Sign of hope as NHL's Olympic decision nears 11th hour

The hockey world assembled in Toronto over the past several days to celebrate the Hall of Fame inductions of Eric Lindros, Sergei Makarov, Rogie Vachon and the late Pat Quinn.

And, as usual, the five days of festivities concluded with a general managers meeting at the NHL's Toronto office on Tuesday.

But this time around, as the GMs debated blindside hits, shootout tweaks and concerns about the Las Vegas expansion draft in the spring, the hot topic in the game continued to be whether or not NHL players will participate in the 2018 Olympics.

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This storyline will continue to develop in New York on Wednesday, even though NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly warned there won't be much news emanating from this get-together between the NHL, NHLPA, IIHF, Hockey Canada and USA Hockey.

But there has been a development for the league to address. IIHF president Rene Fasel told CBC on Monday his organization will cover the millions of dollars for travel, players' contract insurance, accommodations and hospitality.

To recap, at his annual Stanley Cup final press conference last May, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman expressed doubt the NHL would shut down its 2017-18 season to be in South Korea, citing as the main reason the International Olympic Committee's refusal to pay the league's insurance and transportation costs as well as accommodations and hospitality for players and families in Pyeongchang.

The IOC and the IIHF ponied up an estimated $32 million US to cover such costs for Sochi. Now, IOC president Thomas Bach, who took over prior to the 2014 Sochi Games, wants to put a stop to such pay-for-play arrangements.

• NHL vs. IOC: A power play that's just getting started

However, even though Fasel claims his organization can come up with the necessary cash, Bettman and Daly won't be convinced this is the way to go.

On the surface, the NHL will express concerns the IIHF is subtracting money from programs that help develop the game around the world.

But the real reason is Bettman's stubbornness. He doesn't want the IOC to profit from the NHL's participation without Bach and company forking over some hefty compensation.

It's no secret the men's hockey competition is the marquee event of the Winter Olympics and the NHL has to shut down for two-and-a-half weeks in the middle of the regular season in order to make this happen.

Still, there are three areas of pressure on the NHL to continue its participation in South Korea in 15 months time:

• NBC, which agreed to a $7.75-billion extension in May 2014 to broadcast the Olympics through 2032, will have a huge influence. NBC is the United States rights holder for the NHL, too, and NBC will want to have a best-on-best hockey tournament to showcase in Pyeongchang.
• The players want to continue their participation in the Olympics. In the past, Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin already has stated he will play for Russia no matter what in 2018. It will be interesting to see if more players voice similar sentiments.
• The fact that the 2022 Winter Olympics will be held in Beijing, presents an untapped revenue opportunity for the hockey world, and the NHL would be nuts not to be there if it has designs on reaching the massive Chinese market. HC Kunlun Red Star was added to the KHL loop this season and this has put pressure on the NHL to stake its claim in this market.

So we'll see where the meeting in Manhattan on Wednesday takes the NHL in its Olympic decision. Like Daly said, don't expect any major decisions to be made, but the 11th hour is approaching.

NHLers at the Olympics: the saga continues

8 years ago

Duration 1:59

We're still waiting to find out if NHL players will be able to compete at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea. Who will pay? And when?