bye, bye Olympics

[30ranfordfan]

No NHL in the Olympics......

http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/n...olympic-games/

[RGM81]

It's a bummer for sure. The international best-on-best tournaments are great for the game. I understand why the NHL and the owners hate it: shutting down the League for two weeks in the middle of the season, crossing their fingers that nobody gets hurt, etc. I understand why the players love it. When it's in these far-flung places, it's tough. There's so much that goes into organizing the logistics, whether it's the travel, the insurance, you name it.

It's unfortunate, and there's no fault or wrong answer in all this, in my opinion. If you're Mario Lemieux, and you've got like half your team going overseas you've got a ton at stake if someone gets hurt in February. That can impact your place in the standings, your race to the playoffs, your ticket sales, your merchandise sales. Canada can still win a gold medal without Sidney Crosby; can the Penguins win a Stanley Cup?

Will be very interesting to see what happens with players like Alex Ovechkin.

[RGM81]

The NHLPA does not mince words: https://twitter.com/nhlpa/status/849038906372874240

[Leafsman]

THANK GOD that abomination is over, at least for the moment (the players won't take this lying down).

I can't stand professionals playing in the Olympics. The Olympics started as an amateur competition; a way for amateur athletes to show that they are as good as professionals. Watching athletes who train for four years to reach the spectacle that is the Olympics, to me, makes me prouder of their effort than professionals who get paid to play in a league every year and take a break every four years to represent their country.

Alas, greed took hold and professionals invaded the sports of basketball, hockey, and baseball (when it was an Olympic event - it will return in 2020), In my view, the IOC should be ashamed of ruining the true spirit professionals participating in the Olympics is nothing more than a money grab for the prospective pro leagues.

I hope professionals (at least hockey players) never participate in the Olympics again.

[MR.M's Cards]

THANK GOD that abomination is over, at least for the moment (the players won't take this lying down).

I can't stand professionals playing in the Olympics. The Olympics started as an amateur competition; a way for amateur athletes to show that they are as good as professionals. Watching athletes who train for four years to reach the spectacle that is the Olympics, to me, makes me prouder of their effort than professionals who get paid to play in a league every year and take a break every four years to represent their country.

Alas, greed took hold and professionals invaded the sports of basketball, hockey, and baseball (when it was an Olympic event - it will return in 2020), In my view, the IOC should be ashamed of ruining the true spirit professionals participating in the Olympics is nothing more than a money grab for the prospective pro leagues.

I hope professionals (at least hockey players) never participate in the Olympics again.

agreed as well (although MLB never participated in the olympics) I have said since the original dream team that the Olympics are meant for amateur athletes...now we have golfers and tennis players who shouldnt be there as well.....and the NHL, not the IOC, giving out awards and naming an all star team was the biggest farce of all....no other sport does this....glad to seem them gone wont miss them one bit

[jameslacarte]

I, for 1 do not like this decision. The Olympics isn't Amateur athletes.. Maybe it started as that many many years ago but now every country sends they're best athletes to the Games. I guess someone other than Canada may win Olympic gold in Hockey.

[mq13]

Well the players decided not to extend the CBA for 1 year to play in the Olympics. We ™™™™™ed about the Russians using pros for all those years. We were no better by sending NHL players. Give the kids a chance to shine.

[Craig2]

I can't stand professionals playing in the Olympics. The Olympics started as an amateur competition; a way for amateur athletes to show that they are as good as professionals.

Going back to the Ancient Olympics, these "amateur" athletes have always been paid for their Olymipic success, some being paid enough that they could live off their winnings. The myth of amateurism is a relatively modern conceit, and likely a misplaced one given that we've been striving to emulate the ancient Games of which we have a somewhat distorted view.

I believe the Olympics are a celebration of sport where the best athletes in the world in every sport should be showcased, regardless of their status. It seems absolutely ridiculous to me that we want the best bobsledders in the world, but we don't want the best hockey players because they're paid to play for a living.

Maybe I'm in the minority, but I look to the Olympics for the best athletes and teams, whether it's hockey, basketball or whatever. I think it's unfortunate that the NHL may not participate.

[26CRDS]

Definitely a mistake given the chance to showcase ice hockey as a premier sport in the fastest growing economy...

Yes, the Canucks and Kings are going to Shanghai next year, but the viewership will be far less than that of the 2022 Beijing Olympics.

Afterall, the owners are trying to make money right?

[Sharky94]

I agree that "professional" athletes shouldn't be in the Olympics. But we can thank the USSR for screwing that up. It's the way it is now, so I would like to see the best players play in something that means something, not that abomination called the World Cup.

I can't stand the owners/Bettman sitting on their pedestal trying to convince everyone that it is bad having to "shut down", yada, yada... That is all a bunch of BS! It costs them NOTHING to have a little 2-week vacation. The athletes and salaried workers are paid by yearly contracts -- it doesn't matter when they work. Hourly workers get paid per game, and are still going to work 41 home games whether they have a break or not. The ONLY legitimate concern they have is players getting hurt -- which is a real worry. But that seldom happens, but it makes BIG news when it does. They also never remember that a two week break in the middle of the season will give the other 80% of the players in the league a nice time to rest and recover and heal their injuries -- which will greatly enhance the level of play across the league.

And remember, the players are taking just as big a chance of getting hurt as the owners. There is NO player that doesn't care about getting hurt in the Olympics cause he's gonna get paid regardless. They all want to win the Cup, and they are taking that chance too.

We ALL KNOW that it is simply about the money! Plain and simple. You know, NHL players can get hurt in the World Cup just as easily as the Olympics. Why is it fine and dandy to do the WC, but not do the Olympics? That is because the NHL gets the money for the World Cup! Bettman claims they get "nothing" from the Olympics -- just another lie! Do you really think they would have signed a big deal with China this week if it wasn't for the Olympics? Anybody who believes China would be at all interested in hockey if it wasn't for the Olympics is just plain Stupid! And what about that argument Bettman makes about the Olympics in Korea being bad because of the time difference? Well, last time I looked at a globe, China is an hour further away! So I guess THAT argument was just another smoke screen. The one thing the players should do is volunteer to pay their own transportation and insurance, and that would be one less argument against going. Anyone good enough to be going to the Olympics makes good enough money to pay that bill themselves. There are no 4th line scrummers making the league minimum that are going to the Olympics. STEP UP Players!

And the last thing about Bettman crying foul that they get nothing. The NHL gets the LARGEST SPORTS STAGE IN THE WORLD to advertise their game and players. I have heard people argue that is not true because only people that are already hockey fans watch Olympics hockey. That argument is just as big a falsehood as any of Bettman's lies. There are millions of people who watch Olympic sports that don't watch them any other time. I know what Curling is now because of the Olympics. Yes, I understand that a lot of people will watch the Olympics and forget the sports and never spend any money on those sports after the Games are over. But when you have THAT many people watching, some will get interested.

The growth of US Hockey can be directly attributable to the Lake Placid Olympics. Does anyone really think there would be 31 teams in the NHL now if it wasn't for the Miracle on Ice? No way! There wouldn't be a team in Phoenix, so you wouldn't have Austin Matthews in Toronto right now! How is THAT for an Olympic effect?