Crucial meeting set regarding NHL participation in 2018 PyeongChang Olympics – USA TODAY

NHL officials believe the reality of Olympic participation has never lived up to the romance of the idea.

After five trips to the Olympics since 1998, the league’s enthusiasm for committing to PyeongChang, South Korea, for the 2018 Games is tepid at best. When the International Olympic Committee decreed that the NHL would have to pay transportation and insurance costs to send players, the NHL was ready to pull the plug on its Olympic presence.

That’s why Wednesday’s scheduled meeting in New York between NHL officials, the International Ice Hockey Federation, USA Hockey, Hockey Canada and the NHL Players’ Association could be viewed as the last chance to save the NHL relationship with the Olympics.

USA TODAY

Five NHL story lines that deserve more attention: Are the Devils for real?

No decision is expected to be reached until early January, but this meeting will offer insight into whether there should be any optimism this is going to happen.

IIHF President Rene Fasel is expected to offer a financial plan to offset costs of sending NHL players, according to a person with knowledge of the meeting. The person requested anonymity because of the sensitivity of the situation. But it is unknown whether his plan is enough to bring the NHL back on board.

The NHL won’t like the precedent of the IOC gaining the benefit of NHL participation without incurring any cost.

More importantly, some owners have grown weary of Olympic participation because of the disruption it causes from a business standpoint. In 2014, the NHL shut down from Feb. 9-24 for the Sochi Olympics.  The NHL has hard evidence that shutting down the league mid-season causes financial stress in some markets. Fans can quickly grow out of the habit of attending games.

The fear of major injuries is also a concern. Every player at the Olympics is critical to his NHL team. In a parity league, an injury can be the difference between qualifying or missing the playoffs. Failing to advance to the postseason can cost a franchise millions of dollars in lost revenue.

USA TODAY

Arizona Coyotes’ new arena could be a big win for fans

Originally, the NHL viewed Olympic participation as missionary work to grow the sport. The NHL believed putting its athletes on the Olympic stage was worth the hardship. But that perceived worldwide marketing gain is impossible to quantify. Has the league grown since 1998 because of Olympic participation? No one can answer that with any degree of certainty.

What we do know is that NHL players are bullish about playing at the Olympics, and that is the best hope for making it happen. The NHL’s relationship with the NHLPA seems to have become less contentious since the last collective bargaining agreement was negotiated. If the players push hard enough, it’s hard to imagine the league declaring war over this issue.

While it may be hard to quantify the league’s benefit, clearly there is one. The World Cup of Hockey can become a major event, but it is not going to grow as large as the Olympics.

Olympic participation is like product placement for the NHL. It’s an opportunity for the NHL to place its talented athletes in front of people who don’t know who they are. When you consider the worldwide attention hockey receives during the Olympics, It seems like the reasons for going still outweigh the reasons not to go.

Post to Facebook

Posted!

A link has been posted to your Facebook feed.

• 1 of 33

• 2 of 33

• 3 of 33

• 4 of 33

• 5 of 33

• 6 of 33

• 7 of 33

• 8 of 33

• 9 of 33

• 10 of 33

• 11 of 33

• 12 of 33

• 13 of 33

• 14 of 33

• 15 of 33

• 16 of 33

• 17 of 33

• 18 of 33

• 19 of 33

• 20 of 33

• 21 of 33

• 22 of 33

• 23 of 33

• 24 of 33

• 25 of 33

• 26 of 33

• 27 of 33

• 28 of 33

• 29 of 33

• 30 of 33

• 31 of 33

• 32 of 33

• 33 of 33

Last SlideNext Slide