Changes coming for 2010, but not from NHL

[WalterSobchak]

http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/news_story/?ID=156076&hubname=nhl

We're already in discussions about things that we might be able to do to make Vancouver (in 2010) a little easier for everybody...But having said that, one of the things that's not on the table is for us to take a longer break. This is as long a break that we're prepared to take (15 days). And if accommodations have to be made, they'll have to be made in how the tournament is scheduled."

-Gary Bettman

The top six countries in hockey only had to play three round-robin games in Salt Lake City, a more preferable format from the NHL's point of view although it excluded Slovakia, which was unfair. The Slovaks, now ranked fourth in the world, didn't have access to most of their NHLers in the round before the main round-robin and didn't qualify.

The IIHF and IOC won't say so publicly but they would rather see the NHL lighten its schedule in an Olympic year instead. That would cost NHL owners and players money, given that their new CBA relies on both sides sharing from the same pie, so that's not a popular idea. Dropping games in the Olympics costs the IOC and IIHF money, so that's not a big seller either. Hence the current stalemate.

so, because Canada and the US did so poorly this time around, should they not have access to NHLers for the round robin games? Imagine how well that would go over...I thought it was BS when it occured to the Slovaks in SLC.

Click to read more...

 

[Jazz]

One suggestion might be to shorten the NHL season by about 2-4 games, and have the NHL/NHLPA share in the revenue that IOC/IIHF gets from the Olympics.

Don't kid yourselves, the main reason the NHL and NHLPA support the World Cup is because it controlls all the revenue from it. Placate them with a share in the Olympic revenue, and talk of the World Cup (and removing NHL particiption from the Olympics) will die down.

 

[GKJ]

They already take off 2 1/2 weeks, what's 2 more days, and just start the season on October 1.


The IOC has to give better coverage than they did this year. Why knockout games had to overlap -- that's absurd.


The IOC also has to allow 12 or 14 teams to compete. Look what happened with Slovakia and the Swiss (even though they lost the first knockout game) now that they finally got to get in and play with the big boys. The IOC is going to call the shots here, they frankly don't need the NHL, and since the NHL is committed, they can do whatever they damn well please. In 2002 remember, Gary Bettman looked like the idiot for not giving enough time.

 

[Jazz]

They already take off 2 1/2 weeks, what's 2 more days, and just start the season on October 1.


The IOC has to give better coverage than they did this year. Why knockout games had to overlap -- that's absurd.


The IOC also has to allow 12 or 14 teams to compete. Look what happened with Slovakia and the Swiss (even though they lost the first knockout game) now that they finally got to get in and play with the big boys. The IOC is going to call the shots here, they frankly don't need the NHL, and since the NHL is committed, they can do whatever they damn well please. In 2002 remember, Gary Bettman looked like the idiot for not giving enough time.

Don't simply blame the NHL, the IIHF was just as easily to blame for the Slovak debacle. Slovak GM Peter Statsny went to the IIHF asking to allow Slovakia to use more than the 23 players allowed, so they could use 3 lines, plus whatever NHLers were available on a particular night, and the IIHF response was "Nope!"

 

[SammyTheBull]

One suggestion might be to shorten the NHL season by about 2-4 games, and have the NHL/NHLPA share in the revenue that IOC/IIHF gets from the Olympics.

Don't kid yourselves, the main reason the NHL and NHLPA support the World Cup is because it controlls all the revenue from it. Placate them with a share in the Olympic revenue, and talk of the World Cup (and removing NHL particiption from the Olympics) will die down.

No thanks. I will take my four Senator and Habs games over the Olympics.