The NHL has announced that players will NOT be going to Pyoengchang in 2018.

NHL Will Not Participate in 2018 Pyeongchang Olympic Games

Very disappointed.

Edited April 3, 20178 yr by JCon

I hope the Olympics hold the NHL's feet to the fire for China then.  the NHL WANTS to be in China.  They shouldn't get to pick and choose.  You're either apart of the Olympics or you aren't.

If I'm Pyeongchang, I'm upset. If I'm a sponsor, I'm upset. If I'm a player, I'm upset. If I'm an NHL owner, I'm wondering why I'm subsidizing a team in Arizona.

I don't think this plays well for Bettman. Yes, he does the owners' bidding but he's suppose to negotiate these things. Not sure how they get to China now? The NHLPA holds the cards now, including the preseason games next year.

Fine with me. Send the juniors and cancel the WJHC for that year.

 

The owners didn't want it. It disrupts their season and they want all of the focus on their season, not the Olys. The worst case scenario for them was that the World Cup was a bag of crap, which is was, which meant people still really wanted the Olys. Their hope was that people would love the WC so much they would forget about the Olys. Nice try....no dice. Really sucks...Oly hockey is the best hockey we'll ever see.

Hey, the World Cup was awesome when it was called the Canada Cup and the year was 1984 or 1987.

and I was so looking for ward to seeing Schief and Laine and Ehlers in olympic action

1 hour ago, Noeller said:

The owners didn't want it. It disrupts their season and they want all of the focus on their season, not the Olys. The worst case scenario for them was that the World Cup was a bag of crap, which is was, which meant people still really wanted the Olys. Their hope was that people would love the WC so much they would forget about the Olys. Nice try....no dice. Really sucks...Oly hockey is the best hockey we'll ever see.

The time zone is probably the worst you could have for television in North America. Look at the Women's World Curling Championship 2 weeks ago in Beijing. The championship game started around 3 or 4 am. Brutal. That & the fact you have a nutbar tin pot dictator threatening to blow up the US & Japan with nuclear weapons. No way the Olympics should even be in South Korea with all of the geo political conflict going on. The IOC awarded South Korea the Winter Olympics after millions in bribes, I'm sure. Don't blame the NHL for not wanting to be there in the least.  

3 minutes ago, SpeedFlex27 said:

The time zone is probably the worst you could have for television in North America. Look at the Women's World Curling Championship 2 weeks ago in Beijing. The championship game started around 3 or 4 am. Brutal. That & the fact you have a nutbar tin pot dictator threatening to blow up the US & Japan with nuclear weapons. No way the Olympics should even be in South Korea with all of the geo political conflict going on. The IOC awarded South Korea the Winter Olympics after millions in bribes, I'm sure. Don't blame the NHL for not wanting to be there in the least.  

Well, it's South Korea, not North...but still.....the point is more that the NHL desperately wants to be in China in 2022, but not Korea....you can't pick and choose. You want out of Korea? Fine......but you don't get to come back in for China and all the big money waiting for them there...

I think Jcon is right.  The owners don't care and don't want it. But they do understand growing the game.  But they wanted something in return and were probably caught off guard when the PA didn't negotiate.  

I think the HHL is inherently arrogant too.  They want to be in China.  And they don't think the Olympics will make them squirm.  If the NHL wants to go to China they will.  

We'll see if the PA comes back with an offer to try to save this.  Im not sure there is a real risk of players going on their own.  Surely it would violate their contracts.

33 minutes ago, Noeller said:

Well, it's South Korea, not North...but still.....the point is more that the NHL desperately wants to be in China in 2022, but not Korea....you can't pick and choose. You want out of Korea? Fine......but you don't get to come back in for China and all the big money waiting for them there...

There is also the subject of advertising. How well will the Winter Olympics sell in the US when game & other events are on at 3 in the morning not only for hockey but for other sports? As much as the rest of the world hates it, if broadcast times suck in the States then it affects the ratings for the Olympics on television which means loss of tv revenues. I don't think the games in South Korea will be as successful as they'd have been if they were in Europe. That could have played into the decision although it's pretty well common knowledge that the NHL was looking at any reason not to be there.

Edited April 3, 20178 yr by SpeedFlex27

Will be interesting to get some player reacting on not be able to participate, I also think the IOC will sweeten the pot.

Edited April 3, 20178 yr by bustamente

Ovechkin says he's going, and his owner supports him......so I think we'll see a few who go, regardless...

NHL owners are greedy pricks, we knew this already. 

3 minutes ago, 17to85 said:

NHL owners are greedy pricks, we knew this already. 

Everyone is greedy.

1 hour ago, FrostyWinnipeg said:

Everyone is greedy.

... even some players

14 hours ago, FrostyWinnipeg said:

Everyone is greedy.

They sure are, but the owners I find to be the worst because they're not even interested in trying to make something happen. Just going on and on about how horrible it is to stop the season and they don't get any money from it, poor babies. They weren't so concerned about shutting the season down when they locked the players out trying to squeeze more money out of them. The biggest losers in all of this are the fans and maybe it's time that the NHL actually did something to show that they cared about their fans as opposed to trying to part us with money all the time. 

And the response from the IIHF.

From the article:

...

“The IIHF is deeply disappointed to hear of Commissioner Bettman's decision not to have National Hockey League players take part in the 2018 Olympic Winter Games,” said IIHF President René Fasel.

“While we respect the NHL’s reasons for not taking part, there is no hiding the fact that this is a decision that robs ice hockey fans of the world's greatest best-on-best international ice hockey competition, and our sport of a truly global platform that has been in place since 1998. At the end of the day, ice hockey loses here.”

...

However, the National Hockey League Players’ Association came out with a statement of its own, saying that its players “are extraordinarily disappointed and adamantly disagree with the NHL's shortsighted decision to not continue our participation in the Olympics.”

"Any sort of inconvenience the Olympics may cause to next season's schedule is a small price to pay compared to the opportunity to showcase our game and our greatest players on this enormous international stage.”

...

It's really quite pathetic from all angles.  Everyone bears responsibility for this.

32 minutes ago, 17to85 said:

They sure are, but the owners I find to be the worst because they're not even interested in trying to make something happen. Just going on and on about how horrible it is to stop the season and they don't get any money from it, poor babies. They weren't so concerned about shutting the season down when they locked the players out trying to squeeze more money out of them. The biggest losers in all of this are the fans and maybe it's time that the NHL actually did something to show that they cared about their fans as opposed to trying to part us with money all the time. 

You can make the argument that it's just as much the players who aren't interested in making anything happen.  Sure, they're all talking a good game.  What concessions are you willing to make to go to the Games?  

Bettman represents the owners.  All season long he's been asking the PA for something to take to the owners to compensate for the season break.  We can go to the games if you extend the CBA for 5 years - that kind of thing.  I get why the players would scoff at that, I probably would too.  But I get where the owners are coming from.  You're taking their assets, suspending league operations and creating another season scheduling nightmare - and for what?  I've still yet to hear any tangible benefit to the National Hockey League beyond the idea that the best athletes should be at the Olympics, period. 

So to me, taking the players side simply because they all say they want to go, and they are on the fans side and all that jargon is just shortsighted.  Both sides, and throw in the IOC and IIHF too, have all been playing around with this and getting no where.  Players just look better because they're on same side as fans. 

9 minutes ago, Atomic said:

It's really quite pathetic from all angles.  Everyone bears responsibility for this.

I'm not sure how you blame the players in this. The only option they were given was to extend the current CBA.

Just now, JCon said:

I'm not sure how you blame the players in this. The only option they were given was to extend the current CBA.

An option which they rejected with no counter-offer.

Just now, Atomic said:

An option which they rejected with no counter-offer.

Bettman was trying to hold them hostage. The CBA is negotiated for all players but the Olympics only represents a small portion of the NHLPA.

It was a complete red hearing and is a completing separate issue.

16 hours ago, iHeart said:

and I was so looking for ward to seeing Schief and Laine and Ehlers in olympic action

until one or all of them got hurt like Tavares and ruined a potential playoff run.

17 hours ago, rebusrankin said:

Hey, the World Cup was awesome when it was called the Canada Cup and the year was 1984 or 1987.

That was because in the 1980's the Russians were still the evil scumbag communists, not the benevolent world-loving friendly types they are now.

But seriously, back in those days Russkies weren't allowed in the NHL, so we only got to play them in the World Cup (the Olympics was a joke because we had to send amateurs instead of our best, while Russia always got to send their best).  The World Cup was a novelty.  Now we get to see Russians play everyday in the NHL, not so much of a big deal.

Edited April 4, 20178 yr by kelownabomberfan