Question about NHL-less Olympics

[Atas2000]

It takes two to tango. If the IOC would actually give the NHL anything in return for the Olympics there wouldn't even be a discussion about them going. But when the stars go there and then the NHL can't even use any footage of the stars of their league playing it kind of sits wrong.

That sounds nearly like a NHL brainwash. I mean what? The NHL doesn't own "their" stars. No other league in the world would voice such ridiculous claims. The Olympics is an international tournament where athletes compete for their countries. What have any leagues to do with it, at all?

The only thing that sits wrong in Bettman's head hear.

 

[Crede777]

I think the Olympics would allow professional players, just that the NHL would start scheduling games during the Olympics. So it would be a choice. Play those NHL games or play in the Olympics.

Some teams might not let their players go, but others likely would.

 

[Evil Little]

There has been some chatter amongst the pundits--mainly Friedman, if I recall correctly--that players may start writing Olympic exemptions into their future contracts if it looks like the NHL wants to pull out. I don't know how much it's been discussed, or if it's even really possible from an insurance standpoint, but I haven't heard of any players doing this as yet.

I also seem to recall the Capitals coming out and saying they would indeed let Ovechkin go to the Sochi games even if the NHL and the IOC could not come to an agreement.

Edit:

Last year the owner of the Capitals supported Ovechkin saying he would personally fly him over.

When you have a player that puts ***** in seats and sells in the top 10 for jerseys you let that star do what he wants

^What they said.^

 

[Jonimaus]

If NHLers are no longer permitted to compete in the Olympic games, are former NHLers playing in european league, like Kovalchuk and Radulov, still allowed to compete? And if they are, surely that is a huuuuuge advantage to Russia. If teams like Canada, USA, Sweden and Finland are going to be icing amateurs, Kovy and Radulov are going to tear them apart. Thoughts?

Why should any ex-NHLer, care even slightly what the NHL thinks/wants?

 

[Huokaus]

If teams like Canada, USA, Sweden and Finland are going to be icing amateurs, Kovy and Radulov are going to tear them apart. Thoughts?

There are other professional leagues than the NHL, you know. Yes, Kovalchuk and Radulov probably are going to be the most talented players if the NHL is not participating, but by no means are any of these countries going to be icing a single amateur.

 

[Atas2000]

The NHL is a business. I would bet most of the top guys running the NHL aren't even fans of the sport. They don't care. They want to make as much as possible, and the Olympics are using their resources and not sharing the profit.

With that that, I will be ****ing pissed if the NHL chooses not to go. It's the greatest hockey in the world.

Is that what they tell you in NA?

 

[eyetest is useless]

The threat of getting their contracts voided won't scare star players. If Tarasenko for example wants to go the Blues would only shoot themselves in the foot to get rid of him for a two week absence. In Ovechkin's case, he has a huge long term contract and who knows what kind of player he is in four years, but in general, teams won't have much leverage against their stars. That goes for all nationalities of course. They can only hope their players listen to them when they forbid them to go- which most probably will.

 

[talkinaway]

I also seem to recall the Capitals coming out and saying they would indeed let Ovechkin go to the Sochi games even if the NHL and the IOC could not come to an agreement.

Ovi in Sochi is a good storyline for casual fans. A relatively famous (for a hockey player), showy (again, for a hockey player), goal-scoring player returning to his home country. Plus, Ovi being Ovi, he'd probably defect anyway.

Considering that the next two Winter Olympics are in South Korea and China/Kazakhstan, I can see why the NHL isn't chomping at the bit to shut down for 2 weeks and loan their players, subjecting them to possible injury.

 

[tsanuri]

That sounds nearly like a NHL brainwash. I mean what? The NHL doesn't own "their" stars. No other league in the world would voice such ridiculous claims. The Olympics is an international tournament where athletes compete for their countries. What have any leagues to do with it, at all?

The only thing that sits wrong in Bettman's head hear.

So you don't think it's a big deal that, when and if, one of the players from the NHL makes a great move that they can't use it in any advertising for the league in anyway? As it has been pointed out the NHL is a business.

 

[MastuhNinks]

Even from a business standpoint I think it's dumb for the NHL to not go to the Olympics. I don't see how growing the sport of hockey would be anything but beneficial for the best and biggest hockey league in the World. Especially if it's their stars on display at the World's stage.

A World Cup is still cool for hockey fans, but only people who are already hockey fans will watch it.

 

[Butcher]

Wasn't the dispute largely over the Olympic committee not covering the insurance for the players?

No, the national federations pay for the insurance.

The dispute is that the NHL wants cash from the IOC and/or rights to use the highlights and footage from the games.

 

[Pyrophorus]

Considering that the next two Winter Olympics are in South Korea and China/Kazakhstan, I can see why the NHL isn't chomping at the bit to shut down for 2 weeks and loan their players, subjecting them to possible injury.

Even the US TV execs are having qualms over the next 2 locations.

I think the locations are a factor as well.

 

[UsernameWasTaken]

If NHLers are no longer permitted to compete in the Olympic games, are former NHLers playing in european league, like Kovalchuk and Radulov, still allowed to compete? And if they are, surely that is a huuuuuge advantage to Russia. If teams like Canada, USA, Sweden and Finland are going to be icing amateurs, Kovy and Radulov are going to tear them apart. Thoughts?

Why wouldn't former NHLers be permitted to compete? Whether or not the NHL permits players to play should have no bearing on whether the players in any other league can play. The IIHF should simply allow the qualified countries to bring whichever players they choose (subject to meeting IIHF eligibility rules for national play).

 

[Atas2000]

So you don't think it's a big deal that, when and if, one of the players from the NHL makes a great move that they can't use it in any advertising for the league in anyway? As it has been pointed out the NHL is a business.

There are rules regarding the Olympics that apply to each and everyone: every sport, every league, every athlete. It's arrogant as hell the NHL wants some special conditions.

The NHL is a business in North America. They do not own the players or the olympic tournament. Nobody is taking anything from them on their playground. At the Olympics they are just a league like a bunch of others.

 

[GoodKnight]

Once again people, I'm not suggesting that players from other leagues shouldn't be allowed to compete, more power to them. I'm just asking for thoughts on why the NHL execs are so ready to just forfeit any chance of other countries competing. And are team owners really going to be so ready to let their stars go if there are nhl games scheduled? Surely for teams in the playoff hunt, like washington, surely letting backstrom and ovechkin go and compete while the capitals have games scheduled, i think we can all agree washington is a lot more likely to lose with two PPG players out of their lineup for around a month

 

[hockey4sale]

location is the #1 factor why NHL may have a chance to pull out, I think NHL execs were never a big fan of the idea of sending players to the Olympics, the strong pressure from players and NHLPA probably is what tipped the scale.

If the Olympics were in Canada or US or Sweden NHL would most definitely allow players to participate, but since it is S.Korea then who cares about hockey and thus Bettman and Co. will take advantage and try to block participation in the Olympics all together. I suspect NHL will skip the next 2 winter Olympics but may return later if Olympics are in more hockey friendly country

 

[WinTheRightGames]

If NHLers are no longer permitted to compete in the Olympic games, are former NHLers playing in european league, like Kovalchuk and Radulov, still allowed to compete? And if they are, surely that is a huuuuuge advantage to Russia. If teams like Canada, USA, Sweden and Finland are going to be icing amateurs, Kovy and Radulov are going to tear them apart. Thoughts?

Why would any European country send amateurs?

 

[Urbanskog]

If NHLers are no longer permitted to compete in the Olympic games, are former NHLers playing in european league, like Kovalchuk and Radulov, still allowed to compete? And if they are, surely that is a huuuuuge advantage to Russia. If teams like Canada, USA, Sweden and Finland are going to be icing amateurs, Kovy and Radulov are going to tear them apart. Thoughts?

Why on earth would Finland, USA, Canada or Sweden ice amateurs? Finland and Sweden have a bunch of players in the KHL and their respective domestic leagues aren't exactly amateur. Canada and USA also have a bunch of players in Europe, and no, they aren't amateurs.

The ignorance is off the charts.

 

[hockey4sale]

Why on earth would Finland, USA, Canada or Sweden ice amateurs? Finland and Sweden have a bunch of players in the KHL and their respective domestic leagues aren't exactly amateur. Canada and USA also have a bunch of players in Europe, and no, they aren't amateurs.

The ignorance is off the charts.

for the sake of discussion those players are amateurs in the sense that they probably not very good compared to the top NHL players, in this set up Russia will have a huge advantage and most likely will dominate the Olympics because the KHL is the 2nd best league

 

[WinTheRightGames]

Russia hasn't dominated the world championships. Why would they dominate the olympics?

 

[Urbanskog]

for the sake of discussion those players are amateurs in the sense that they probably not very good compared to the top NHL players, in this set up Russia will have a huge advantage and most likely will dominate the Olympics because the KHL is the 2nd best league

Yeah, you surely know a ton about European hockey. In Sochi, Slovenia had one KHL'er and one NHL'er. Austria had zero players from the KHL, three from the NHL. Norway? One from the NHL and three from the KHL. Switzerland didn't have a single KHL player but they had 9 guys playing in the NHL.

Did these teams get butchered? No.

 

[Roomtemperature]

That sounds nearly like a NHL brainwash. I mean what? The NHL doesn't own "their" stars. No other league in the world would voice such ridiculous claims. The Olympics is an international tournament where athletes compete for their countries. What have any leagues to do with it, at all?

The only thing that sits wrong in Bettman's head hear.

The Olympics are a corrupt organization that only cares about money under the guise of being a caring and great sports organization like the NCAA. And like the NCAA both could go take a walk with how smug yet money grubbing they are.

 

[GoodKnight]

Yeah, you surely know a ton about European hockey. In Sochi, Slovenia had one KHL'er and one NHL'er. Austria had zero players from the KHL, three from the NHL. Norway? One from the NHL and three from the KHL. Switzerland didn't have a single KHL player but they had 9 guys playing in the NHL.

Did these teams get butchered? No.

Compared to what kind of teams the russians will be able to ice, they might as well be amateurs. And oh yeah i forgot about the completely dominating performance in sochi by the Slovenians and the Norwegians, they absolutely tore up the group play...right? No.

 

[Temego]

Wouldnt watch a single game if NHLers werent there. That's basically like playing watered down world championships.

Russia wins every time, even teams like Finland, Sweden and Switzerland are pure **** without a couple of NHL stars.

 

[hockey4sale]

Yeah, you surely know a ton about European hockey. In Sochi, Slovenia had one KHL'er and one NHL'er. Austria had zero players from the KHL, three from the NHL. Norway? One from the NHL and three from the KHL. Switzerland didn't have a single KHL player but they had 9 guys playing in the NHL.

Did these teams get butchered? No.

Olympics are very shot tournament where lesser teams play 6 men defense while highly skilled teams like Canada, USA or Russia don't have time to gel for the skill to fully take over, I think Canada barely won 2:1 against Latvia in elimination game, with your logic latvian hockey is right up there on par with canadian