Quote:
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?
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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.