2018 Olympics

[Kin]

I think that'd be naive to assume he's just a figurehead for the BoG. I would imagine his influence is enormous.

I've never gotten the impression, after all of these years and all of the issues that have popped up, that Bettman feels very personally about any of them. I think he has some strong and not always popular opinions on how best to grow the game financially but he's never struck me as being emotionally connected to any direction the league might take.

So, yeah, I think when it comes to keeping the team in Phoenix or the best way to conduct labour negotiations I think he can probably crack a whip but I think he can do that with facts/history on his side. Right now I think the issue is that even if Bettman did want to send players to the Olympics he's got nothing to say when an owner asks how it benefits the NHL.

 

[bustaheims]

I've never gotten the impression, after all of these years and all of the issues that have popped up, that Bettman feels very personally about any of them. I think he has some strong and not always popular opinions on how best to grow the game financially but he's never struck me as being emotionally connected to any direction the league might take.

So, yeah, I think when it comes to keeping the team in Phoenix or the best way to conduct labour negotiations I think he can probably crack a whip but I think he can do that with facts/history on his side. Right now I think the issue is that even if Bettman did want to send players to the Olympics he's got nothing to say when an owner asks how it benefits the NHL.

I have largely the same impression - and, even in situations where he can, as you say, crack the whip, he's still very much working to achieve goals set out by the BoG. It's at his discretion as to when he thinks there's something worthwhile to present to them when it comes to negotiations and such, but he doesn't decide what the league is looking for/demanding.

 

[Frank E]

I am not totally convinced the door is closed. Bettman's negotiating techniques are obnoxious and this could be just Bettman being Bettman. How many lockouts have we had? Maybe he's just pulling a heavy to get what he wants.

Let's be clear for a second here. What Bettman wants is entirely meaningless. It's what the owners want. And "Bettman being Bettman" is acting how the owners have employed him to act. I know he makes for an easy bad guy, but he's really just a figurehead for the BoG when it comes to negotiations like this. If we're going to lay blame, let's lay the blame on the right people.

And it's tough for me to use the word "blame" here...it's just 2 business that didn't come to an agreement.  The NHL shouldn't take any more heat than the IOC.

It's easy for us fans to take a side here because we have exactly zero dollars on the line.

 

[Stebro]

To me this is a pissing contest that is on a constant re-run. I'm bored with it to be honest I don't think Bettman wants to be the one who keeps the fans from seeing the best players in the world.

 

[jdh1]

I actually like the fact their not going,never like the thought of a compressed schedule,and then no NHL hockey for almost 3 weeks.

The only interest I had was in the Gold metal game and hopefully Canada was in it. The rest of the games  who cares.

 

[Bullfrog]

I'm disappointed because the Olympics represent to me the pinnacle of international competition featuring the best athletes in the world. But, I understand the economics of it.

 

[Darryl]

I am not the bent out of shape about this. I have great memories of watching Canada battle for medals prior to the NHL involvement.  Besides I don't see any other pro leagues shutting down mid-season. If it isn't worth it to the NHL then so be it.

 

[pmrules]

Sounds like Ovechkin's going to go in any event.

This could get fun real quick....

 

[Frank E]

Sounds like Ovechkin's going to go in any event.

This could get fun real quick....

Yeah, maybe, but he's got a contractual obligation that the league is going to want the Caps to enforce.

Also, if none of the Crosbys and McDavids are going, I'm not as sure he'll be super wanting to be there since it would be a pretty hollow win.

 

[Darryl]

Sounds like Ovechkin's going to go in any event.

This could get fun real quick....

He doesn't want to miss out on getting another participation ribbon. Would throw off his whole collection.

 

[bustaheims]

I am not the bent out of shape about this. I have great memories of watching Canada battle for medals prior to the NHL involvement.  Besides I don't see any other pro leagues shutting down mid-season. If it isn't worth it to the NHL then so be it.

That's another big thing. NBA players going doesn't interrupt their seasons. Nobody seems to blink an eye when MLB refuses to participate in the summer when baseball has been an official Olympic sport, and no one will be surprised when they don't participate in 2020. It's a major inconvenience, and if the teams aren't actually getting anything in return, why would they keep going back?

 

[Kin]

I'm disappointed because the Olympics represent to me the pinnacle of international competition featuring the best athletes in the world. But, I understand the economics of it.

I think this is perfectly fair. While there's a part of me that always side-eyed anyone taking too much away from any short, single elimination tournament there is a reality that is disappointing here as the World Championships don't feature best on best and the World Cup was disappointing in terms of the quality of hockey on display. The Olympics were a best on best tournament that resulted in great hockey and it sucks to lose it without a real replacement.

I just don't think we can turn a blind eye to the reality of the tournament from a business perspective. For years the line was that the Olympics really sold the game internationally but after 2014 it felt like the feeling coming out of the tournament was "Wow, that was great. Why can't the NHL be more like that?" and there's really only so long you can expect the NHL to be on board with something like that.

 

[Kin]

Sounds like Ovechkin's going to go in any event.

To echo something said by people far more connected than I am, if the NHL doesn't go it's a virtual certainty that the NHL will pass a league wide rule saying players can't go. I'm sure Ted Leonsis doesn't want to be the jerk who tells Ovechkin he'll get suspended if he leaves the team but that's where Bettman's services to the league will come in.

 

[hockeyfan1]

Differing opinions, differing viewpoints...

As per Friedman:

The Olympics are making money off hockey and they felt very strongly the organization should pay.

As John Shannon reported last month, the NHL tried to negotiate some financial compromise. It asked for the IOC to ?buy? a home date or two from each team.

The league also tried with the players, asking them to guarantee they would not opt out of the current CBA, including a three-year extension past its current expiry of 2022. The players declined, saying they believe they should not have to give up anything in exchange for Olympic participation.

The IOC not willing to give up anything. The NHL, feeling it's not getting anything. The players felt this wasn?t their problem to solve.

...it?s bad. But, the honest truth is that this is business, not unicorn world. The NHL owners are taking all the risk and the IOC isn?t the most sympathetic organization. The problem with hockey negotiations in the last 25 years is that they aren?t about what?s best for the game. No one does anything unless they get something.

...what impact, if any, this will have on the NHL?s participation in the 2022 Beijing Games. Last week, the NHL announced it will play a pair of exhibition games in China as part of a long-term strategy to tap into that giant market. The Chinese government, with help from the NHL, is making major investments in hockey infrastructure leading up to the 2022 Games. The Chinese may have a big say in whether we see NHLers return to the Olympics for 2022.

http://www.sportsnet.ca/olympics/nhls-decision-not-send-players-olympics-bad-hockey/

 

[CarltonTheBear]

Someone on twitter today floated the idea of recently retired players coming to play in the Olympics since NHLers won't be there. I have no idea if they would necessarily better than using amateurs/players playing overseas but that'd be an interesting question for managements teams to discuss on a case-by-case basis. Kind of like how Eric Gagne played for Canada at the WBC.

 

[bustaheims]

reporterchris: The NHL officially names Tampa as host of the 2018 all-star game. Pretty strong sign the Olympic discussions are truly over.

reporterchris: Gary Bettman on if 2018 Olympics are still an open issue: "It is not and has not been."

Translation: It's over.

reporterchris: Gary Bettman says NHL has "an expectation" no players under contract will go to the 2018 Olympics. No specifics on rule(s), though.

Basically, the final nails in that particular coffin.

 

[Kin]

Apparently they had some discussions about moving hockey to the Summer olympics but that was a non-starter.

 

[Kin]

Interesting news from Friedman that teams will be allowed to loan players on AHL-only contracts to national teams for olympics and potentially players on two-way deals as well.

 

[CarltonTheBear]

Interesting news from Friedman that teams will be allowed to loan players on AHL-only contracts to national teams for olympics and potentially players on two-way deals as well.

Yeah how they handle players in the AHL was always an interesting question to me. I obviously don't really know what the strength of Finland or Sweden's non-NHL depth is like, but I wonder if guys like Kapanen or the two Swedish defencemen we signed would be of any interest to their respective national teams if they're in the AHL. Or even Liljegren if he's in the AHL and performing at a high level.

 

[hockeyfan1]

Canada's Men's 2018 Olympic hockey squad  will have Wilie Desjardins as it's bench boss and Sean Burke as GM, as annoinced by Hockey Canada.  Desjardins will have assistant coaches Dave King, Scott Walker, and Craig Woodcroft (KHL & Swiss League-experienced).  Martin Brodeur will also be a part of the management team.

As for rosters, in light of the fact that the NHL has effectively closed the door on Olympic participation by it's players, Team Canada will need to look elsewhere, and by that Hockey Canada will evaluate the players as per the following rosters that will be participating in a total of five tournaments -- starting from next month (early August), and culminating with the Spengler Cup Tournament in December.

View roster for The Sochi Open (August)
https://www.hockeycanada.ca/en-ca/Team-Canada/Men/National/2017-18/sochi-hockey-open/stats/team-rosters?teamid=533

View roster for Tournament of Nikolai Puchkov (Augiist)
https://www.hockeycanada.ca/en-ca/Team-Canada/Men/National/2017-18/nikolai-puchkov/stats/team-rosters?teamid=546

Lots of work yet ro be done.

Story:
http://globalnews.ca/news/3623015/hockey-canada-to-announce-2018-olympic-mens-coaches-and-schedule/