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DatsyukianDekes

NHL players will not participate in 2018 Olympics (Mod Post #99)

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They won't care if they aren't playing against the other best players in the league. That's what makes it appealing. Like I said, no NHL players broke contracts or had clauses put into their contracts to play in the Olympics before 1998. It wasn't important and it will again become unimportant.

It had never been an option before that. It's a lot easier to keep denying something than to take it away after it's become accepted practice.

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I'm glad, when I found out the games would be hosted in South Korea I shook my head.

Whats wrong with South Korea? They were co-host to the 2002 World Cup (an event which is more of an undertaking than the Olympics) and put on an amazing event.

All in all if a player wants to play in the Olympics the NHL cant do a damn thing to stop them. Sure they can suspend the player but all they would need to do is pull a Kovalchuk and head to the KHL for probably a better contract. Hell if the player is good enough they could just ride out the suspension and know that with talent at a premium in the league right now at some point the original team or another team will take a chance on them.

They won't care if they aren't playing against the other best players in the league. That's what makes it appealing. Like I said, no NHL players broke contracts or had clauses put into their contracts to play in the Olympics before 1998. It wasn't important and it will again become unimportant.

The league wasnt as heavily influenced by European players back then as it is now. Europeans put quite a bit more stock into international competitions than North Americans do.

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Guess what NHL ? The players if they want to will go anyways but after seeing the conditions in Sochi I'm not surprised if some would pull out of that. Add to the that the ridiculous time difference (games at 6am anyone?!). Multi billonaires can't stand a standstill for two weeks unbelievable how greedy some of them are, must be a pleasure to work for them in normal life...

Can't wait till players are asking for olympic clauses *g*

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?

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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.

Just about every other major team sport in the world? The World Cups of Soccer, Rugby League, Rugby Union, Cricket and more besides all take place during someones season. International sports, that recognise the fact that they are international.

There's a hell of a lot of arrogant nationalism that borders on xenophobia in this thread, and I'm finding it very hard to not go on a rant. All the wah-wah about Russia being in a different time zone, about the seeming irrelevance of South Korea - quick, someone tell Hasek his gold medal from Nagano doesn't count!

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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?

Most companies allow vacation time though, where their employees can take time off to go pursue other interests.

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Guess what NHL ? The players if they want to will go anyways but after seeing the conditions in Sochi I'm not surprised if some would pull out of that. Add to the that the ridiculous time difference (games at 6am anyone?!). Multi billonaires can't stand a standstill for two weeks unbelievable how greedy some of them are, must be a pleasure to work for them in normal life...

Can't wait till players are asking for olympic clauses *g*

** The above message brought to you by Occupy Hockeytown.

Meanwhile, the NHL will play the same number of games as in a non-Olympic year. A two week "standstill" has absolutely no effect on that.

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I don't like professional athletes in Olympics to begin with.

I like the Olympics for the same reason I like College sports (not Football or Basketball those sports are run like pro sports even in college).

Even if the Russian team really was a pro team, the Miracle on ice is special because of the people involved, not the countries, it was scrappy college kids VS the BIG RED MACHINE!

Sure the US V USSR was a story line, but if this version of the US men's hockey teams beats Russia 4-3 will it be the same story as before, I say no.

The only real story would be the Russians losing at home.

But then again that is my opinion, and my opinion often times differs from the popular opinion.

Where is the line drawn though, anyone with endorsements is considered pro, or anyone with a contract from a pro league?

I also think the venues have a lot to do with the way athletes have viewed the Olympics.

Being in the US, Canada, London, China, or Japan is a lot different from being in Sochi or South Korea. Athletes, especially professional athletes in NA have become very accustomed to a standard of living and accommodations, which is one reason Sochi is getting such bad press. Spoiled or not, not being able to flush toilet paper or having to take a dump next to another person would be enough to turn me away.

The infrastructure and the demands on a town like Sochi are too high for underdeveloped nations or cities (I admit Russia is not underdeveloped, but Sochi is/was.)

They spent billions of dollars to get Sochi ready, yet it isn't ready. There are still hotels that were meant for the Olympics that are concrete and re-bar, the well documented Dog issues that plague the Olympics, the Sewer/ sanitation issues, cleanliness of hotel rooms, all things that are being well documented. The conditions of venues is also an issue. Not saying there weren't issues in Salt Lake or Vancouver, but they were not safety and hygiene related!

Think about the GNPs of these nations,

1. US ($16 T)

2. China($8 T)

3. Japan (~$6 T)

4. Germany ($3.5T)

5. France (~$2.5 T)

6. UK (~$2.5 T)

7. Brazil ($2 T)

8. Russia ($2 T)

9. Italy ($2 T)

10. India (~$2 T)

11. Canada (~$2 T)

12. Australia ($1.5 T)

13. Spain (~$1.5 T)

14. Mexico ($1.1 T)

15 South Korea ($1.1 T)

Do you really think things will be better in South Korea than in Sochi (2x the GNP)? Plus you add to that the political climate there is far worse than it is in Russia.

I am not saying they couldn't pull it off, Greece did, other smaller Scandinavian countries have, but those were different times, Athletes now are some of the highest paid people in the world, and as I said above have become accustomed to a certain life style, sharing the crapper is not something I would sign up for and my life is no where near as luxurious as theirs!

As far as the comment about Hasek getting his medal from Nagano is off base as Japan may be small size wise, but is very large when it comes to GNP and their ability to spend money to get a venue ready and is also a very technologically driven country, granted their Nuke Plants may not be very strategically stationed but they still have many advantages over Russia.

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What makes people think an Olympic clause is even possible? If the NHL says no, the NHL says no. You don't have to like it. You can go AWOL at the risk of having your IIHF card revoked and then you can't play anywhere.

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They won't care if they aren't playing against the other best players in the league. That's what makes it appealing. Like I said, no NHL players broke contracts or had clauses put into their contracts to play in the Olympics before 1998. It wasn't important and it will again become unimportant.

That was because North American "professionals" were not allowed to play in the Olympics before 1998. So they wouldn't have been allowed to play even if they broke their contracts. It's a whole new game after 1998.

I'm all for not participating in the Olympics, but part of me thinks this is going to be used as a bargaining chip on the part of the NHL. They could probably get some pretty big concessions from the NHLPA.

I think you are right. This is Bettman starting his next CBA "negotiations" early. They (the owners) have done used the Olympic participation as a bargaining chip every time since 1998.

Edited by sibiriak

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Just about every other major team sport in the world? The World Cups of Soccer, Rugby League, Rugby Union, Cricket and more besides all take place during someones season. International sports, that recognise the fact that they are international.

There's a hell of a lot of arrogant nationalism that borders on xenophobia in this thread, and I'm finding it very hard to not go on a rant. All the wah-wah about Russia being in a different time zone, about the seeming irrelevance of South Korea - quick, someone tell Hasek his gold medal from Nagano doesn't count!

Russia and South Korea's timezones are very significant in regards to ratings, and therefore, revenue. If games are on at 3am, they won't get seen live. Then most know the score before the game is on tv and don't bother to tune in. South Korea is also like a 14 hour + plane flight. So they'd probably have to add on another day or two for travel, and "celebration" days for the winning team, who it will take a lot longer to get home. 2018 doesn't make sense to participate in at all

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I think this is a bad move. Doesn't anybody remember the last Olympics??

USA vs Canada Gold Medal game goes to overtime, the game got huge ratings and that undoubtedly got more people interested in the game of Hockey/NHL.

I mean you get 2 weeks of huge advertising for your sport, while losing no regularly scheduled games, and the owners are going to complain about this?? Are they f***ing kiding me?

(oh but if THEY shut down the league with NO games being played, they lose fans, they become a joke of a sport; thats all GREAT for the game of Hockey hey??)

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USA vs Canada Gold Medal game goes to overtime, the game got huge ratings and that undoubtedly got more people interested in the game of Hockey/NHL.

I mean you get 2 weeks of huge advertising for your sport, while losing no regularly scheduled games, and the owners are going to complain about this?? Are they f***ing kiding me

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.

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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...

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I think this is a bad move. Doesn't anybody remember the last Olympics??

USA vs Canada Gold Medal game goes to overtime, the game got huge ratings and that undoubtedly got more people interested in the game of Hockey/NHL.

I mean you get 2 weeks of huge advertising for your sport, while losing no regularly scheduled games, and the owners are going to complain about this?? Are they f***ing kiding me?

(oh but if THEY shut down the league with NO games being played, they lose fans, they become a joke of a sport; thats all GREAT for the game of Hockey hey??)

Or Datsyuk and and Kronwall collide at center ice and both get hurt and are out for the regular season. Kiss the playoffs goodbye Wings fans.

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Obviously being in Vancouver helped but after the Gold medal game I had a lot of non-hockey fans talking to me about the game because they knew I was a fan.

And frankly the Olympic size rinks and lack of fighting probably helps appeal to a broader audience too.

Or Datsyuk and and Kronwall collide at center ice and both get hurt and are out for the regular season. Kiss the playoffs goodbye Wings fans.

True. But it's always about weighing the interests of the league overall against individual owners and franchises. There's the risk of injured players weighed against potentially good promotion for the league.

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IMO, the NHL was more popular before 1998 than it is now...I understand the idea of promoting the NHL by putting the NHL players in the tourney, but as stated the sport of hockey is popular enough around the world that it doesn't change anything. Now, when the winter Olympics come back to the states, maybe having NHL players in the games would promote the sport more, like 2002.

It is still my opinion that having un-signed drafted players and other U20 kids promotes the sport more in the States than having an All-Star game that mostly gets watched in NHL cities anyhow...

...if you want to have tournaments to promote the NHL, go back to having super-series' and Canada Cup's et al...over the summer. Sponsored by the NHL, paid for by the NHL and starring NHL players.

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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.

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I like it as a Wings fan. But as a Canadian hockey fan it'll suck a bit, if it's not the best of the best playing I honestly wouldn't watch. Especially because that season the NHL won't go to break. I think for sure the NHL will run into problems with players wanting to represent their countries, gonna be interesting.

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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.

Who is watching these games?? A bunch of people who otherwise wouldn't be watching Hockey.

Who is watching Olympic Bobsledding or Speed Skating or Curling or any Olympic Sport? Probably not a whole lot of people that follow those sports outside of the Olympics. This is their chance to get fresh eyeballs on their sport and plant the seed in people's mind that this might be something they would enjoy seeing more of.

Or Datsyuk and and Kronwall collide at center ice and both get hurt and are out for the regular season. Kiss the playoffs goodbye Wings fans.

Or what happens if they both play great, get a confidence boost coming back to the Wings, go on a tear and win the Stanley Cup.

I mean any player could get in a car accident on their way to the arena everyday, but would you want to physically stop them from getting to the games just in case something happens? Should they all be required to live in a building attached to the rink so that cant happen?

They are Hockey Players! Let Them Play Hockey!!

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I'm all for not participating in the Olympics, but part of me thinks this is going to be used as a bargaining chip on the part of the NHL. They could probably get some pretty big concessions from the NHLPA.

That would be one possible hypothesis, if the current CBA didn't run through the next two Winter Olympics after Sochi.

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