AIDAN POLLARD
Special to the Leader
On April 3, the NHL officially announced that it would not be allowing its players to participate in the 2018 Winter Olympics. Owners of the NHL are opposed to the 17-day loss required to accommodate Olympic hockey, which takes place between the end of the NFL season and the beginning of the MLB season. In an official statement, the NHL said, “Quite frankly we don’t see what the benefit is from the game standpoint or the league standpoint with respect to Olympic participation.”
This will be the first Winter Olympic Games to be conducted without NHL players since 1994, meaning major teams like the U.S. and Canada will have to find alternative sources for their Olympic athletes, giving a large advantage to Russia going into the Olympics.
While the NHL may not garner any immediate rewards from participating in Olympic hockey, the potential for publicity in one of the less popular team sports in America is obvious. Even though there is a break for two other major sports during the point the NHL would have to give up to accommodate the Olympics, it seems far more likely that people will be tuning into an event that only happens once every four years rather than a sport that has a weak fanbase to begin with. Furthermore, NBC and NBCSN will not air any NHL games during the Olympics.
With hockey games either not being aired, or at the very least difficult to find, it is hard to see reason in not allowing NHL players to compete in the Olympics. It holds great potential for NHL publicity and to bring new hockey fans in. It would also serve as a great starting point for new fans, since it is easier to root for your country than for a mascot representing a city you might not live anywhere near.
Even players in the minors who have NHL contracts will not be permitted to play Olympic hockey.
“For me the bottom line is if they’re not on the NHL registry, meaning an NHL registered contract, then they’re eligible,” said Jim Johannson, the assistant executive director of hockey operations for USA hockey.
Team USA is expected to be made of non-NHL signed American Hockey League (AHL) players, collegiate athletes and professional players who play in European leagues. Canada’s team will be comprised mainly of European-league professionals. While this is exciting for American collegiate hockey players, it puts the U.S. at a distinct disadvantage.
It is hard to assess whether or not collegiate players will be adequate contenders for Russian professionals, seeing as it is commonplace in the NHL to bring players in at an extremely young age. For example, New York Islanders star player John Tavares was drafted into the NHL at age 19, and Toronto Maple Leafs’ player Auston Matthews was drafted in 2016 at age 19 as well and scored 40 goals in his first season. Obviously, there are a plethora of elite collegiate and European professional hockey players, but not allowing NHL players to play in the Olympics is a huge hit to the American and Canadian teams.
The 2017-18 NHL season will begin on Oct. 3, and the 2018 Winter Olympics will take place in PyeongChang, South Korea Feb. 9-25.