The NHL still unsure about sending players to Sochi, Russia
At the World Hockey Summit in Toronto this week, the National Hockey League (NHL) has once again stated that they are still unsure whether or not they will allow NHL players to participate in the Olympic games in Sochi, Russia in 2014.
The NHL has been committing players to the Olympic hockey tournament since the 1998 Nagano Olympics, and is uncertain as to whether or not they wish to continue. The NHL has been clear that they have not ruled out going to Sochi in 2014 but maintain there are several hurdles they will need to overcome in order to send players.
Toronto Maple Leafs General Manager Brian Burke was asked several questions regarding the NHL’s attendance in 2014 and had this to say of the League’s ongoing discussions: “It’s not that simple to get everyone on a goddamned plane and go over and play the games. I want to go, and I think we should go. But for people to say ‘it’s priceless,’ it’s not that simple. We have teams that are losing $30 million a year.”
It is clear that the NHL’s involvement is crucial to the financial success of the Olympic tournament, with many companies offering less for TV contracts if the players do not participate.
The players seem inclined to take part in the games, as two years ago players participated in a survey in which 95% of them believed the NHL should continue to send players past the Vancouver Olympics.
Nevertheless, the NHL remains on the fence. Commissioner Gary Bettman said of the NHL’s involvement in the games: “We haven’t said no, and anybody who suggests that we’ve made a decision or suggests I’m anti-Olympics doesn’t get it, because what we’ve been simply saying is, it’s a mixed bag.”
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