International Olympic Committee Wont Cover Costs Of NHL Players To Attend

The International Olympic Committee has decided that they will no longer cover the costs of NHL players transportation and insurance. Costs seen as being crucial for the participation of NHL player in the Olympics.

International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) president Rene Fasel told insidethegames that it’s looking less and less likely that the next Winter Games will include NHL players.

“The IOC took the decision not to pay transportation and insurance costs for NHL and NHL players to come to the next Olympic Games,” said Fasel. “We had a meeting with the NHL last week and the prognosis is not really good.”

The NHL stops its regular season to send players to the Olympics every four years since 1998. For Sochi 2014, the league reached a deal with the IIHF and IOC in the summer prior to the Games, with the IOC contributing US 14 million and the IIHF 18 million towards the hefty transportation and insurance costs.

“Our wish is to have the best players. [But the IOC] not covering the cost as they did at the last five Olympic Games puts us in a difficult financial situation,” said Fasel.

Excuse making and politicking aside, that’s no small amount of money. And maybe its about time the payments stopped.

Do we really need a three week stoppage in the NHL for the Olympics? Do we want to continue to risk injury for our NHL players right before playoff runs begin? Do we really need NHL players in the Olympics at all?

The winter Olympics need NHL players more than the NHL needs the Olympics. Without NHL players, you can say goodbye to a lot of those TV ratings, and all the advertising money that comes in.

Frankly, I would like to see every Olympic sport return to completely Amateur status. No paid athletes in any sport. That’s what they were designed for. Give the NCAA, Junior and other Amateur players a chance to represent their country.

Why don’t we actually bring back some intrigue to the Olympics? The NHL players in the Olympics take away much of the suspense and drama. Its not too hard to predict which teams will make it to the medal round. We can probably predict the United States, Canada, and Russia will be in for sure. Finland, and a few other teams will contend for the medal round. But it really is pretty predictable.

Isn’t it time to just focus on what the Olympics are meant to be about, and for that matter what the NHL is supposed to be?

Joe Hughes

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International Olympic Committee Wont Cover Costs Of NHL Players To Attend

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