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NHL 2018?


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Rumor has that the National Hockey League is non committed to send its players in 2018. To be fair I think the NHL is the pro league that suspends its season for the Olympics. This will be interesting to see, I think the IOC will have to cut a check to NHL secretly for loss of revenue, if the NHL is going to be part of the Olympics.

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Rumor has that the National Hockey League is non committed to send its players in 2018. To be fair I think the NHL is the pro league that suspends its season for the Olympics. This will be interesting to see, I think the IOC will have to cut a check to NHL secretly for loss of revenue, if the NHL is going to be part of the Olympics.

What lost revenue? Each NHL team still has 41 home games, they will still sell the same amount of jerseys/hats/other bullsh!t. The NHL still gets the same revenue from TV and internet contracts. It just means instead of a 5 day All-Star Break, its a 13 day Olympic break which the average hockey fan is far more interested in. Going to the Olympics, in the current economic environment, has not adversely affected revenue, 2006 and 2010 were record revenue years and 2014 is looking to be another record revenue year.

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The NHL and the NHLPA just want some control and ability to use the 'Olympian' advantage in marketing. It was one of the sticking points to the current agreement.

As far as I now, the NHL and IIHF are working towards a far more comprehensive agreement after these Olympics. One that was not achievable given the current host is Russia and has interest that differ from the other major federations. Now that Russian interference is out of the way in crafting a replacement to the long defunct transfer and rights agreements, one can be reached to achieve suitable terms for the Swedish, Finnish, Czech and Swiss leagues. I doubt the IOC will continue to accept one off agreements and will expect a longer term agreement until at least 2026.

A remaining sticking point, and one the IOC fought very hard over in the last round of negotiations, is that the NHL wanted special treatment that the NBA, and the other professional leagues do not have for allowing their players to play in the Olympics. The IIHF wants a release agreement similar to the one FIFA has with the leagues to require clubs to release players. Unfortunately translating the European and North American league business model is difficult. But it makes no logical sense for the NHL to not be apart of something that is significantly bigger than itself for promotional reasons.

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Playing devil's advocate here, but two to three venues less, hundreds of athletes less...a Winter Games without ice hockey would be a step to downsize them, though quite a radical one.

But if the NHL wants to blackmail the IOC, maybe in turn the IOC could play the bully here just as well...

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Playing devil's advocate here, but two to three venues less, hundreds of athletes less...a Winter Games without ice hockey would be a step to downsize them, though quite a radical one.

But if the NHL wants to blackmail the IOC, maybe in turn the IOC could play the bully here just as well...

No one is talking about cutting hockey.

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Playing devil's advocate here, but two to three venues less, hundreds of athletes less...a Winter Games without ice hockey would be a step to downsize them, though quite a radical one.

But if the NHL wants to blackmail the IOC, maybe in turn the IOC could play the bully here just as well...

Not really. Yes, the hockey tournaments require a lot of athletes and 2 venues, but those are venues getting used 2 or 3 times a day throughout the course of the Olympics. If they're gonna start cutting events/venues, that's not where to start.

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My previous post was merely a bit provocative, ai know they're not really thinking about cutting it.

However, while these venues are well used during the Games, it may be difficult to really fill them afterwards regularly, especially if almost similar in size and nearby.

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But if the NHL wants to blackmail the IOC, maybe in turn the IOC could play the bully here just as well...

The NHL would love the Olympics to cut ice hockey. It's a tournament using "the NHL's" players, for which the NHL gets no money. They *hate* that.

As for arenas, unless you insist on putting most of the venues in a tight cluster, or putting the winter games in a summer resort, ice areans... especially the smaller one mostly used for women, should be something a city has lying around.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Bettman has to be of two minds the last two weeks. He's never been a real fan of the NHL in the Olympics, but the level of interest that picked up in the US after the Russia game and going into the two US/Canada games has to have given him cause to think. I think the NHL makes it to 2018 but it will have to be as good or better a tournament to make sure 2022 happens (unless 2022 goes to Norway, where I think a lot of the nordic players will push to have NHL inclusion).

On a side note, how does the NHL not work on creating a biennial series between the US/Canada women's teams or work to promote a small tournament of nations type cup? Most of the feedback I got from folks out here in southeast Michigan was that the women's games were better than most of the mens.

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With the injured Canadian hockey player, I think the owner is not very happy. Leading , to that the NHL will have second thoughts about 2018. Mr Bettman not very impressed of course its very early but to fly out to Korea in a nation that could care less about hockey.

The angry Islanders owner is the same guy who signed Rick DiPietro to a 15 year contract. He's retarted.

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