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Yzerman on future Olympic participation. http://www.latimes.com/sports/olympics/la-sp-sochi-hockey-elliott-20140211,0,5399385.column

You mean cerveza, chips, and guac isn't going to get it done?

I don't care....for once I can say DAVID BACKES IS ON OUR TEAM!!! WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!

South Korea is an advanced nation with a high quality of life. What, exactly, Is the issue with the Olympics being held there? And the time zone thing is just silly. The rest of the world can't host because Westerners might have the scores spoiled? I like the idea of amateurs. People love the focus on athletes that they don't know. I don't know why but they love the profiles on unknowns. People root for unknowns--especially kids--in a more meaningful way than for pros.

No surprise that Canada and the US are way over the cap. It is surprising that Sweden almost makes the cut. Russia being right at the cap, isn't surprising since they have a pro-KHL attitude it seems. It also helps that Kovalchuk retired from the NHL. http://www.thehockeynews.com/blog/canadian-roster-comes-with-heavy-price-tag/

No. Which is stupid.

I'd take Callahan for 5x5 but no more money or term. He brings a lot to the table other than scoring.

Ah, the good ol' days where Scotty took the non-olympic Wings down to a mini-camp in Florida are long gone.

It isn't so much about the potential injuries as it is about missing out on potental profits. Imagine some kind of revenue sharing deal with the IOC/host country, as ridiculous as that is. I think that is what they honestly want. "Their property" is playing for free on an international stage. Throw money at them, and they will shut up. Or better yet, replace the Olympic Tournament with an NHL controlled World Cup of Hockey, where money will roll right in to the BoG.

During the 2010 final you had bars packed with non hockey fans watching the game. Having the games held closer to normal US viewing times helped but who cares were the games are held. The Olympics are for the whole world not just the north american tv audience. They could just as easily get hurt and miss the rest of the season while playing for Detroit as they can for there country. The they could get injured excuse is BS. A player could cut there finger making dinner, get in a wreck on the way to work, etc. Theres always a chance a player could get hurt in there normal lifes. Should owners put all players in a bubble when they are not on the ice for said team to prevent injury?

I'll tell you what, since money is no object to the fans, and they think the owners shouldn't complain about money, will you be willing to pay say $49.95 PPV to watch Olympic Hockey? Or is it different if the money is coming out of your pocket? How about if the players have to pony up a million of their own salary to go? Will they still feel as strongly about going? Anyone watching Pavel Datsyuk the past two games can tell he's clearly not recovered from his knee injury. He is only skating to "get conditioning" for Sochi. So if he injuries it further in Sochi and misses extended time after returning, fans are okay with that? The Wings are holding on to the final playoff spot. A healthy Pavel Datsyuk would surely make a difference and could mean a playoff run or not. We likely lost Franzen for an extended time because he, too wanted to be ready for the Olympics after feeling good for only a couple of days. Steven Stamkos had all but declared himself ready to play, and probably would have, but the medical staff said no way. Either bring back the World Cup of Hockey or move hockey to the Summer Olympics. The risk is all on the owners. If a player gets injured in the Olympics, the player still gets paid.

Still arguing a fallacy. Boohoo, the NHL plays 82 games in a non-Olympic year. Boohoo, the NHL plays 82 games in an Olympic year. Now get out your calculator. See any difference between the two numbers? If anything, the Olympic break keeps NHL fans talking about the sport for an extra two weeks. It extends the season. That's a win for the "pure greed" of the "multi billionaires." Just because the facts don't fit your envious world view doesn't make them untrue.

One of my favourite non-wings players... too bad I can't say the same. I'll have some pride for the Canadians, but I like to watch how the Wings' players do in these tournaments. I won't be cheering for the USA unless they have Howard in net though.

No "All-Star" game will ever have the same impact on Hockey that the 1980 Olympics. I don't care about the game that went into overtime last time. It was just an all star game. It no affect on the fans in the USA, which is where the TV revenue comes from, so there is where you want to ratings and the fan interest in order to grow your sport. Think about the NHL before 1980 in the states, then think about where it has come since then in the States. Hockey has ALWAYS been near the top of the list in countries around the globe like Russia, Sweden, Czech and Finland. It will always be tops in Canada no matter what. If you want your sport to grow again by leaps and bounds again in the States, where I will mention again because it is very important to my point, where the TV revenue is, you have to have miracle type stories. Around the world the USA is known for MLB, NFL and NBA, then the NHL and hockey in general falls way down the list right now. Sure, current NHL fans will watch the "pros" play in the Olympics, and enjoy the tourney, but they will also watch a regular all star game and enjoy it, but you want to attract MORE than just the NHL fans. You want to attract fans in Alabama who do have a college hockey team, but when it comes to the NHL, they don't know too much. But put our College kids against the CHL, SEL, etc... and now we have more interest from all over the states. It still may not get you a franchise in Alabama, but if a kid out of UAH has a pretty good college career and but shines in the Olympic tourney and perhaps earns himself a draft by an NHL team, you now have a few more fans in that state who might turn on ESPN to watch their hometown kid skate for the Canadiens... right now, you can be guaranteed that Olympic fans in Alabama or Mississippi are not going to watch the Ice Hockey tournament just because NHL players are there, but if they have a kid from UAH there, that maybe wouldn't normally have a shot at the Olympics, you can be sure they will tune in...although looking at UAH's roster, there isn't any kids from Alabama on it, but that could change with the Olympics selecting College kids because maybe a young boy sees a UAH player going to the Olympics it may intrigue him to start playing. Right now that young boy just strives to play football and having the NHL players over there won't change that and it won't turn on the TV's in non-NHL cities... 1980 was to USA hockey is what the Beatles were to Rock N Roll...it's time to go back to investing in our kids to promote this sport, not a bunch of well (some over) paid athletes...

Well, that's the argument, I'm just not sure it really works. Who is watching these games? Non fans that all of a sudden start watching the NHL? Or is it already existing NHL fans? There is also a big difference between games in Vancouver and games in Sochi or other parts of the world.

PLENTY of U20 talent in the WORLD to have just as good Olympic Tournament...

How many other businesses do you know of that would shut down so their employees can go off and do something else without any benefit of all coming back to the company? Initially, the idea was that the participation would help grow the game globally, but I don't think there is much impact at all from that. I don't see it as a greed thing, I see it as a common sense thing. There is no reason, whatsoever, for the owners to want to do it again in the future. Will the players want to? Sure, why not? I'm not sure how important it is to them, but if it is important, it becomes a negotiation item with the league. If the league agrees to it, what do the players give up in return?

At first I thought this had something to do with expansion.

C-eh-N-eh-D-eh!!!

I think all the Korean NHL players will just go regardless of the leagues' policy is.

S-W-E-D-E-N!!!

It reminds me a lot of Prince Fielder. When he's doing well, he's a "big guy", when he's not, he's an obese slob that isn't committed.

I don't want to see Bertuzzi or Cleary play another game in Detroit. Also, am I the only one dredding the return of Franzen and Weiss? This make the Wings slower and less engaged IMO.

Gus starts tonight, and Lashoff is in for Smith.