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NHL will not participate in 2018 Winter Olympics: A few thought-provoking points

We found out this week that the NHL officially made its decision that they will not send their players to the 2018 Olympics hosted in PyeongChang, South Korea.  This isn’t a shocker by any means.  Below is the official statement from the NHL:

 "We have previously made clear that while the overwhelming majority of our clubs are adamantly opposed to disrupting the 2017-18 NHL season for purposes of accommodating Olympic participation by some NHL players, we were open to hearing from any of the other parties who might have an interest in the issue (e.g., the IOC, the IIHF, the NHLPA, etc.) as to reasons the Board of Governors might be interested in re-evaluating their strongly held views on the subject," the NHL said in a statement. "A number of months have now passed and no meaningful dialogue has materialized. Instead, the IOC has now expressed the position that the NHL's participation in Beijing in 2022 is conditioned on our participation in South Korea in 2018. And the NHLPA has now publicly confirmed that it has no interest or intention of engaging in any discussion that might make Olympic participation more attractive to the clubs. As a result, and in an effort to create clarity among conflicting reports and erroneous speculation, this will confirm our intention to proceed with finalizing our 2017-18 regular season schedule without any break to accommodate the Olympic Winter Games. We now consider the matter officially closed."

Pretty cut and dry. But instead of just coming out and simply saying that the NHL won’t be participating in the 2018 Winter Olympics, they decided to explain themselves. They threw part of the blame at the IOC, IIHF, and the NHLPA.  This was a very interesting and calculated approach by the NHL.  With that said, this was the NHL’s only card to play and here is why:

1.       Sending the NHL’s stars to PyeongChang doesn’t immediately help the NHL financially.

The Winter Olympics are conveniently held after the NFL season has ended and before the MLB season starts. Coincidence?  I think not. This is a huge revenue building part of the year for the NHL and its product. Whether its ticket sales at the box office or television viewership, the NHL is making more money at this time if their stars are not in the Olympics. During the Winter Olympics, hockey and basketball are the only two “big 4 professional sports” on television.  By process of elimination, sports fans are more likely to attend or tune into a NHL game at this time of the year.  The IOC refusing to pay the NHL, its teams, and players is a direct sack tap to everyone associated with the NHL.   Why did the NHL’s stars attend the Sochi Olympics?  Because Russians are huge fans of hockey and the IOC (probably influenced by a Putin tank) threw some money (covering transportation and insurance) at the NHL to send over its stars.  Now, to be fair, the IOC did agree to throw the NHL some money for the 2018 Olympic Games to help cover some of those costs like I just spoke of; however, the NHL asked for more money (revenue sharing and rights to highlight clips), and the IOC responded by basically saying, “now, you get nothing”.  

2.       Where is the NHL broadcasting its games during the Olympics?

NBC will undoubtedly be covering the Winter Olympics 24/7 for the entirety of the games.  This means no Wednesday Night Rivalry games, no Sunday noon start games, and no other weekly scheduled games.  So if the NHL isn’t sending its stars to the Olympics and NBC isn’t broadcasting NHL games during the Olympics, doesn’t this hurt the NHL’s product?  YES IT DOES. And the IOC knows this.

3.       Why doesn’t the IOC negotiate with the NHL?

First, let’s talk about Gary Bettman.  It’s a fact that he has increased the NHL’s revenue from a yearly couple hundred million dollars to a multi-billion dollar product. With that said, he also has been in charge during multiple work stoppages and most of the NHL’s players/fans hate him.  We’ve all heard the boos raining down on him when he awards the Stanley Cup to the winning team’s captain. He wears the black hat and is the scapegoat.  You can hate Gary Bettman and call him a “money grubbing cocksucker” all you want, but him and his team have tried to negotiate with the IOC. The IOC makes an ungodly amount of money on sponsors (VISA, Coca Cola, etc.) and broadcasting rights (NBC, MSNBC, CBC, BBC, etc.).  Not to mention, all of the merchandise they sell to Olympic goers and “fans” across the world. Why did the NHL ask for some sort of compensation for sending its stars?  In short, the NHL has the duty to represent the owners’ of all NHL teams’ best interests. Without Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin in the lineup for the Pittsburgh Penguins, they lose their “star power” and in turn lose money. The IOC paying the NHL’s best players and their respective teams at least a little bit to cover their financial losses would certainly make the Ice Hockey portion of the Olympic Games more profitable and competitive. The reason the IOC isn’t paying the NHL is because it sets a bad precedent for other sports leagues.  Could you imagine what kind of money the NBA would want for sending its stars to the Summer Olympics?  Take what the NHL is asking for in terms of money and multiply it by 100 and maybe even more than that.  It’s worth noting that the NBA example is a tad different situation because the NBA season doesn’t run through the Summer Olympics, but that still wouldn’t stop the NBA from reaching for dollars.

4.       Does this hurt the NHL “expanding its footprint” of the game internationally?

Yes, it does. There is no denying that. In a perfect world, the NHL gets paid the money it believes it deserves for sending its star players, and fans around the world get to tune into the Winter Olympics to watch the best hockey players battling wearing their country's emblem.  This isn’t a perfect world. This is a cock-measuring contest by the NHL and IOC, and the NHL is going to stay Peter North on their decision.  The NHL knew this day was coming, they knew that the IOC was basically going to try and string them up by their heels until the NHL casted the white flag.  But that isn’t going to happen. The NHL prepared for this. A perfect example of this preparation is the resurgence of the World Cup of Hockey.  This is an acting substitute for Ice Hockey at Winter Olympic Games and it was a tremendous success in its first year back. The NHL is also hosting two pre-season games next year in China to help promote the game in Asia.   I guarantee the NHL is going to to use both of these “internationally captivating events” as examples of growing the sport of hockey to the NHLPA.

5.       Ovechkin says he’s going to play in the Winter Olympics?  What does that mean for the rest of the NHL’s star players wanting to compete in the Olympics?

Ovechkin is in an entirely different class than virtually any other star in the NHL with the exception of Sidney Crosby and Connor McDavid. Ovechkin is a 7-time 50 goal scorer, 6-time Rocket Richard Trophy winner (most goals), and 3-time Hart Trophy winner (MVP).  If I’m Ted Leonsis, owner of the Washington Capitals, I say, “Fuck, Ovi. I’ll fly you and your family/friends to South Korea and back if you want to represent Mother Russia”.  How could Ted not support his organization’s most prolific franchise player?  With that said, this is a double-edged sword, Ted.  If you let Ovi go, you need to support your other Olympic Roster hopefuls as well, right?  Sweden’s Nicklas Backstrom and Marcus Johansson?  What about fellow Russian’s Evgeny Kuznetsov and Dmitry Orlov? You’ll need to let American’s Kevin Shattenkirk, John Carlson, and T.J Sochi participate too?  You do want your own country USA to be the most competitive it can be right, Ted?  You’re not a Russian spy are you?  I couldn’t imagine a bigger rift in a locker room if Ovechkin is given the “star treatment” and his fellow teammates get the shaft.  Will Crosby attend to the Winter Olympics?  Absolutely not. He is the NHL’s poster boy and wouldn’t dare put the league in a position like that. But Ovechkin couldn’t give less of a fuck what the league says.  He’s already Stanley Cupless and the Olympics mean a lot to his family considering his mother was an Olympian.

 Do I think the NHL will be open to any sort of rebuttal from the NHLPA?  Well, as the saying goes,“Never say never”, so I’ll say “Fat fucking chance”. Unless the IOC or IIHF throws some cheddar the NHL’s way, this case is closed.  The NHL’s lawyers will roast any player who attempts to go to the Olympics. The players are voiceless…for now…. That is until the next lockout and new CBA agreement! To be continued, hockey fans.