Quote:
Originally Posted by The Yen Man
I agree. I actually don't think a lot of NHL owners want their players playing in the Olympics. It sounds more like it's a players thing at this point, as I'm guessing a lot of the elite guys want to go. I'm sure the ego boost of being on an Olympic team is pretty big for these guys. It just further validates that you're amongst the best in the league.
Remember when Ovechkin threatened to go rogue and play in Korea? The motivation to play in the tournament for a lot players is real, especially for the European players I would imagine.
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Especially players of smaller countries. In fact, this past weekend, the final three teams qualified for the tournament and NHLers were there.
Latvia, Slovakia and Denmark qualified. Ehlers led Denmark to their first Olympic appearance in 76 years.
Girgenson for Latvia. Teams that didn't make it, Zuccarello for Norway, Kopitar for Slovenia. Roussell, Bellemare and De Costa for France