NHL players wont be at the 2018 Olympics in Korea

Dammitt...the NHL players won't be playing at the 2018 Winter Olympics. I guess at the end of the day, they don't see the South Korean market as a tangible one where the NHL can grow..but they will consider Beijing for 2022 (Groan). China - Yes...South Korea...No   :(




http://www.torontosun.com/2017/04/03/nhl-announces-it-wont-participate-in-2018-olympics

For the first time since 1994, NHL players will not attend the Winter Olympics.

The league released a statement Monday saying it “considers the matter officially closed” and that it won’t participate in the 2018 Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea.

Negotiations between the league, the NHL Players’ Association and the International Olympic Committee have stalled in recent months.

In the statement, the NHL said it was open to hearing from the parties involved but that “no meaningful dialogue has materialized.”

“Instead, the IOC has now expressed the position that the NHL’s participation in Beijing in 2022 is conditioned on our participation in South Korea in 2018,” the league said. “And the NHLPA has now publicly confirmed that it has no interest or intention of engaging in any discussion that might make Olympic participation more attractive to the clubs.”

The league said it will now proceed with finalizing the schedule for next season.

The NHL Players’ Association didn’t immediately respond to the league’s announcement.

The NHL had been at every Winter Olympics since 1998 and players have expressed their desire to continue participating.

It was just over a year ago at the Stanley Cup final in Pittsburgh that NHL commissioner Gary Bettman began pouring cold water on the idea of NHLers participating in 2018. In particular, Bettman was miffed that the International Olympic Committee was resisting payment on out-of-pocket costs for NHL players to attend — a subsidy that had been covered over the previous five Games.

Bettman said the cost was “many, many, many millions of dollars” and doubted that owners would pay for the “privilege of disrupting our season”.

Little had changed by early winter. Bettman continued to fume about money as well as the IOC’s unwillingness to let the NHL be associated with the Olympics in any fashion. The league couldn’t air highlights or promote their presence at the Games.

“It doesn’t give you the warm and fuzzies,” Bettman said at the PrimeTime Sports Management Conference.

A decision, he added, would likely be required by early January at the latest.

The NHL league then proposed an idea to the NHLPA that would extend the current collective bargaining agreement as a part of package for players to attend in 2018.

The union turned down the deal.

“So hopefully we’ll still be able to conclude an agreement to go to the Olympics,” executive director Donald Fehr said at the time. “We still think it’s important and we’ll go from there.”

But by early December, at the board of governors meetings in Florida, Bettman hinted at “fatigue” from the owners at going to the Games again. There were concerns, he said, about shutting down the season, what with the impact of a compressed schedule on players. The group also wasn’t convinced that there was any tangible benefit to the NHL being in South Korea. The Games had shown some impact when played in North America, but little beyond its shores.

“I think our constituents have become increasingly negative toward the Olympic experience,” deputy commissioner Bill Daly said.

A few weeks later, Daly said the league had begun crafting two potential schedules for the 2017-18 season — one that included the NHL going to the Olympics and one that didn’t.

A month after that, at all-star weekend in Los Angeles, Bettman said a conversation among the board of governors as it pertained to the Olympics lasted all of 10 seconds. Nothing had changed from December when the views were strongly negative. Daly explained that the NHL was still waiting for some sort of game-changer to sway the owners, but didn’t know what that game-changer would be.

“All I can tell you is if we’re going to hear the same thing I don’t think it’s going to move the ball,” Daly said.

Players expressed hope that wouldn’t be the case.

Connor McDavid said “100 per cent” that NHL players should go. The Edmonton Oilers captain, who wasn’t even born the last time NHL players didn’t attend in 1994, said he couldn’t envision the Olympics without the world’s top players.

“I just feel like we’re misrepresenting our sport on a pretty huge scale and a pretty huge level,” Jonathan Toews, a long-time ace for Team Canada, added. “A lot of the talk has been it’s the players pushing for it, and it’s the players that are interested and want to go. I think the players do want to go, but I think it should be of interest to the players and the league. I think the NHL should be in the Olympics.”

The NHL, NHLPA, IOC and International Ice Hockey Federation all gathered for a hopeful meeting in early February, but by early March, Bettman said there was again nothing new to report. The owners were still unconvinced by the merits of players getting their wish to go to the Games.

Shortly thereafter Fehr hinted that players might be able to attend the Games whether the NHL gave the OK or not. He said the PA thought it was “very probably an individual club decision”, an avenue that might conceivably allow those like Alex Ovechkin to come to agreements on attending with their respective teams.

“The NHL knows what our position is,” Fehr said late last month. “They know we think it’s important. They know that we believe very strongly that players ought to have an opportunity to play. They know we think it’s in the long-run good for the game. And it’s something that we ought to try and do.

They should scrap the Olympics anyways. The Winter Olympics is even more pointless as it's only a few countries who actually care and the main one is just a bribe fest and utter waste of time and money for all concerned.

Damn, I was looking forward to the Korean team getting destroyed 30-1 by Canada.  The score might only be 15-1 now.  But seriously, I won't even try to make a game if the NHL isn't coming. 

“Instead, the IOC has now expressed the position that the NHL’s participation in Beijing in 2022 is conditioned on our participation in South Korea in 2018,”

So, that says Beijing is also out.  The IOC is saying if they don't go to Korea Beijing is a no-go.  So, I don't see where it's the "China, yes" option.

I'm disappointed as well, but unless Canada is destroying another powerhouse hockey country, lop-sided wins are not good for growing the game.  And if you won't be following the Olympics in 2018 because of a lack of superstars, you're not a real fan of the sport.  Even without the big names there will be a lot of good hockey.  Did you ever watch an under-20 world tourney.  Some amazing hockey in those games.

I'm disappointed as well, but unless Canada is destroying another powerhouse hockey country, lop-sided wins are not good for growing the game.  And if you won't be following the Olympics in 2018 because of a lack of superstars, you're not a real fan of the sport.  Even without the big names there will be a lot of good hockey.  Did you ever watch an under-20 world tourney.  Some amazing hockey in those games.

Sorry, that's bogus. The World Juniors is best-against-best. In fact, the reason it's such a massive event in Canada to this day is because for so many years it was our only chance to see our best players against the Soviet Union's best players, save for the occasional Canada Cup.

The Olympics before 1994, and now again, are a sub-par hockey tournament. What does it matter who has the best amateurs in a professional sport? For fans of association football, this will be the equivalent of a 'C' international (where each country puts out their best semi-pros/amateurs).

SaintsCanada:
Sorry, that's bogus. The World Juniors is best-against-best. In fact, the reason it's such a massive event in Canada to this day is because for so many years it was our only chance to see our best players against the Soviet Union's best players, save for the occasional Canada Cup.

The Olympics before 1994, and now again, are a sub-par hockey tournament. What does it matter who has the best amateurs in a professional sport? For fans of association football, this will be the equivalent of a 'C' international (where each country puts out their best semi-pros/amateurs).


What?  World Juniors is best against best of what groups?  Plenty of non-NHLers on those teams.  I think you're unsure of what you're referring to, especially as you included the 1994 Olympics (No NHLers) that had a fantastic gold medal game between Sweden and Canada.  I remember getting up hungover in a motel with friends to hang on to every second of that game.  The 2009 U-20 Junior World Championship again was some of the most exciting hockey as another example.  Ifr you like hockey, the games between the usual strong countries will be worth watching.  If you just want to see a live version of your latest Xbox hockey game, it'll probably not be of interest.

For those of you who say Olympic hockey was an amateur tournament pre-94 are partly wrong. You basically had the all of Europe's best hockey players (minus a few of Sweden's and Finland's best) vs Canada/USA under-21. Don't delude yourself into thinking that old Red Army team wasn't a professional team. And, even then Canada still managed to get hockey medals occasionally.

I never understood why professional athletes like the Dream Team were ever allowed to compete in the olympics.

SaintsCanada:
Sorry, that's bogus. The World Juniors is best-against-best. In fact, the reason it's such a massive event in Canada to this day is because for so many years it was our only chance to see our best players against the Soviet Union's best players, save for the occasional Canada Cup.

The Olympics before 1994, and now again, are a sub-par hockey tournament. What does it matter who has the best amateurs in a professional sport? For fans of association football, this will be the equivalent of a 'C' international (where each country puts out their best semi-pros/amateurs).


What?  World Juniors is best against best of what groups?  Plenty of non-NHLers on those teams.  I think you're unsure of what you're referring to, especially as you included the 1994 Olympics (No NHLers) that had a fantastic gold medal game between Sweden and Canada.  I remember getting up hungover in a motel with friends to hang on to every second of that game.  The 2009 U-20 Junior World Championship again was some of the most exciting hockey as another example.  Ifr you like hockey, the games between the usual strong countries will be worth watching.  If you just want to see a live version of your latest Xbox hockey game, it'll probably not be of interest.

The World Juniors are up to 19 years-old. Obviously there are very few NHLers. But every player on the major teams will be in the NHL a few years later.

This is literally why the event is such a huge deal in Canada.

The World Juniors are up to 19 years-old. Obviously there are very few NHLers. But every player on the major teams will be in the NHL a few years later.

Just nitpicking. Not every player. Players say on Canada, and the USA, virtually everyone will be drafted. Sweden & Finland, mostly drafted.  Russia, maybe half due to the more red-tape that is required to go through to actually get a Russian player on North American soil.

Going from drafted to actually playing is still a huge step. Lots of draftees never get a call-up.

Anyways, of those drafted, I'd say maybe 25% will have a career longer than a few years. The others probably will never sit on the bench of an actual NHL game. You may look good in junior, but once at the highest levels of any sport, everyone just selected as a potential player has a minimum level of talent (even those enforcers of the past). You better be better than good to last more than few games.

True, the World Juniors is great hockey.  And a lot of the amateurs playing in the Olympics will also be future pros. And it's just the NHL not participating.  Professionals haven't been banned.  I'm disappointed not to see NHLers, but I still think a lot of the games will provide exciting match ups. 

True, the World Juniors is great hockey.  And a lot of the amateurs playing in the Olympics will also be future pros. And it's just the NHL not participating.  Professionals haven't been banned.  I'm disappointed not to see NHLers, but I still think a lot of the games will provide exciting match ups.

Good point! Prior to '98, no pros at all. So now I guess the Russian and European leagues, and North American minor-leaguers will still be there.

I was very excited to hear the Winter Olympics would be here, solely for the chance to see an Olympic hockey game...

... but then they announced the ticket prices for the games a little while back.  Typical massive Korean 'luxury' mark-up, can't even remember the price for the gold medal ticket but it was shocking.  And that was with the NHL not yet committed to participate.

So, while I agree this is unfortunate, I do see why the owners and league don't want to do it (seriously, the IOC can't even let the NHL air games?), and it would have been a relative impossibility to see a game, anyway, with how screwed up the ticket system sounded.

I was very excited to hear the Winter Olympics would be here, solely for the chance to see an Olympic hockey game...

... but then they announced the ticket prices for the games a little while back.  Typical massive Korean 'luxury' mark-up, can't even remember the price for the gold medal ticket but it was shocking. 

900,000원.

As a hockey player who plays in Korea, I'm dissapointed.  I wouldn't have gone either wa, but it would have been cool to see the highlights.

I never understood why professional athletes like the Dream Team were ever allowed to compete in the olympics.

http://archive.usab.com/history/why_can_pros_compete.html

The people and the players want it so it will happen. The NHL owners are just posturing. Betman is trying to get attention by blowing smoke out of his ass.

Schedules can be changed very easily.  It'll happen.

The people and the players want it so it will happen. The NHL owners are just posturing. Betman is trying to get attention by blowing smoke out of his ass.

Schedules can be changed very easily.  It'll happen.

Yes, there's still a strong possibility; the league already has the alternative schedule set in place.

Well, Ovie just said he was competing (again), and even if he's not as big a star as 4 years ago, I get the feeling as goes Ovechkin, so goes the League. Teams that lose stars to the Olympics won't want to play during that period.