Bob Nicholson fuming over COC jersey decision

Hockey Canada president Bob Nicholson has few nice words for the Canadian Olympic Committee over a decision to keep the sports federation's logo off the jerseys at the 2010 Winter Games in Vancouver.

Canada's national hockey teams — men's, women's and sledge — will not be allowed to wear Hockey Canada's famous player-skating-out-of-the-maple-leaf emblem at the Vancouver Games after the International Olympic Committee decided to enforce a 13-year-old edict that prohibits sports federation logos on team jerseys.

Hockey Canada has had an exemption in previous Olympic Winter Games but this time the COC supports the IOC's edict — and that has Nicholson fuming.

"The COC is supposed to lead Canada into the Olympics and hopefully this isn't the way the COC is going to lead us over the next 13 months," Nicholson said Wednesday.

"We do not know now how we can interact with them and how we should interact over the next 13 months. There will have to be decisions made whether we participate in orientation meetings, or just do our own thing leading to Vancouver…

"I just wish they would support us at the IOC level and they did not do that and I don't like that type of teammate."

Nicholson said he will take his case up with Rene Fasel, the IOC's point man for the Vancouver Games. As president of the International Ice Hockey Federation, Fasel will be in Ottawa for the 2009 world junior hockey championship.

"He told me if the COC endorsed it, he felt confident he would get [an extension on the exemption]," said Nicholson.

"We're pushing this. We have to find out exactly where our situation is with the IOC," said Nicholson.

"We will talk to some IOC lawyers in the next 24 to 48 hours and then we will talk to Rene Fasel and start our strategy from there."

There's money in the rift between Hockey Canada and the COC.

Hockey Canada stands to lose million of dollars in sales if it can't sell its distinct jersey, cash that could flow to the COC if it is allowed to capitalize on the popularity of the Canadian Olympic team.