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NHL players will not participate in the 2018 Winter Olympics

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V

VendettaRed07

Member
So basically it's going to be Russia's best players vs a bunch of college or minor league Canadian and Americans

Thanks NHL. Fuck you.
 
K

KillerMan91

Member
Bustanen said:
Lame. The yearly World Championships are already fucking boring, who the hell wants to watch the same shit teams play twice between couple of months?
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Material wise Olympics will now be one step below even World Championships. World Championships tournament usually has actually pretty decent amount of NHL players.
 
ZeroGravity

ZeroGravity

Member
RevoDS said:
That statement is obvious posturing and clearly aimed at the NHLPA, IIHF and IOC, not at the public. It's carefully crafted, but it's not PR. It's negotiation.

I don't think it's as over as they say.
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This isn't posturing anymore for 2018. They've been doing that for some time now. It's done. They even say the matter is officially closed at the end of their statement.

The NHL has to craft its schedule for next year and had to make a definitive decision at some point. This is it.
 
D

DopeyFish

Not bitter, just unsweetened
Bustanen said:
Lame. The yearly World Championships are already fucking boring, who the hell wants to watch the same shit teams play twice between a couple of months?
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The WHC are dumb because of timing. They take place during NHL playoffs so the teams are a mish mash.

Hockey is the one sport where all their tournaments and seasons are all happening at once and the quality of all suffer for it. Top tier players dont go to olympics if NHL doesn't stop the season. Players too tired to go to WHC. NHL teams stop top rookies going to the WJC.

World Cup is pretty much the best chance of tournament quality, but it's been tough getting the eyeballs for it.
 
M

mdubs

Banned
Lovely Salsa said:
That they wont send their players to the olympics? I can tell you the swedish NHLers are pissed at this decision

Olympics is the closest thing to football WC for hockey
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Maybe Thomas Bach should stop being so greedy then? Not the NHL's problem that the IOC is unwilling to do anything to make this work.
 
M

Madness

Member
Nyoro SF said:
Kinda conflicted... I always enjoy watching star players play against one another at the Olympics. But the NHL has the right to financially protect itself.
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So dumb. Nothing grows the sport more than a Canada vs Russia, Canada vs US, US vs Russia or Sweden vs Finland hockey match. Will once again resemble international hockey tournaments with little to no hype. Imagine Olympics basketball without NBA players.

So shortsighted by the NHL. Let the players finance risks themselves if need be. As it is, olympic hockey is less prone to injuries and fighting. One of the biggest attractions of winter olympics gone. SK probably very upset as well.
 
S

ScatheZombie

Member
Silexx said:
lol ok

Sweden is going to be hurt more by this than the US is.
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Remove NHLers and you have to pull your depth of players from secondary leagues (Europe, KHL, etc.)

Canada and USA are the dominate countries in the NHL and have very little depth in those secondary leagues. Most secondary players from US/CAN are in the AHL or CHL (who likely are also barred from participation while on NHL contracts - especially since a lot of those teams are actually owned by their respective NHL clubs/ownership groups).

That's means countries with larger representation in non-NHL affiliated leagues see a huge boost. Yeah, Sweden won't be stacked with NHLers, but their European league players are still fairly good. The only countries who really don't have an answer to "No NHLers" is US and Canada. Everyone else has a fuckload of depth outside the NHL. They don't.

Yeah, it takes Sweden from top 5 to average.

But it takes US/CAN from top 3 to below average.
 
R

Rad-

Member
Fuck that. Olympics is always fun to watch. :(

Now Olympics hockey is a joke like Olympics football is.

I also wonder what this does to the sport long term... A lot of the smaller hockey countries gain new young players through international competition hype.
 
R

RevoDS

Junior Member
ZeroGravity said:
This isn't posturing anymore for 2018. They've been doing that for some time now. It's done. They even say the matter is officially closed at the end of their statement.

The NHL has to craft its schedule for next year and had to make a definitive decision at some point. This is it.
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I don't buy that, precisely because of that wording. "The matter is officially closed" isn't something you put out in a press release unless you're trying to incite change onto another party.

Either that, the NHL has extremely poor PR or Bettman himself wrote the statement and is showing how butthurt he is that his tactics didn't work.

I guess we'll see, but that just doesn't sound like a proper press release to me.
 
B

bigJP

Member
so who's gonna leave their team?
betting on ovi, jagr maybe too, lasst chance for him

would love it if a "good canadian boy" goes like crosby or toews.
 
Z

Zombie James

Banned
Rad- said:
Fuck that. Olympics is always fun to watch. :(
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It still will be. You only need to look at the World Juniors (or even the North American team at this years' World Cup) to see you don't need big, established names to have a fantastic hockey tournament.
 
C

Consequence

Member
ScatheZombie said:
Remove NHLers and you have to pull your depth of players from secondary leagues (Europe, KHL, etc.)

Canada and USA are the dominate countries in the NHL and have very little depth in those secondary leagues. Most secondary players from US/CAN are in the AHL or CHL (who likely are also barred from participation while on NHL contracts - especially since a lot of those teams are actually owned by their respective NHL clubs/ownership groups).

That's means countries with larger representation in non-NHL affiliated leagues see a huge boost. Yeah, Sweden won't be stacked with NHLers, but their European league players are still fairly good. The only countries who really don't have an answer to "No NHLers" is US and Canada. Everyone else has a fuckload of depth outside the NHL. They don't.

Yeah, it takes Sweden from top 5 to average.

But it takes US/CAN from top 3 to below average.
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Depends on if some recently retired NHL guys feel like getting in shape for this. A mix of those vets and young guys from non-NHL affiliated leagues will have the States and Canada right back in the mix.
 
Z

Zombie James

Banned
Matrix XII said:
You don't enjoy best on best?
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When it interferes with a season in progress and could potentially effect it with injuries? No, I don't.

edit: Not that I don't find Olympics tournaments exciting, but given the choice I'd rather not stop a season and have NHL players there.
 
K

Kifimbo

Member
Randolph Freelander said:
Good for the NHL. The NBA should do the same.

Leave those silly international tournaments to amateurs.
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They are only 'amateurs' in other sports because there isn't money to be made professionally. They are still the best runners, skiers, judokas, swimmers, speed skaters, etc, with a few exceptions (like football). Olympics should be about the best in the world competing against each other.

Anyway, this non-participation, if it happened, will not only ruin the Olympic tournament), but it will also ruin the NHL season for two weeks. Because several players already said they will be going to the Olympics. So you'll have some teams with all their players, some teams with a few of their players gone, some teams with all their best players gone. Gone luck with that.
 
H

HawksWinStanley

Member
I'm torn on this and can easily understand the argument from both sides. I don't really have a clear cut opinion but I admit I'm tired of seeing almost half of my team's starting lines overextending themselves with extra play, travel, and injury risk.
 
C

Cat Party

Member
Keep in mind this only means the NHL won't take a break during the Olympics, which is fine by me. The NHL has not yet declared that teams can't let their players go.
 
K

Kifimbo

Member
HawksWinStanley said:
I'm torn on this and can easily understand the argument from both sides. I don't really have a clear cut opinion but I admit I'm tired of seeing almost half of my team's starting lines overextending themselves with extra play, travel, and injury risk.
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The Hawks won the Cup in 2010 though.
 
A

a916

Member
Lol at some of the reaction.

The NHL would've been fine if the IOC didn't say anything.

Except the IOC said, they aren't footing the bill for the NHL players and told the NHL to do it. (they've been doing it the past 5 times). All this combined without throwing anything to the NHL (they've been wanting a cut of the merchandise)

The IOC was dumb enough to bully the NHL and the NHL didn't back down. The NHL was already asked to disrupt their schedule, risk injury and wear on their star players, and now they'd have to foot the cost with barely anything to gain.

Lol at the players taking shots at Bettman too... too cowardly to call out your owners. I guess it's easy to do than to call out the guy really behind it, the owners.
 
P

patapuf

Member
Is hockey the only major sport that's unable to host a best on best international tournament with any regularity?

I can't think of another one.
 
G

GSG Flash

Nobody ruins my family vacation but me...and maybe the boy!
patapuf said:
Is hockey the only major sport that's unable to host a best on best international tournament with any regularity?

I can't think of another one.
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Define "regularity"

Because the NHL has been going to every winter Olympics since 98 and hockey has been a part of the Olympics for like ever and will continue to be so.

The NHL probably predicted this outcome, hence why they started up the World Cup of Hockey again last summer. The problem is that the WCOH was lame and gimmicky. The NHL needs to look at the FIFA World Cup as a better example of an international competition.
 
P

patapuf

Member
GSG Flash said:
Define "regularity"

Because the NHL has been going to every winter Olympics since 98 and hockey has been a part of the Olympics for like ever and will continue to be so.

The NHL probably predicted this outcome, hence why they started up the World Cup of Hockey again last summer. The problem is that the WCOH was lame and gimmicky. The NHL needs to look at the FIFA World Cup as a better example of an international competition.
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I feel that every time the Olympics come up the dance around whether the NHL will release players or not starts anew.

Getting various hockey leagues in NA and Europe to work together for a big tournament outside of the Olympics doesn't seem to go well either since the NHL and the IIHF don't seem to like each other much (or rather, both want as much money as possible).

I dunno, i hope they'll figure something out.
 
M

MeBecomingI

Member
Then they might as well pull hockey from the Olympics this year then. The Olympics are about having the best of the best in the world in their respective sport compete. If you don't have the best of the best, the Olympics aren't the Olympics. It's just a random tournament taking place at the same time of which many will not care about.

I do understand the NHL's position and I can accept they need greater financial compensation for their participation, but I feel bad for the players who want to represent their country in the sport of which they are the best in. Probably feels like a big slap in the face.

Personally, I'm a little sad about the decision not to let the players participate but I understand it. Olympic hockey was always an event for my family and it was something we always looked forward too. Now it'll be just a shell of it's former self.

Oh well.
 
Z

Zombie James

Banned
MeBecomingI said:
Then they might as well pull hockey from the Olympics this year then. The Olympics are about having the best of the best in the world in their respective sport compete. If you don't have the best of the best, the Olympics aren't the Olympics. It's just a random tournament taking place at the same time of which many will not care about.
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2AyKC4s.jpg
 
M

mdubs

Banned
CreeperBlocks said:
What the heck will the Rosters of Team USA and Team Canada look like?

Is it just going to be college kids and NHL wash ups?
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From the Globe and Mail:

Projected 2018 team (without NHL players)

Goaltenders:

Zach Fucale, Brampton (ECHL); Drew MacIntyre, Medvescak Zagreb (KHL); Ben Scrivens, HC Dinamo Minsk (KHL); Danny Taylor, HC Sibir Novosibirsk (KHL)

Defencemen:

Chay Genoway, Jokerit Helsinki (KHL); Geoff Kinrade, Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk (KHL); Chris Lee, Metallurg Magnitogorsk (KHL); Patrick McNeill, Ingolstadt ERC (Germany); Shaone Morrisonn, Medvescak Zagreb (KHL); Maxim Noreau, SC Bern (Switzerland); Blake Parlett, Medvescak Zagreb (KHL); Mat Robinson; HC Dynamo Moscow (KHL); Jonathan Sigalet, Frolunda HC (Sweden); Daniel Vukovic, Genève-Servette (Switzerland)

Forwards:

Chris Didomenico, SCL Tigers (Switzerland); Andrew Ebbett, SC Bern (Switzerland); Matt Ellison, HC Dinamo Minsk (KHL); Cory Emmerton, HC Ambri-Piotta (Switzerland); Andrew Gordon, Linkoping HC (Sweden); Dustin Jeffrey, Lausanne HC (Switzerland); Brandon Kozun, Lokomotiv Yaroslavl (KHL); Jonathan Matsumoto, Red Bull Munchen (Germany); Jacob Micflikier, EHC Biel-Bienne (Switzerland); David McIntyre, EV Zug (Switzerland); Marc-Antoine Pouliot, EHL Biel-Bienne (Switzerland); Mason Raymond, Geneve-Servette (Switzerland); Derek Roy, Omsk Avangard (KHL); Greg Scott, CSKA Moscow (KHL); James Sheppard, EHC Kloten (Switzerland); Nick Spaling, Genève-Servette (Switzerland); Paul Szczechura, Traktor Chelyabinsk (KHL); Maxime Talbot, Lokomotiv Yaroslavl (KHL)

lol
 
M

Madness

Member
Zombie James said:
2AyKC4s.jpg
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True. But this was different. The rules between professional and amateurs was different. And the level of Canadian involvement in the NHL in during this time was ridiculous, almost 80-90% or more, even younger junior olayers. Now, Canadians barely make up less than half the league. So the best of the best of Canada missed out in the Olympics for so long will have a greater chance.

Will just be Canadians out of the major-junior system, those no longer in the NHL. Very shortsighted by the NHL.
 
C

Cheerilee

Member
I liked the shakeup offered by the Olympics. As a Canadian, Sidney Crosby's performance for Team Canada made me a Crosby fan, which I otherwise wouldn't have been.

Would've been nice to see Sidney Crosby playing together with Connor McDavid, playing for "my team".
 
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