.

Absolutely nothing.

Several teams got their star players injured. And the players and IOC both refused to pay for salary insurance.



Sorry this issue is on the players. Im happy with World Cup.

 

[ijuka]

I have a feeling it's because they would like to play in the Olympics instead.

 

[ijuka]

I refuse to make Bettman the villain in this.


Lack of participation in the olympics were on the players. NHL got absolutely nothing out of it. No growth in game, no surge in popularity.

Absolutely nothing.

Several teams got their star players injured. And the players and IOC both refused to pay for salary insurance.



Sorry this issue is on the players. Im happy with World Cup.

Being able to play in the Olympics should be a basic human right of any Athlete, regardless of whether it profits their employers or not.

 

[93LEAFS]

Being able to play in the Olympics should be a basic human right of any Athlete, regardless of whether it profits their employers or not.

This is ridiculous. Who has to pay to insure these contracts. If they want to participate in the Olympics then they should stay amateurs.

 

[Perfect_Drug]

Being able to play in the Olympics should be a basic human right of any Athlete, regardless of whether it profits their employers or not.

LMFAO human right.

You serious?


The Olympics are a competing business.

They're a for-profit business that generates billions in revenue, and they get athletes to perform for free.


Why the hell would NHL owners allow their players compete for a rival business while potentially getting injured, while disrupting their season?

 

[Senor Catface]

I think they don't want to be seen with that trophy.

 

[The Flying Octopus]

I'd rather watch the SC champion play the KHL champion in a best of whatever series.

 

[pigpen65]

The fans have no interest either you dolt

 

[bert]

I refuse to make Bettman the villain in this.


Lack of participation in the olympics were on the players. NHL got absolutely nothing out of it. No growth in game, no surge in popularity.

Absolutely nothing.

Several teams got their star players injured. And the players and IOC both refused to pay for salary insurance.



Sorry this issue is on the players. Im happy with World Cup.

I would potentially accept a world cup but not if they do it like the last one. The moment they started combining countries it was a glorified all star game and realistically no one really cared that was watching or playing in it.

They need to allow players that dont play in the NHL play in this tournament first of all and they need to take the best 8 teams.

 

[ijuka]

LMFAO human right.

You serious?


The Olympics are a competing business.

They're a for-profit business that generates billions in revenue, and they get athletes to perform for free.


Why the hell would NHL owners allow their players compete for a rival business while potentially getting injured, while disrupting their season?

Funny that's not something preventing football players from participating despite the players being some 100 times more valuable than NHL players.

But what can you expect out of a community that considers Stanley Cup more prestigeous than Olympic gold?

 

[JackSlater]

It's a statement for the purposes of negotiation, not much to see here.

I'm not convinced the majority of the PA cares about the Olympics (otherwise they'd have never missed the last one if the majority actually cared); I don't think they care about the World Cup either

The players care about money/the CBA though (just like the owners) and aren't going to give the World Cup "for free" anymore than the owners were going to give the Olympics "for free" - that's all this means IMO

The PA choose the ability to opt out of the current agreement over Olympic participation (by their actions the players have already shown they care about money/power, not international play)

Such a foolish argument that you've brought out repeatedly. All indications are that the players in general wanted to go. The only change this past year was in the stance of the owners. In fairness, the IOC likely played a role in this.

I refuse to make Bettman the villain in this.


Lack of participation in the olympics were on the players. NHL got absolutely nothing out of it. No growth in game, no surge in popularity.

Absolutely nothing.

Several teams got their star players injured. And the players and IOC both refused to pay for salary insurance.



Sorry this issue is on the players. Im happy with World Cup.

It makes literally no sense to put it on the players. It's quite ridiculous. The 2014 and 2018 Olympics took place in the same CBA. Nothing about the players' stance changed from 2014 to 2018. Only the owners' stance changed. It's on the owners, with a nod to the IOC as well.

 

[BruinsBtn]

If the NHL had never abandoned the World Cup 20 years ago, it would be as big as the Olympic hockey tournament now. Going to Nagano was Bettman's worst decision.

The upshot is that if they commit to the World Cup for 20 years it will grow and grow.

 

[cutchemist42]

Cause they know it flopped bad the last time?

 

[Anomie2029]

I won't blame Bettman. He is in a position where he needs to represent the team owners.

The owners don't want players going to the Olympics without any kind of protection or income, and they want a NHL run World Cup because they get the income generated.

Bettman plays the villain but he is really the spokesperson.

 

[93LEAFS]

Funny that's not something preventing football players from participating despite the players being some 100 times more valuable than NHL players.

But what can you expect out of a community that considers Stanley Cup more prestigeous than Olympic gold?

Yeah, we should just aspire to be like an organization that is so corrupt they awarded the World Cup to a country that is using essentially slave labor with the workforce dying at an astonishing rate to build stadiums that will basically be used once.

 

[DudeWhereIsMakar]

Only if they keep it in Canada for the next fifteen years.

 

[JETZZZ]

I refuse to make Bettman the villain in this.


Lack of participation in the olympics were on the players. NHL got absolutely nothing out of it. No growth in game, no surge in popularity.

Absolutely nothing.

Several teams got their star players injured. And the players and IOC both refused to pay for salary insurance.



Sorry this issue is on the players. Im happy with World Cup.

The injury argument is kinda silly when the owners want the players to play in a World Cup in 2020. Its not like the risk if injury is lower there. If I remember correctly, the IIHF offered to cover the cost for the NHL to go in 2018. The NHL refused anyways. I dont think the players were offered the chance to go if they were to cover their own costs either.

 

[Seanaconda]

Funny that's not something preventing football players from participating despite the players being some 100 times more valuable than NHL players.

But what can you expect out of a community that considers Stanley Cup more prestigeous than Olympic gold?

Hmmm soccer at the Olympics is basically a u 23 event with three overagers per team and most of the stars don't go if it conflicts with their clubs schedule soo

If you're talking about the world cup sure they all go to that but the Olympics nah

 

[HaNotsri]

Pretty annoyed Sweden took part in the last tournament. No one really cared about it, would be funny to send some players from hockeyallsvenskan next time and demand ridiculous insurance policies.

 

[93LEAFS]

The injury argument is kinda silly when the owners want the players to play in a World Cup in 2020. Its not like the risk if injury is lower there. If I remember correctly, the IIHF offered to cover the cost for the NHL to go in 2018. The NHL refused anyways. I dont think the players were offered the chance to go if they were to cover their own costs either.

They are contracted, employees. Why should the owners risk them getting injured mid-season if they are unlikely to see any profit from it? Olympic Hockey has never created continued ratings or growth. At least with the World Cup, there is a profit incentive.

 

[Jimmy Firecracker]

Yeah no kidding the players have no interest. The whole tournament is just a cheap imitation of a best on best Olympics games.

I can't believe broadcasters like NBC would be happy if the NHL tries to keep the players away from the Olympics again.

 

[Sempiternal]

Should've just went to the Olympics

 

[Rich Nixon]

The injury argument is kinda silly when the owners want the players to play in a World Cup in 2020. Its not like the risk if injury is lower there. If I remember correctly, the IIHF offered to cover the cost for the NHL to go in 2018. The NHL refused anyways. I dont think the players were offered the chance to go if they were to cover their own costs either.

It's not the injuries themselves, it's the salary insurance. If the NHL is hosting an international tournament of its own, it covers that in house, and it makes money off the hockey. Better for them than another organization reaping the profits and providing no compensation.

Personally, I don't care about any international championship involving professionals. The NHL is the greatest hockey league on earth and the Stanley Cup is the peak of hockey. I don't want to see NHL players in the Olympics and I don't like having a gap without NHL hockey during a hockey season and I don't like the slop hockey that results in the week or two after that break. So personally, I don't care. The WJC is cool, just play that 2 months later every 4th year and boom, it's the Olympics.

 

[Muston Atthews]

The World Cup was fun to watch. Olympics are a million times better

 

[Voight]

For one they can (and I wouldn't be surprised if they do) opt out of the CBA next September, meaning it would expire before the 2020-2021 regular season so I doubt they want to commit right now.

I would only care to watch the next one if they include international teams not gimmick teams like the U23 squad and European team.... include the Big 6 and have a small tournament or even pick names out of a hat for the last 2.