[News] NHL will not participate in 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang.

[shadowlord]

Disappointed that the NHL is not going to the 2018 Olympics, but really the IOC should have stepped up. They already make tons of money from each summer/winter games held; while the taxpayers of the host country bear the costs.

OTOH, is this truly the final decision, or is Bettman just doing the slick sales/posturing job? I never trust anything that he says - he is a delusional man who acts like the architect of every great thing that has ever happened to hockey.

[BigT112]

It's like the NHL and the owners don't want fans to have fun.

[nik-]

Originally Posted by Fire

Zero chance of that happening. They would remove hockey from the Olympics before that would happen.

If the NHL doesn't go, they've effectively done it for them. The majority of the time hockey has been in the Olympics it's been non-pro. There's hardly zero chance it doesn't happen again.

[northcrunk]

Originally Posted by CliffFletcher

Hopefully people will get more invested in the World Cup now.

If anything I'll be less invested in the world cup (If that is possible). I will watch the olympics and will not watch NHL games while the Olympics are on.

[Jbo]

I'm actually okay with this.

However, the OIC needs to ensure enforcement across the board. If you hold a professional contract in NHL, you should not be able to participate. Ovi and Malkin should not be able to just go play, and if they do, face lengthy suspensions from the NHL

[sharkov]

If the NHL does not want its best players getting hurt playing in some forsaken backwater, the fans will have to respect that

[Rubicant]

Big bummer here is there will be an all star game in 2018.

[nik-]

Originally Posted by Jbo

I'm actually okay with this.

However, the OIC needs to ensure enforcement across the board. If you hold a professional contract in NHL, you should not be able to participate. Ovi and Malkin should not be able to just go play, and if they do, face lengthy suspensions from the NHL

Nah, let them go and just expose what a farce the NHL's stance on this is.

[Jore]

not surprised, bettman represents the owners, who are only after their own interests (melnyk's comments especially honest in this case). the nhl clearly does not care about the sport, only the version of the sport that it can sell. also clear it doesn't care about its fans apart from how much ticket and merchandise revenue they bring in.

i mean, this isn't to say that ioc is some virtuous organization either. greed runs the show in both cases, but at least the ioc offered to cover insurance/etc.

as others have said, it's often hard to be a fan of a team in this league

[Tinordi]

Originally Posted by sharkov

If the NHL does not want its best players getting hurt playing in some forsaken backwater, the fans will have to respect that

And they will respect it because they're fans. Don't like this decision? Then stop watching the NHL and certainly don't watch the World Cup. If you aren't willing to do that then this will continue to be the fan treatment.

[Resolute 14]

Originally Posted by nik-

Nah, let them go and just expose what a farce the NHL's stance on this is.

Why is it a farce? Because the NHL does not wish to act as a charity for the benefit of one of the most corrupt organizations on the planet?

[Cecil Terwilliger]

I actually don't blame the NHL and the owners here. They only get an intangible "eyes on the sport" for two weeks every four years. They have to take a two week break, something no other sport does, have to pay all the costs, get no tangible association with the Olympics etc.

I enjoy the Olympic hockey but there very little real measurable benefit for the NHL here and the IOC obviously don't care so why would the NHL bend over when they are simultaneously trying to build their own international best on best tourney?

It sucks we, as fans, get screwed here too but we are just collateral damage. The NHL isn't trying to screw us, they just aren't going to make bad business decisions to placate us.

[pepper24]

Assuming this is a final decision for 2018 and the NHL is done with Olympics for future winter Olympic games, how does that change your view on Calgary hosting in 2026?

Recent Olympic games for me have mainly been to watch hockey and the NHL players involved. Not much interest in the other sports. Maybe a World Cup instead of Olympics every 4 years like soccer will change that.

[Resolute 14]

Originally Posted by Cecil Terwilliger

I actually don't blame the NHL and the owners here. They only get an intangible "eyes on the sport" for two weeks every four years. They have to take a two week break, something no other sport does, have to pay all the costs, get no tangible association with the Olympics etc.

I enjoy the Olympic hockey but there very little real measurable benefit for the NHL here and the IOC obviously don't care so why would the NHL bend over when they are simultaneously trying to build their own international best on best tourney?

Exactly. The NHL has been to five Olympics now, spanning two full decades. It knows how many of these ephemeral new fans buy tickets, buy merchandise and tune in to HNIC and Wednesday Night Rivalry. The league has made it clear that the deal, as it stands, does not benefit its business. Not one of the IOC, IIHF or NHLPA showed an interest in negotiating a better deal.

In fact, I would argue the NHLPA actually undermined its own cause here. The players should have been standing with the league and going after the IOC and IIHF. Instead, they allowed their leader and his pathological hatred of all things management to turn this into a three way battle where the NHL always held the hammer.

[Rubicant]

Originally Posted by pepper24

Assuming this is a final decision for 2018 and the NHL is done with Olympics for future winter Olympic games, how does that change your view on Calgary hosting in 2026?

Recent Olympic games for me have mainly been to watch hockey and the NHL players involved. Not much interest in the other sports. Maybe a World Cup instead of Olympics every 4 years like soccer will change that.

I don't think that's the case at all. The nhl will go to any Olympics where it feels worth it to them.

[Nehkara]

This is going to turn into massive clusterfata when players just walk away from their teams to go play.

[Flames Draft Watcher]

Originally Posted by Nehkara

This is going to turn into massive clusterfata when players just walk away from their teams to go play.

And get suspended without pay? Not sure how many players are going to go against their own contracts. I suspect it won't be many at all.

[djsFlames]

But will in 2022 for that China market

Because #### you, fans, right?

Greedy bastards that can't move over once every four years for a couple weeks out of respect for the sport at the highest level. Hockey is bigger than the NHL you ####s.

[Beatle17]

Originally Posted by Flames Draft Watcher

And get suspended without pay? Not sure how many players are going to go against their own contracts. I suspect it won't be many at all.

And they get suspended by their own teams and aren't allowed to play because the IIHF honors suspensions from all leagues. As the Sportsnet article by Damien Cox said, if the players really wanted some control they would have negotiated it into the CBA, but they didn't. This really only effects less than 20% of the players so I am surmise that the majority could care less.

[SuperMatt18]

IOC made their own bed here.

Weren't willing to budge on any of the costs or image rights, and this is what they get.

I don't blame the NHL at all. They have to cover the costs, don't get any co-branding opportunities, don't get any rights to use any footage or video, and have to risk their top players getting injured.

Sounds like something that would be smart to sign up for.