Olympics: Hockey prepares Plan B if NHL players don’t go to Games

[doniceage]

If the NHL doesn't send its players to the 2018 Winter Olympics, the hockey tournament in Pyeongchang will look familiar.

It will look a lot like the Olympics in Lillehammer in 1994, Albertville in 1992 and Calgary in 1988.

Maybe even a little like 1980 in Lake Placid, site of the "Miracle On Ice."


http://www.sltrib.com/home/4931600-1...ares-plan-b-if

[30ranfordfan]

And with any luck, Plan B is what happens. Glad that the respective federations are preparing for an Olympics with the NHL..... I just hope that the NHL actually has the nerve to stay out.

[Wookster]

Don't understand why anyone wouldn't want to see the best players in the world play in this tournament, which is the biggest stage in the world as far as hockey goes. Sorry, but that World Cup of Hockey tournament was just terrible and if they never had that again, it wouldn't be a bad thing. I hope the players get to go, they all want to by the sounds of it. Im sure they will find a way to satisfy the NHL's greed somehow and let them go. And to be honest, the fact that the door hasn't been shut yet on them going tells me that there is still a good chance they will be allowed to go.

[ReimerFan]

It's strictly a power play by the NHL brass. If going to the Olympics gets another year or two added to the collective bargaining agreement I'm all for it.

All I remember is being disappointed by both sides for the lockouts. I understand why the NHL want's to avoid it. If it doesn't grow the brand, they don't profit from it and it has the potential to injure a star player on your team you can see the downside. I love watching them play but it's a game of politics right now. Give a little get a little. Compromise!

[geschrocks33]

It won't be the same without the NHL there, I want to see the best players in the world play against each other. I also think if the NHL doesn't send their players, Canada/USA ends up at a more significant disadvantage than the European countries.

Would be interesting though if they don't go, to see how the countries build their teams.

[ryan2374]

If the NHL ends up as a NO GO, I am interested in seeing which players go anyway and then to see what repercussions there would be for them doing so. Should make for some interesting issues.

[30ranfordfan]

The latest World Cup, while entertaining, was a bit of a joke. I agree. NHL found a way to make two "other" teams, so all teams would be 100% NHL players... and that (in my mind) took away from the actual "best-on-best international competition" that a World Cup should be.

The World Cup, and the Canada Cup before it, were good tournaments. Really good. Once NHLers started going to the Olympics though, it took away from WC, made it less important, the demand wasn't there.... and it disappeared, only to come back in the gimmicky format they did this past fall.

I have never liked the idea of the NHL going to the Olympics. I think it's a terrible move that the league shuts itself down for that long of a stretch, and sends its best players to play in that tourney in the middle of their season, risking injury when they should be gearing up for the playoff push.

The league gets nothing out of going, other than the extra "exposure" it supposedly creates, which I call shenanigans on. I don't think the exposure does anything to actually promote the NHL, or get more eyes on it from outside North America.

Olympics hockey is awesome, because we get best-on-best international hockey every 4 years. Drop the Olympics, but also drop the gimmicks form the WC, and give us best-on-best international hockey every four years. The tournament would be great, and the NHL & Players would actually get tangible benefits from it.

Don't understand why anyone wouldn't want to see the best players in the world play in this tournament, which is the biggest stage in the world as far as hockey goes. Sorry, but that World Cup of Hockey tournament was just terrible and if they never had that again, it wouldn't be a bad thing. I hope the players get to go, they all want to by the sounds of it. Im sure they will find a way to satisfy the NHL's greed somehow and let them go. And to be honest, the fact that the door hasn't been shut yet on them going tells me that there is still a good chance they will be allowed to go.

[ryan2374]

The only thing entertaining with the latest World Cup was the young players team and how they played against the other teams.
I guess it was good for Canada as well, they get another trophy.

[sparty07]

If the NHL doesn't send players, then the sport needs to do like Soccer that has a U-23 (something close to this) team with up to 3 older than that.

[30ranfordfan]

Yeah, it's funny. The actual biggest / most popular game in the world... they're smart enough to protect their stars, and don't participate in the Olympics.

The only problem with an U-23 team (in hockey) is all the best players would be playing the NHL already. You could do a U-20 team, but then it'd be the world juniors all over again.....

What might be interesting is if they went with only players that do not play professionally, at all. Players in the Euro Leagues, or KHL (an NHL) wouldn't be in.... limited to junior guys, college players, or pros that are holding out (I'm looking at you, Petr Nedved!)

Obviously it wouldn't be a best-on-best, but it would be much more amateur (I think good) and as I think everyone can tell from my earlier posts.... keeps the NHL far, far, away.

If the NHL doesn't send players, then the sport needs to do like Soccer that has a U-23 (something close to this) team with up to 3 older than that.