Final Ruling: NHL will NOT participate in Olympics - Part II

[NyQuil]

This is right also. The NHL pretty much said that the IOC should cover their costs, or compensate them with promotion and marketing.

Something the IOC doesn't do for any other sport?

 

[sandysan]

This could get ugly...won't be long before players follow suit. What punishments could come out of this?

the next cba guaranteed contracts are not so much guaranteed anymore ? because as much as a small minority of the PA really really really want to go to the olympics a much larger percentage of owners would really really really like to get out from under bad contracts.

 

[Riptide]

I dont know what you are even responding too. The poster called the WC slanted because the IIHF put it during the SC playoffs. In truth, it is just as much on the NHL where they put their season, and they CHOOSE not to align it with the WC, for any reasons.

Now, on a side note, if you knew Europe you would hardly call the Bundesliga, the Champions League and the Russian football league "second rate". It isnt like the hockey leagues only compete against their national football leagues, since football is not at all gate driven. You rather have to look at all of the European football as the NCAA, with each league as an individual college conference.

When one precedes the other, why is it their job to align with some newcomer?

 

[tarheelhockey]

I still think they'll overturn this decision

I'm fully expecting this as well.

The NHL can say "case closed! we'll NEVER change our minds!" and then turn around and reverse that decision tomorrow. Who's to stop them? It's not like their words become law, this is all PR talk until the 2018 schedule is drawn up.

They'll find some thing to squeeze the NHLPA for, and the PA will bend, and it'll be like this never happened.

 

[TheTwelfth]

It's not the NHL's fault that the Europeans wanna play here. If they aren't under contract I see no need for the nhl to play what are free agents and not slaves

So dont come with ******** that the NHL suddenly cared about not taking money from the grassroots of the IIHF. The IOC money would be taken from stipends going to young athletes as well.

 

[rfournier103]

This could get ugly...won't be long before players follow suit. What punishments could come out of this?

I hope this happens.

Good for him.

 

[BigT2002]

the next cba guaranteed contracts are not so much guaranteed anymore ? because as much as a small minority of the PA really really really want to go to the olympics a much larger percentage of owners would really really really like to get out from under bad contracts.

I could definitely see it. That and potential ramifications to the Team for allowing them to leave? For every player they allow to leave, they lose a draft pick or automatically move to the bottom in every round type crap.

 

[Riptide]

Both the IIHF and NHL chooses the timing of their championships (and also the regular season in the NHL's case) to maximize TV viewership and profits. That's the way sports works these days.

Shhh. Don't bring logic into this. It's all the NHL's fault.

 

[Saltcreek]

Of course not.

However, this is no ordinary business, and I freely admit that I'm not impartial in this. It's not MY business, and quite frankly, all I care about is my team winning the gold medal. As you can see by my avatar, my favorite team is the Boston Bruins - owned by Jeremy Jacobs. If you look at some of my posts, you'll see that not only do I not care what's best for him, I'm eagerly looking forward to the day he actually departs this earth. The sooner the better.

I care NOTHING about what's financially best for the NHL owners. They certainly don't know me or care about what's best for me, do they?

If that makes me a selfish ******* because my wanting the best American players playing in the Olympics hurts the owners of the NHL - then I'm a selfish *******. To me, the financial well-being of the NHL owners means less than nothing. They're billionaires. I have no sympathy. None.

They lose money on their teams then the team gets sold or the league folds. This is an extreme example but you have to care if they make money or not because if they do not then you can kiss hockey good bye.

 

[fiveonfive]

Gotcha, all crap it is for you. To each his own.



My point was that it is ridiculous to pull out the injury excuse, when a player, if not at the Olympics, could be injured at the WCOH (or in training, or in the NHL) as easily. Bottom line, a player suffering an injury is bad, irregardless of where it happened. Lastly, if the possibility of injury is a strong factor in not going to the Olympics, it should be as equally a strong factor against going to the WCOH. Double standards = not good.

It's not a double standard. Injuries during WCOH, NHL, or training is the cost of doing business - business that the NHL markets and monetizes, and business that grows the NHL brand.

The Olympics, which share 0 marketing or business benefit with the NHL but make millions for the IOC, serve no benefit to the NHL. It's a cost with no benefit.

Would you be willing to pay a cost for someone's business when you get no benefit? I doubt it.

 

[therealdeal]

Of course not.


If that makes me a selfish ******* because my wanting the best American players playing in the Olympics hurts the owners of the NHL - then I'm a selfish *******. To me, the financial well-being of the NHL owners means less than nothing. They're billionaires. I have no sympathy. None.

This is a totally fair position, and one that frankly I agree with.

However, a rational person would extend this same sentiment to the NHLPA and also the IOC, who are equally rich, and who also don't care about you.

You know, the only good guy in this whole thing has been the IIHF, they've been trying to make it happen, gotta give them props for that.

 

[Nino33]

Because one can't refuse an invitation to participate in something and then proceed to mock the competition. Participate or shut up.

I see European/Russian posters talk of how they don't follow the NHL ("not participating"), they only follow players from their home country...does that mean they should stop mocking the NHL? Does "participate or shut up" mean they should stop posting in the NHL Forum?

 

[BigT2002]

I'm fully expecting this as well.

The NHL can say "case closed! we'll NEVER change our minds!" and then turn around and reverse that decision tomorrow. Who's to stop them? It's not like their words become law, this is all PR talk until the 2018 schedule is drawn up.

They'll find some thing to squeeze the NHLPA for, and the PA will bend, and it'll be like this never happened.

So you'll be under the impression this was a method to get a pulse from the Teams, PA and the fans as to the backlash and then do a Risk v. Reward type thing?

 

[Oil Spill]

Players should refuse to do the World Cup of Hockey.

 

[The Macho King]

Do you write contracts and legal texts for a living?

I do. And isn't the NHLPA represented by Proskauer or Williams and Connolly or some ****? To think that they would agree to text of "every reasonable effort" without a strict definition of what that is is asinine.

 

[Riptide]

Hey, if Bettman wants to let the KHL win the pro hockey PR game outside of the States, I guess the Russians will love to capitalize on this. Let the KHL expand into the UK, Asia, and beyond...while the NHL is confined by its own borders and has little following outside of North America.

Small thinking by a small man. It suits him.

Aren't they contracting?

 

[Vipers31]

the next cba guaranteed contracts are not so much guaranteed anymore ? because as much as a small minority of the PA really really really want to go to the olympics a much larger percentage of owners would really really really like to get out from under bad contracts.

The players under those bad contracts will be smart enough to not give their clubs a reason to terminate them by just leaving midseason. With guys like Ovechkin or other reasonably good players, their teams won't be happy, they'll suspend them for the time they're away and in the event of an injury for that duration and let the players know that beforehand, but I don't think there's too much going to happen.

 

[Seanaconda]

So dont come with ******** that the NHL suddenly cared about not taking money from the grassroots of the IIHF. The IOC money would be taken from stipends going to young athletes as well.

The IOC is awful do they pay for anyone's training? All I can see is them making countries take on debt to make profit

 

[President XD]

This will pretty much become the Spengler Cup, talent wise. I don't blame the league for not wanting to go. Way too much to lose and pretty much nothing to gain. Also, wonder what would happen to the players who defy the decision and end up going. Say for example, Voracek decides to go while the league and the owner tell him not to. Could the team get out of their contract with Voracek for breach of contract? This could be an opportunity for teams to get out of bad contracts by simply terminating the contract, no?

 

[sandysan]

I could definitely see it. That and potential ramifications to the Team for allowing them to leave? For every player they allow to leave, they lose a draft pick or automatically move to the bottom in every round type crap.

the former hurts the PA,the latter hurts the teams. If equal numbers of players went from all teams it could, could be a wash. but if the owners put guaranteed contracts on the table it stabs the PA in the freaking heart. Every single member ( with the exception of the superstars perhaps) gets it but good.

And if the players said this was a hill they are willing to die on, the owners can say " you precipitated this when you said you didnt feel obligated to your own contractual obligations so now neither are we"

Can you imagine a NHL that functioned like the NFL where players are dumped mid season and all they get is their signing bonuses ? That if a guy signs a big deal and sucks out loud that you can dump him and use his cap to get another disposable player ?

 

[Nino33]

2016 - WHC - TSN set a record with 4.6 million unique viewers.

2017 - WJHC - TSN sets record with 11 million unique viewers.

Amazing how attached Canada is to that tournament.

Watching something (frequently briefly) "because it's on" over the holiday season does not in any way mean there's "attachment" IMO

If it wasn't on, would there be significant complaints? I seriously doubt it (people would just do something else)

A family gathering with 10-20 people and 1-2 watching gets credit for the 10-20 "unique viewers" - I recall the WJC being on in the background (without volume) this past Christmas at a family gathering, but no one was actually/actively watching

 

[Seanaconda]

The players under those bad contracts will be smart enough to not give their clubs a reason to terminate them by just leaving midseason. With guys like Ovechkin or other reasonably good players, their teams won't be happy, they'll suspend them for the time they're away and in the event of an injury for that duration and let the players know that beforehand, but I don't think there's too much going to happen.

Nah caps are completely fine with Ovie going. They will make the playoffs anyways they wanna keep their star happy. The only owner that would cause a problem would be melnyk sending stone and not karlsson because he's dumb

 

[Syckle78]

I'm fully expecting this as well.

The NHL can say "case closed! we'll NEVER change our minds!" and then turn around and reverse that decision tomorrow. Who's to stop them? It's not like their words become law, this is all PR talk until the 2018 schedule is drawn up.

They'll find some thing to squeeze the NHLPA for, and the PA will bend, and it'll be like this never happened.

When are the schedules made? I remember it taking a crazy amount of time from the whole realignment saga. I don't think there's much time between now and then.

 

[radapex]

It's impossible to place exact numbers on what the NHL gains and what it loses. So this has to be conclusion based on theory. The theory is clear.

During an Olympics year, the NHL still plays 82 games of revenue. It still has the playoffs and the Cup. NHL fans and players aren't quitting the game in droves because they have to take a short vacation from the game. On the contrary, many are now watching hockey even more fascinating that will drive up their demand for the NHL product. International playing talent and consuming fan demand is captivated by the Olympics, developed in their home countries, and exported to the NHL. That short break in the NHL gives most players an extended rest for the stretch run too, helping the quality of play when it matters most. The ONLY significant risk for the NHL is a career-altering injury to a star player. When has that last happened? But even that is small in the grand scheme of things. It will be much worse if that talent never takes up hockey because of the dilution of the Olympics.

Since the potential negative effects of the Olympics are more often isolated to individual teams, it's the NHL's job to say to the owners that they have no choice. The players are going. Problem solved. International hockey, and the NHL, is better for it.

In the 2014 Olympics, there were 4 NHL players that suffered season-ending injuries and several others (4-6 I think?) that missed time after the Olympics but returned before the season ended.

Now you might think "wow, so what... 8-10 players" but you have to remember that we're talking about 8-10 impact players. These are stars we're talking about. The kind of players that losing to an injury at the Olympics could make or break their season.

 

[TheTwelfth]

The IOC is awful do they pay for anyone's training? All I can see is them making countries take on debt to make profit

90% of their revenue goes to the NOC which funds athlete scholarships.

Sure the IOC are awful. I think the way the Flames are trying to extort a new stadium from the City of Calgary is awful too.