Quote:
Originally Posted by Joborule
The NHL is at a point where the gains from the Olympics - which is basically new fans - isn't enough to justify participating in it, without getting a fair amount of compensation from shutting down their league and risk their superstars not being able to play when the season resumes. The league continues to grow without the Olympics, so the NHL doesn't need it as much as it may have in the past, and can look at alternative methods of showcasing the game on a global scale, while getting some money from it at the same time.
|
I don't think any of that is true. I think the NHL needs the olympics much more than they realize. No other team sports gets the kind of exposure from that hockey gets from the winter olympics, because they're the lone major team sport there. I also don't see there being any "alternative methods" that are even on the same ballpark than the olympics.
People talk about the world cup as if it's a comparative. From my experience, in Finland it rates effectively on par or probably somewhat below the World Championships. Most people didn't watch it in 2004, not even the final. And we're pretty much the second most hockey crazy country in the world. Sure, true hockey fanatics made/would make a big deal out of it, but they're a minority even among hockey fans here.
Quote:
|
I'm sure that if the IOC was willing to work with the NHL/NHLPA wishes, then the players will still participate in future games. That's why I view this as posturing; so they can actually follow through with their threat if it comes to the point of not being involved with Pyeongchang 2018.
|
The perspective here is wrong. The olympics don't need the NHL. They don't need to "work with" the NHL any more than they already are. They most certainly are not going to give hockey any special privileges, that would open up such a huge can of worms, with every other sport starting to want things.
The IIHF wants NHL in the olympics in a bad way, but they're just the middleman. And really, I'm sure many in the IIHF, which is mostly a European body, would be just fine if the olympics was about showcasing players from the European leagues. The Finnish League certainly could use the boost.
The NHL is not going to get anything from the IOC. They might get things from Hockey Canada/Finland/US etc. But they don't have anything near the kind of money that the NHL wants, not unless the NHL gives it to them, which is just moving money from one pocket to another.
Or, you could have taxpayers ultimately footing the bill. What a great plan that would be.