Olympics: If the NHL players don't go in 2018, what happens to players in the KHL and etc?

[LeafsNation75]

Let's say the NHL decides to not send their players to the Olympics in 2018, will the IIHF not allow players from the KHL and other European leagues who sent their players in previous Olympics? If Canada and the United States are forced to send Junior players, how is it fair that Russia and other countries could have professionals on their national teams?

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[OttawaRoughRiderFan*]

I am sure they will go but no one will care.

 

[Reindl87]

Of course they will go.
It's not the problem of the Wolrd if NHl is *****ing around.
I am pretty sure NHlers will go, too, though.
After all if all NHl players announce that they won't play an NHl game during the olympic games, what is the NHl going to do? Sue all their pplayers, hardly.

 

[jekoh]

Let's say the NHL decides to not send their players to the Olympics in 2018, will the IIHF not allow players from the KHL and other European leagues who sent their players in previous Olympics?

Of course, why in the world would they not allow them?

If Canada and the United States are forced to send Junior players, how is it fair that Russia and other countries could have professionals on their national teams?

Canada and the USA would not be forced to send junior players, they have enough pros in the KHL/NLA/etc to ice a team.

 

[ToewsGretzky*]

Let's say the NHL decides to not send their players to the Olympics in 2018, will the IIHF not allow players from the KHL and other European leagues who sent their players in previous Olympics? If Canada and the United States are forced to send Junior players, how is it fair that Russia and other countries could have professionals on their national teams?

You just summed it up, it won't be fair, its pretty much the same thing that happened for so long. Why do you think the Soviets "dominated" international hockey? because the only country that was actually capable of putting up a fight against them (Canada) had all their best players at home. This is why I laugh at people who say that the Soviets dominated the sport for a long time, they didn't!

Lets be realistic, Canada and the US have zero elite level players playing outside the NHL, Russia, Sweden, Finland etc do have some of their great players playing in Europe, so it will be a flawed tournament, it would be a huge step back for olympic hockey.

 

[LeafsNation75]

You just summed it up, it won't be fair, its pretty much the same thing that happened for so long. Why do you think the Soviets "dominated" international hockey? because the only country that was actually capable of putting up a fight against them (Canada) had all their best players at home. This is why I laugh at people who say that the Soviets dominated the sport for a long time, they didn't!

Lets be realistic, Canada and the US have zero elite level players playing outside the NHL, Russia, Sweden, Finland etc do have some of their great players playing in Europe, so it will be a flawed tournament, it would be a huge step back for olympic hockey.

So if Russia wins the Gold in 2018 with a roster full of KHL players, it would almost be like watching their recent Gold Medals won at the World Hockey Championships in 2008, 2009, and 2011. Those teams never won a best on best tournament, so I think the same logic could apply in 2018.

 

[FiLe]

The IIHF and the IOC extend their courtesy for players in any and all professional league to participate. However, they can't help it if there is a league that decides to turn down said invitation.

If it was the IIHF that would say "nope, the NHLers are not allowed anymore", then it would be unfair. However, if it's the NHL that decides to turn the chance down, all onus on neutering the tournament is on them.

One can't really get past the obnoxiousness here, given some fingers are pointed at the IIHF regardless. As if they should raze the whole playground if the high-and-mighty NHL does not wish to play on the same sandbox.

 

[ToewsGretzky*]

So if Russia wins the Gold in 2018 with a roster full of KHL players, it would almost be like watching their recent Gold Medals won at the World Hockey Championships in 2008, 2009, and 2011. Those teams never won a best on best tournament, so I think the same logic could apply in 2018.

Exactly, and really in my opinion that's the only way Russia's embarrassing olympic gold drought is going to come to an end, once again the moment Canada stops sending their best players you watch Russia finally start winning the olympics again, history says that they will and history says the Russians will then start gloating over their olympic golds. Its just like the Soviets in the past, they only won numerous olympic golds because everybody else was amateurs and they were pros. It will taint the entire tournament and it will be a monumental step back for the Olympics if the worlds best players (NHL) pulls out.

 

[WarriorofTime]

An Olympic Gold Medal is still a great achievement.

The amount of Russian hatred on this board is absurd. I don't see people calling the Stanley Cup pre-1990 irrelevant because it wasn't BEST ON BEST (all of the world's best players weren't in the NHL until after the collapse of iron curtain, WHA factor for a while as well).

 

[An Argument For]

An Olympic Gold Medal is still a great achievement.

The amount of Russian hatred on this board is absurd. I don't see people calling the Stanley Cup pre-1990 irrelevant because it wasn't BEST ON BEST (all of the world's best players weren't in the NHL until after the collapse of iron curtain, WHA factor for a while as well).

Absurdly stupid analogy. Stanley Cup competition is not based on best on best format. It is a club competition where clubs belonging to specific organization, the NHL, compete to see who is the best among them. The prestige of the NHL is based on it being the league with the highest level of talent in the world, so unless you're willing to argue that there were other leagues that had an equal or higher caliber team then there is no discussion to be had, regardless if soviet players were involved or not.

OP if the NHL doesn't go the KHL will allow it's players to go and Russia will hope to win and claim to be the best if they do... they have no problem taking credit for winning something stacked 200% in their favor.

 

[nanzenkills]

Let's say the NHL decides to not send their players to the Olympics in 2018, will the IIHF not allow players from the KHL and other European leagues who sent their players in previous Olympics? If Canada and the United States are forced to send Junior players, how is it fair that Russia and other countries could have professionals on their national teams?

Before the NHL started sending players to the Olympics, all of the top European leagues were already sending their players there. I wouldn't expect that to change if the NHL withdraws.

The first Olympics that I watched hockey in, Albertville 1992, there were actually ex-NHLers who had moved on to the European leagues participating. Mats Naslund was one, I can't remember any others specifically off the top of my head, but I'm pretty sure there were more. I remember that some of the older guys on Team USA, like Moe Mantha, had been in the NHL before as well, though Mantha was a pretty fringe player in the NHL.

 

[Hubie]

I wonder why people are criticizing Russia for something that the NHL might do. What are they supposed to do? Refuse to participate? And how exactly is the situation different for Sweden, Finland, Czechs etc? Of course everybody is going to send the best team they can possibly put together, whatever the circumstances.

 

[WarriorofTime]

I wonder why people are criticizing Russia for something that the NHL might do. What are they supposed to do? Refuse to participate? And how exactly is the situation different for Sweden, Finland, Czechs etc? Of course everybody is going to send the best team they can possibly put together, whatever the circumstances.

Because the NHL not choosing to participate is obviously Russia's fault... somehow. Freaking Putin man.

 

[An Argument For]

I wonder why people are criticizing Russia for something that the NHL might do. What are they supposed to do? Refuse to participate? And how exactly is the situation different for Sweden, Finland, Czechs etc? Of course everybody is going to send the best team they can possibly put together, whatever the circumstances.

Russia can send whoever they want..

Let's just not pretend that it proves anything.. like the "Soviet Era"

 

[JackSlater]

An Olympic Gold Medal is still a great achievement.

If the vast majority of the best players do not attend, it is meaningless. From the 1960s-1980s it was at least meaningful for Europeans since most countries had access to their best players (USA obviously threw a big wrench in that in one famous moment...) but 1992 and 1994 could not be more irrelevant. There isn't any intrinsic value to the Olympic hockey tournament. It's only value is derived from the players involved.

 

[Sonny Lamateena]

The significance of a tournament is based on player availability. If NHL players stop participating in the Olympics, the World Championships become the most relevant hockey tournament unless the World Cup returns.

 

[Theokritos]

unless you're willing to argue that there were other leagues that had an equal or higher caliber team then there is no discussion to be had

For the record, the best Soviet club teams wouldn't have looked out of place in the NHL in the 1980s. But overall the NHL was certainly the league with the highest level of talent in the world.

Let's just not pretend that it proves anything

To be fair, no one has done that so far. It doesn't make sense to critizise in advance of the offense. But I guess that's what the constant feuding around here does to people.

 

[Dave is a killer]

Of course they will go.
It's not the problem of the Wolrd if NHl is *****ing around.
I am pretty sure NHlers will go, too, though.
After all if all NHl players announce that they won't play an NHl game during the olympic games, what is the NHl going to do? Sue all their pplayers, hardly.

I'd love to see a contract voided if a player is injured at the Olympics, but that's just my spite talking, due to my disdain for the iihf & ioc ... I'd love it if the wjc was held in its place

 

[LeafOfBread]

Absurdly stupid analogy. Stanley Cup competition is not based on best on best format. It is a club competition where clubs belonging to specific organization, the NHL, compete to see who is the best among them. The prestige of the NHL is based on it being the league with the highest level of talent in the world, so unless you're willing to argue that there were other leagues that had an equal or higher caliber team then there is no discussion to be had, regardless if soviet players were involved or not.

Couldn't have said it better myself, horrible analogy.

 

[Hubie]

Russia can send whoever they want..

Let's just not pretend that it proves anything.. like the "Soviet Era"

Well winning any tournament doesn't really "prove" anything other than that that particular team was the best of the teams in that tournament.

The fact that Canada won the olympic gold doesn't mean that Canada is the #1 hockey nation in the world. Now, it just happens to be the case that they in fact are in most people's opinion, but the proof of that lies in making a survey of the number and quality of players at all levels, junior programs and leagues, not in the results of a 7 game tournament which they could easily have lost with a bit of bad luck. They were the biggest hockey country in 2006 too no matter what happened in the olympics.

 

[WarriorofTime]

Absurdly stupid analogy. Stanley Cup competition is not based on best on best format. It is a club competition where clubs belonging to specific organization, the NHL, compete to see who is the best among them. The prestige of the NHL is based on it being the league with the highest level of talent in the world, so unless you're willing to argue that there were other leagues that had an equal or higher caliber team then there is no discussion to be had, regardless if soviet players were involved or not.

OP if the NHL doesn't go the KHL will allow it's players to go and Russia will hope to win and claim to be the best if they do... they have no problem taking credit for winning something stacked 200% in their favor.

Right and it's meaningless according to your logic because not best on best = who cares? Montreal could take credit for winning something stacked 200 % in their favor all they want....

 

[Xokkeu]

Let's say the NHL decides to not send their players to the Olympics in 2018, will the IIHF not allow players from the KHL and other European leagues who sent their players in previous Olympics? If Canada and the United States are forced to send Junior players, how is it fair that Russia and other countries could have professionals on their national teams?

Why on earth would the IIHF bar European players? That makes no sense.

 

[ToewsGretzky*]

I wonder why people are criticizing Russia for something that the NHL might do. What are they supposed to do? Refuse to participate? And how exactly is the situation different for Sweden, Finland, Czechs etc? Of course everybody is going to send the best team they can possibly put together, whatever the circumstances.

Nobody is criticizing Russia, just stating what the repercussions of the NHL pulling out of the olympics would be, if the NHL pulls out the Olympics become a big giant sham, kinda like the IIHF world championship. As of right now the Olympics are the ONLY best on best hockey tournament in the world. I bet European hockey fans are giddy at the prospect of Canada's best not being there again.

 

[ToewsGretzky*]

Well winning any tournament doesn't really "prove" anything other than that that particular team was the best of the teams in that tournament.

The fact that Canada won the olympic gold doesn't mean that Canada is the #1 hockey nation in the world. Now, it just happens to be the case that they in fact are in most people's opinion, but the proof of that lies in making a survey of the number and quality of players at all levels, junior programs and leagues, not in the results of a 7 game tournament which they could easily have lost with a bit of bad luck. They were the biggest hockey country in 2006 too no matter what happened in the olympics.

If winning 3 of the past 4 best on best hockey tournaments doesn't prove that Canada is the #1 hockey nation, I'm curious as to what you think determines that? LOL

 

[ForumNamePending]

Let's say the NHL decides to not send their players to the Olympics in 2018,...

What will likely happen is as follows...

1) Outside of NHL owners most people will likely be disappointed NHL'ers aren't participating.
2) The countries that do qualify will likely send their best possible teams (sans NHL'ers).
3) The gold medal game will likely be the most globally watched hockey game of the year.
4) The players on the winning team will likely be excited and think having a gold medal is pretty cool.
5) The winning team will likely be, at least in the context of sports, a pretty big news story back home.
6) Posters on HFBoards will likely feel the need to 'inform' others on what they should and shouldn't value or care about in the relatively small world of hockey