[News] NHL players will not participate in 2018 Olympics?

[_Q_]

I enjoy watching the best players play against each other in a meaningful tournament. I also like the Olympic break in February. It's usually the worst part of the regular season anyways. If they won't go to the Olympics though, what I would like to see is a World Cup every 4 years but not the half assed tournament they held a couple of times. Here is what I would like to see:

- Rotation of the host country. Don't do it all over Europe and North America like the last two iterations.

- Hold the tournament in the middle of the NHL season for 2 or 3 weeks like the Olympics.

- Get rid of the All-Star Game. Instead, during non-World Cup years, hold qualification rounds during that time (so every year there are international games going on in February even if the WC isn't being held)

This format allows different players to represent their country and maybe develop chemistry for the main tournament. Essentially what I want to see is a soccer style world cup.

[Table 5]

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

I don't believe all fans are on board. I'm not and I know I'm not alone. I would watch team Canada in the Olympics just as much if it was an amateur team as I would if it was the pros. I also personally don't like the drama of the choosing of players as I think it wears on players. I'm an NHL guy first and foremost and have never been a huge fan of professional athletes participating in the Olympics wether it be basketball, hockey or tennis.

So you're the guy who watches the Spengler Cup? Because that's pretty much what it would turn into with lesser players...but worse. It's all nice to cheer for amateurs, but who would these people be? College kids? Even the lesser hockey players who are in Europe get paid.

If there's no Olympics, then there will be a World Cup. At some point or another, tournaments like this are held and players have to be chosen and we all have to go through the media hype. Might as well be on the biggest winter sports stage there is, where you can help your country out with the medal count.

And as nice as the idea of amateur athletes are, I want to see the best athletes at the Olympics, not only the ones who can train and survive on their own dime. A lot of athletes are already living on a shoestring, now we should tell them that they can't make money off of their talents, while the Olympic committees rake in millions?

[flamesfan1297]

This is completely stupid of them to not allow NHL players to play. Totally selfish of the NHL. The olympics should be the best of the best competing. Canada and The U.S. would not have their best players at the olympics, while other countries still would. Having a 18 day break or whatever it is, in the middle of the season is not really that much of a big deal and in my opinion is worth it. Canada and U.S. would no longer be relevant at the hockey portion of the games.

[flamesfan1297]

Originally Posted by Table 5

So you're the guy who watches the Spengler Cup? Because that's pretty much what it would turn into with lesser players...but worse. It's all nice to cheer for amateurs, but who would these people be? College kids? Even the lesser hockey players who are in Europe get paid.

If there's no Olympics, then there will be a World Cup. At some point or another, tournaments like this are held and players have to be chosen and we all have to go through the media hype. Might as well be on the biggest winter sports stage there is, where you can help your country out with the medal count.

And as nice as the idea of amateur athletes are, I want to see the best athletes at the Olympics, not only the ones who can train and survive on their own dime. A lot of athletes are already living on a shoestring, now we should tell them that they can't make money off of their talents, while the Olympic committees rake in millions?

well said

[trublmaker]

Originally Posted by _Q_

I enjoy watching the best players play against each other in a meaningful tournament. I also like the Olympic break in February. It's usually the worst part of the regular season anyways. If they won't go to the Olympics though, what I would like to see is a World Cup every 4 years but not the half assed tournament they held a couple of times. Here is what I would like to see:

- Rotation of the host country. Don't do it all over Europe and North America like the last two iterations.

- Hold the tournament in the middle of the NHL season for 2 or 3 weeks like the Olympics.

- Get rid of the All-Star Game. Instead, during non-World Cup years, hold qualification rounds during that time (so every year there are international games going on in February even if the WC isn't being held)

This format allows different players to represent their country and maybe develop chemistry for the main tournament. Essentially what I want to see is a soccer style world cup.

If some owners already don,t like an interruption why would they be ok with changing the name of the tournament ? On top of that stopping EVERY year for a qualification round.

[agulati]

If this is the case, I am disappointed.

Olympics should see the best of each country's players play for their nations pride.
Hockey does not have such an event. Soccer has got the world cup, Basketball sees the top players go to the Olympics. Football is not a world sport.

[_Q_]

Originally Posted by trublmaker

If some owners already don,t like an interruption why would they be ok with changing the name of the tournament ? On top of that stopping EVERY year for a qualification round.

Sure, but a tournament after the Stanley Cup Finals or before training camp is meaningless. Maybe an increase in NHL revenue from ticket sales and TV contracts for an event like this would change their minds.

[trublmaker]

Originally Posted by _Q_

Sure, but a tournament after the Stanley Cup Finals or before training camp is meaningless. Maybe an increase in NHL revenue from ticket sales and TV contracts for an event like this would change their minds.

If it was an international World Cup type event I'm not sure the nhl would get their hands on any revenues.

[Itse]

Only in NA would the owners be so greedy and self-centered that they would not let their players participate in the olympics. The players that participate in the olympics remember for the rest of their lives. February NHL hockey is forgotten by the time the regular season is over.

It boggles the mind that people are even talking about this. If European owners suggested it, the fans would just hang them and be done with it.

Also; for the longterm success of the sport, memorable events are worth 1000 more than regular season games.

[RedHotC]

Originally Posted by btimbit

I agree with the idea, and don't like the NHL disruption either, but to me the Olympics should be the best of the best, regardless of what their day job is.

Agree for the disruption. The Olympics is about being the best..not about what you do for a living.

[PIMking]

so how do the world juniors do?

I'd rather have professionals stay at home playing for money, this is suppose to be for love of their country.

[Mister Yamoto]

The Olympics are supposed to be a celebration of amateur sport. NHL players are far from that.

I have no idea why the NHL got involved with the Olympics in the first place. Bring back the Canada Cup. Tell the IOC to go suck an egg.

[PIMking]

Originally Posted by Itse

Only in NA would the owners be so greedy and self-centered that they would not let their players participate in the olympics. The players that participate in the olympics remember for the rest of their lives. February NHL hockey is forgotten by the time the regular season is over.

It boggles the mind that people are even talking about this. If European owners suggested it, the fans would just hang them and be done with it.

Also; for the longterm success of the sport, memorable events are worth 1000 more than regular season games.

so say you own a team and your star player and INVESTMENT gets hurt that hurts your team and investment.

just saying

[strombad]

I would imagine that if the Olympics moved back to amateur athletes only, then Hockey would be nearly eliminated as a whole, along with other major sports.

[oilyfan]

Originally Posted by PIMking

so say you own a team and your star player and INVESTMENT gets hurt that hurts your team and investment.

just saying

How is that different than your star player getting hurt in a NHL game?

[PIMking]

Originally Posted by oilyfan

How is that different than your star player getting hurt in a NHL game?

Because he got hurt under the contract that he signed with you and your investment that he is part of.

Personally I am just play devils advocate, I'd rather have amateurs playing because that's more pure to me than NHLers.

[Street Pharmacist]

Originally Posted by oilyfan

How is that different than your star player getting hurt in a NHL game?

The more games, the higher the risk of injury. If you're only getting reimbursed for 82 of them...

[flamesfan1297]

Originally Posted by PIMking

so how do the world juniors do?

I'd rather have professionals stay at home playing for money, this is suppose to be for love of their country.

Professionals love their country too

[c.t.ner]

To me this seems pretty ridiculous.

So if this is true the NHL just looks like a bunch of whiny kids that got their candy and now want to take their ball and go home. There isn't a grey area about this, you're either in and or out.

When the NHL decided to send their pros to the games in Nagano they should have realized that they couldn't go back. So what will happen now, there will be five games where all the pros played and they'll go back to only amateurs... of course until the next time the games are on North American soil when all of a sudden the pros will play again.

I also find it really hard to feel bad for all the owners whining about the break that profited after the Vancouver games and having the US play Canada in the Gold medal game. I'm sure that game didn't attract any new fans to the game at all.

[btimbit]

Honestly if you take out NHLers then I probably wouldn't really watch. I'd follow how it's going, but rarely tune in unless I'm already free. We already have the World Championships, Spengler Cup, World Juniors, U18's, which I enjoy, but Olympics should be the elite.

If it was going on every year I'd understand the no NHLers, but I want it to be the very best each country has to offer