NHL is damaging its reputation with useless ASG and missing Olympics

[NextYear67]

Olympics hockey is better without NHL players anyway.

Huhhh

 

[WojtekWolski86]

With all the injuries and no shows they really need a John Scott type feel-good story. Have some of the Women Stars play!

 

[KillerMillerTime]

Yeah the Olympics is way more entertaining than the ASG but the IOC is a slimy organization and I don't blame the owners for not sending their "investments" over there to play for free and risk injury. I mean the NHL cant even show Olympic highlights afterwards. They gain nothing from that tournament and have a lot to lose.

NHL should do their version of a best on best during a 10
day period in January every other year.

Canada, Russia, US, Sweden, Finland & Czech Rep.

Strictly RR, no PO. Get tie breakers set and play. Maybe
get rid of trapazoid for goalies so D men risk of injury
is lessened. No OT's.

 

[Neuf]

Hockey needs a best on best, but the Olympics is not the right medium anymore. IOC is awful, IIHF, NHL, NHLPA are all to blame, too, but the Olympics is the worst

 

[I Hate Philadelphia]

The ASG itself is incredibly boring.

The skills competitions are tired and also boring.

4 nights with 0 games in January every year is terrible.

Players hate the event and will do anything possible to skip it.

They need to scrap this thing altogether.

 

[swimmer77]

Frankly, I enjoyed Olympic hockey more without NHL All Stars.

ASG needs to stay. It's for the same group of fans that don't mind being slapped around by a mascot like Gritty.

 

[EurlichBachman]

The ASG is for kids. I remember watching it as a kid and being excited over it. I really don't think the ASG is what is standing in the way of the players taking part in a once every 4 year tournament.

Let the kids have their fun. It's like 5 days.

 

[BlueBaron]

Ruining their reputation? That's poorly worded. Not making the most of their Brand? Absolutely.

I also like the All Star break because other than the awards it's the only time we see our heroes interacting socially in a fun, light hearted setting. Clearly it needs work but it's not quite disastrous yet.

I think I speak for most fans when I say I want the Olympics and their dream teams and have no love for the World Cup or whatever it's called.

 

[Slats432]

Then go complain to the IOC and NHLPA about it

IOC refusal to work with NHL on issues involved with NHL participation and NHLPA rejected Olympic involvement when it was on negotiation table

The reputations of both those organizations is far more damaged by NHL not playing in Olympics

Also when it comes to ASG all the leagues have it and the fact this generation of athlete is so entitled and doesn't want to be involved is not fault of NHL or other leagues

Players enjoyed being part of Allstar experience and honor of being named in previous generations

This.

 

[NYSPORTS]

All all-star games have become a joke.

Hey, Pro-Bowl is this weekend

 

[BLNY]

I'd first argue what reputation?

From there, the ASG is a marginal corporate schmooze fest. I say marginal because the league doesn't have that strong a corporate sponsor footprint, and all the ASG weekends to date haven't done anything to remedy that. Does it look bad that players balk or come up with fishy injuries to miss it? Sure, but it's only bothering the small group of people that actually pay attention. Outside of that, the only ASG that seems to carry any real weight with the public is MLB's. Second is probably the NBA, but it's a big gap. The NFL's pro bowl week is right now it's barely a blip.

I've long been a proponent of moving the U20 WJC to the Olympics during Olympic years. It's historically a much better tournament with more drama. I get that the NHL wants a bigger piece of the pie, but they're either in or their out. People watch the Olympics in droves, and suddenly become fans of whatever sports athletes from their country are competing in. A U20 based Olympic tournament will get as many viewers in countries where hockey is popular, and I doubt it dips that much in countries where it isn't. As for ticket sales, they'll get butts in seats whether it's actual fans or corporate sales.

 

[MikeyMike01]

The All Star game and the Olympics are both lame. The players don’t treat the All Star game seriously. The Olympics are an ultra-boring contest of professional athletes.

No concern from me, about either one, either way.

 

[TheGoldenGod]

lol damn dude...obviously it's not the best hockey and the skill events can be a bit corny but it seems like most people are just looking for something to ***** about. Who cares...every all-star weekend is a joke in the 4 major NA sports. You'll get your precious players back in 4-5 days. SUCK IT UP. Showcasing (most of) the leagues best players at the same place/time shouldn't be considered such a negative thing.

 

[snipes]

The All Star game and the Olympics are both lame. The players don’t treat the All Star game seriously. The Olympics are an ultra-boring contest of professional athletes.

No concern from me, about either one, either way.

That’s just like your opinion man.

The Olympics and best on best international hockey >>>> NHL

 

[sandysan]

The amount of players refusing to participate in the ASG is becoming pretty overwhelming.

It’s absolutely obvious there’s very few people desiring to watch Kreider vs Bertuzzi vs Tkachuk figure skating with sticks while most fans suffer without real hockey for almost 10 days.

Now, what every hockey fan in the world is waiting for is the best on best Olympics hockey.

The ratings in the USA were amazing for Russia vs USA game despite the early game start.

The NHL needs to abolish the All Star Game whatsoever and replace it with true ASG happening once in four years.

when the league gets a cut of the gate, perhaps they will. but because its the olympics, doesnt make it special ( i.e the last one and many more to come, hopefully).

When the IOC starts acting like a business with its athletic partners they way they do with their broadcast partners, perhaps we will see the return of best on best. perhaps.

do you mind if I pull up a chair in the meantime ?

and you could get the reanimated corpses of gordie howe and jean bealiveau to play at the all star game and people STILL wouldn't care. people who follow hockey ( we call those people the market) know the ASG is a craptastic sham that has very very little to do with hockey.

 

[sandysan]

When’s the last all star game people watched fully?

Think mine was al mccinis

the john scott one was cool ( even though, or perhaps because of how, arizona and montreal conspired to dirty deal him). Him scoring in the game so early also raised the interest.

After that, and I ask this not rhetorically, who the hell cares ?

 

[McDonald19]

Hockey needs a best on best, but the Olympics is not the right medium anymore. IOC is awful, IIHF, NHL, NHLPA are all to blame, too, but the Olympics is the worst

World Cup of hockey. NHL size ice, NHL rulebook.

 

[sandysan]

Sad that we're not going to see guys like Mcdavid and Mackinnon at the Olympics in their primes. Pretty sure the overwhelming majority of players and fans want to see NHL players in the Olympics.

people want to see the best players, so yeah they want NHL'ers.
I want to take one of the olson twins out on a date, my wanting it alone isnt a reason to make it happen.

when the ioc wisens up, what everyone wants might actually come to pass again.

but this is contingent on the ioc wisening up so its a toss up

 

[SotasicA]

Staying as far away from the International Olympic Committee is nothing but a positive for the NHL.

Corruption, greed, bribery and politics is not something I wish hockey to be associated with.

 

[SK13]

The ASG is trash but all ASG's are trash. It's the skills competition stuff I wish would get a big level up because THAT has the potential to be more interesting than it is.

The Olympics are nothing in most cycles. They aren't damaging their reputation by not putting themselves out for South Korea. Only the indoctrinated care.

 

[sandysan]

I will never ever ever ever understand complaints about the all-star game. It is a weird goofy exhibition match, what exactly do you want the league to do with it?

And the Olympic opinion is correct, the NHL is stupid for that....but it is unrelated to the all-star game

The NHL GAVE the IOC its talent for FREE for 2 freaking decades and it NEVER did a thing for the shield. But even that wasn't enough for the IOC who decided that in addition to NOT paying the draw, that the Draw should actually have to PAY to participate in the form of getting their own insurance and if and when they did, they would ensure that all olympic footaage would be off limits to the company who is paying for the talent and assuming 100% of the risk for precisely 0% of the rewards.

the NHL is many things to many people, but when they told the IOC to go pound sand that wasn't stupid. What was stupid it that it took so long.

 

[President Skroob]

Since the ASG is for kids and all, they should just have the Carolina Hurricanes show up to perform three hours worth of tiktok dances.

Or just have Gritty run all the kids' activities.

 

[Svechhammer]

I paid season ticket holder prices of $200 per ticket to watch the Skills Competition in Raleigh when the ASG was here 10 years ago,. and tickets to the game itself were going for $300+, and those were for mid-level tickets.

It really just isn't worth that kind of money. Its a fun event, sure, but with so many players now sitting it out, I would not be shocked if part of hosting the game going forward comes with a guarantee that the home team buys any remaining tickets that go unsold, just to make the arena appear to be sold out.

 

[Wats]

Make a team for each conference and make them play exhibition tournament, two 15min period 5 on 5 games.

East
West
KHL All Stars
AHL All Stars+NHL Rookies/Futures

I'd tune in for something like that. NHL rosters might actually try if they don't want to be embarrassed.

 

[DaBadGuy7]

I watch the skills competition more than the all star game. I have nothing against the all star game, I like the 3-3 format, I'd rather have it on a saturday night like it use to be in the 90's when i'm more likely to watch it than on a sunday afternoon when i'll most likely be out.

I didnt lose sleep when the NHL wasnt in the last olympics. I actually thought it was cool watching Germany play the Russians or whatever weird *** name they gave the country for the olympics.

The ASG is on Saturday Night this year, it was on Saturday Night last year as well.