bye, bye Olympics

[creasecollector]

Man, although I wish the NHL players were going, it'll be interesting to see which players from around the world will lace them up to take their place? Should be something like the Team Canada we see at the Spengler Cup. Still will be fun to watch!

[doniceage]

I see both sides and it not a easy decision for either if you ask me as there no way to make everyone happy.

I love stuff like this and wish more guys like Ovy would express their taste in skates:
http://www.russianmachineneverbreaks...ainted-skates/

Those skates are badass.


DON

[30ranfordfan]

There was another thread on this topic a while back... and I let my own thoughts be known posting then, but I'll say again:

Good Riddance.

I never liked shutting the league down for a tournament mid-season. No tangible benefit for the league.... I do not buy the "grow the game" argument when it comes to Olympic participation either.

If I had to make a wager, the NHL will be back in 2022 (China, because China) but the horrible schedule, the expense, lack of any benefit for the owners... along with "who is actually going to watch these games, live???" made South Korea so unpalatable - they axed it.


It's smart business. This turns the World Cup into the premier best-on-best international tournament. The NHL just needs to drop the gimmick teams next time they play so it actually comes off as a real tournament. The old World Cup / Canada Cup was great... no reason it can't be again.

[doniceage]

@30ranfordfan

OVECHKIN THINKS NHL IS BLUFFING, AND PLANS TO GO TO OLYMPICS REGARDLESS
http://www.thehockeynews.com/news/ar...tter-All_Users

Hypothetically, what would happen if the roster of the Capitals all decided to play in the the Olympics. I wonder what the NHL could do?

DON

[doniceage]

@30ranfordfan

OVECHKIN THINKS NHL IS BLUFFING, AND PLANS TO GO TO OLYMPICS REGARDLESS
http://www.thehockeynews.com/news/ar...tter-All_Users

Hypothetically, what would happen if the roster of the Capitals all decided to play in the the Olympics. I wonder what the NHL could do?

DON

[30ranfordfan]

If I'm the NHL.... I push through a new rule really quickly this off season. It's sure to get (at least NEAR) unanimous approval from the owners:

Anyone under contract to an NHL team... for each game they play @ the Olympics, they're suspended 10 in the NHL, and their club team is fined $1 million.

There we go, done.

Assuming the tourney follows the same structure it did last time... that's 3 round robin games, followed by Quarter Finals, Semis, and Finals (or Bronze). Assume that Russia gets to play 6 games..... OV can miss the next 60, and Leonis is out $6 million from his pocket.

Yeah, I realize that's way harsher than they'd ever actually do - but some kind of suspension is the only way to handle it.

[creasecollector]

I agree. I think the NHL will quickly pass some sort of new rule to prevent a multi-player "walkout" for the Olympics. It would suck to see a rule passed like that, but if I'm the NHL, I would be afraid of a bunch of players jumping ship and going to the Olympics.

Do I think Ovechkin will still go? Depends on the rule. I think he could still end up going if the new rule is do-able for him personally.

[doniceage]

If I'm the NHL.... I push through a new rule really quickly this off season. It's sure to get (at least NEAR) unanimous approval from the owners:

Anyone under contract to an NHL team... for each game they play @ the Olympics, they're suspended 10 in the NHL, and their club team is fined $1 million.

There we go, done.

Assuming the tourney follows the same structure it did last time... that's 3 round robin games, followed by Quarter Finals, Semis, and Finals (or Bronze). Assume that Russia gets to play 6 games..... OV can miss the next 60, and Leonis is out $6 million from his pocket.

Yeah, I realize that's way harsher than they'd ever actually do - but some kind of suspension is the only way to handle it.

Problem is doesn't' anuthing like this have to be accepted by the NHLPA. Just cannot create ™™™™ on the fly where a union is involved. So I my understanding is correct that will never happen until the two sides meet again for a new contract.

Don

[30ranfordfan]

That's probably a fair point. They won't be able to make new rules that target this.

There are things they can do within the current rules.....

For example: Players who get injured outside of performing their duties to their team can be suspended without pay.

Even off ice workouts are all sanctioned by team doctors. A player can't go home for the summer and play a game in his buddy's SloPitch league (he can, but if he gets hurt, he won't be able to collect his pay cheque while recovering).

So first thing: Any player who gets injured at the Olympics, make it clear to them that they won't receive a nickel of their NHL pay until they're able to play again.

Next up, and this would come to owners (individually) to enforce: Paragraph 6 of the Standard Player Contract says that the player can't play hockey for any other team, with their NHL team's permission. So using Ovechkin as the example.... if Leonis doesn't sign off on it, he can get an instant court injunction that bars Ovechkin from playing. If the IOC (and Russia) lets it happen anyway... then the Captials have grounds to sue the pants off them. The Russians (I'd bet) wouldn't care, but the IOC probably would.

The NHL Board of Governors, I'm fairly certain, could pass a rule the imposes fines on Owners for not enforcing that part of contracts. Wouldn't need player approval. It's the owners fining other owners, for not following the CBA.



I can think of one case a few years back... pretty sure it was the Flames... they only dressed 14 Skaters for a game late in the season, because they were trying to squeeze in under the cap for the year (sending guys to the minors, and off the NHL roster for that game save them enough cap dollars that they were still cap compliant). I'm pretty sure the league fined them for fielding a less than competitive team. I'd bet that the Capitals (or any team) could be fined for allowing their players to go to the Olympics.

On top of that, I can think of at least two occasions when NHL players want to go to the Olympics, their NHL team said it was okay, and the league said no: Glenn Anderson (Leafs, Canada) in 1994, and Rusal Salei (Ducks, Belarus) in 1998.

Anderson was a case of a declining player the Leafs were okay with not having for a few weeks, but the NHL wouldn't let them play with anything other than their best roster.

Salei was back when there was a "play in" tourney that NHL players couldn't participate in, but they could play in the full tournament. I think the last year for this was 2002. For the 1998 & 2002 Games - The top 6 teams from prior years just got into the tournament, and the next best 8 teams played for the final two spots.... but players like Salei couldn't represent their countries in the play-in portion of the tournament.

(completely off topic... but I will add this anyway)

IOC changed the rules after 2002, to just take the top ranked teams based on world rankings.... a direct result of the Czeck's finishing 7th, and would therefor have had to "play in" in 2006, without their NHL stars. Not good for business. They re-wrote the rules so this wouldn't happen.

Salei ended up getting suspended for a couple of games (for head butting Sergei Krivokrasov) and the suspension freed up his time, and he went to play for Belarus anyway.


So I think you're right: The NHL couldn't change the rules to make it more prohibitive for players to go.... but they could certainly make it more prohibitive for owners to give up the rights they have with contracts, within the CBA.

Problem is doesn't' anuthing like this have to be accepted by the NHLPA. Just cannot create ™™™™ on the fly where a union is involved. So I my understanding is correct that will never happen until the two sides meet again for a new contract.

Don

[creasecollector]

A ton of info right there @30ranfordfan . Thanks for this! Really good read. So interesting.