Quote:
Originally Posted by Itse
You missed the point here.
Yes, it's a reasonable request, but it's not something the IOC can do, because that would open the door to every other sport starting to make similar demands, and that would be massively more disrupting and potentially expensive than any possible gains from a deal with the NHL.
Let's also remember that hockey is just one of the big draws of the much smaller winter Olympics. Any such decision made for hockey would also set a precedent for the summer Olympics.
That's why I don't think the IOC could give in even if they wanted to.
It's not completely impossible, but it think it's too unlikely to bet anything on.
I also think not having the World Cup weakens NHLs bargaining position. If the threat of World Cup becoming a comparable tournament for hockey was in any way real, the Olympics might be worried a bit.
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I actually think it does the opposite.
Not having a World Cup in 2020 enables them the option of shutting down the league for 2 weeks in 2022 & running a World Cup in North America parallel to the Olympics.