Every time there's an Olympics there's this belief the NHL can grow its brand internationally beyond North America. Yet each time there's no tangible evidence that the Olympics has provided that for the NHL.
Olympics: NHL participation in the 2022 Olympics
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Every time there's an Olympics there's this belief the NHL can grow its brand internationally beyond North America. Yet each time there's no tangible evidence that the Olympics has provided that for the NHL.
The NHL had hardly any exposure in Europe until the 1990s, Nagano was a major turning point in changing that.
The NHL can very well expand its brand worldwide by having all the top stars present at IIHF world championships every year. Many would admire ice hockey and be more interested in the NHL. But every 4 years or more an NHL participation is not enough at all, since ice hockey is a marginal sport. Every year the NHL stars would have to be free to play IIHF World Championships.
lawrence
Registered User
- May 19, 2012
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Seras
Dubas supporter
I hope China can provide proper safety for all the athletes and attendees if the Olympics take place
lawrence
Registered User
- May 19, 2012
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i said it was an opportunity to sell the brand in China. They are the fastest developing country in human history and a country that will surpass the Americans in every aspect. Why wouldn’t the nhl try to capitalize on this?
even if 1 percent subscribes to the nhl that’s still 14 million subscribers.
Rabid Ranger
2 is better than one
Yeah, I'm sure the NHL and other enterprises will continue to sell their soul to continue to chase the almighty Yuan. Hasn't worked up to this point but it might in 100 more years. Except by then there will likely be even less ice and China will likely be a dustbowl. I'm sure the same argument will be used where India is concerned.
lawrence
Registered User
- May 19, 2012
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You’re out of your f in mind if you think China is anything like India.
but sure thing man, enjoy the last 9 years of the world depending on the u.a dollar while it lasts. I didn’t say sell their souls just an opportunity to grow their brand like when the wwe tried the same in China a few years back.
Sentinel
Registered User
That five week quarantine thing has proven to be fake news. Swedish media has written some pieces about that thing and is incorrect.
Nyhetsdokument: Falska ryktet sätter skräck i stjärnorna
No other sports is obliged to send their athletes to the Olympics but they still do. The athletes wants to be there and the public should want it to. But who cares about some Olympic final that gathers whole nations and creates classic moments when you could watch round 554 of the NHL?
The Olympics is so much bigger than NHL and luckily few other sports is acting like a spoiled kid when it comes to things like this.
vorky
@vorkywh24
- Jan 23, 2010
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The Czech & Slovak media wrote about five week quarantine as fake as well. The NHL just misused this fake rumour to have a reason to cancel the Olympics´ participation.
JackSlater
Registered User
- Apr 27, 2010
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LeBrun: Jon Cooper on NHL's decision to pull out of the Olympics: 'It was devastating'
Not totally relevant but I wanted to put this somewhere. Cooper talks about how excited he was to coach at a best on best Olympic tournament. He was an assistant for the 2016 Yung Gunz and said that he enjoyed it, though he also notes that it was a gimmick and that the players would have preferred to play for their actual national teams.
Not totally relevant but I wanted to put this somewhere. Cooper talks about how excited he was to coach at a best on best Olympic tournament. He was an assistant for the 2016 Yung Gunz and said that he enjoyed it, though he also notes that it was a gimmick and that the players would have preferred to play for their actual national teams.
Yeah, no shit. It was an obvious PR move. Most posters here were parroting the same catchphrases afterwards, so it clearly worked.
The Zetterberg Era
Ball Hockey Sucks
Name the sports that are being asked to put their season on hold and doesn't get access to highlights or anything for doing just that. Sorry if the IOC cut even a decent deal maybe you consider this, with all the circumstances.
By the way the Ice Hockey tournament has featured in the summer Olympics before in its first event in 1920, if you want NHL players I am surprised this angle isn't brought more often. But the NBA releases their players, yes in their off-season. I don't understand this angle, these guys are paid life changing fortunes, now that really applies to a chunk of the Olympians in terms of mass wealth for a few of those guys. If it was in the summer with the IOC having the burden of insuring and all that jazz sure. But I really don't understand why people look at the first or second most corrupt body in all of sports depending on where you want to put FIFA and get their dander up for Gary and the Owners. You want better access to the NHL players, start hammering the IOC at every turn for being lousy partners that are bad faith bully negotiators. Gee, I wonder what 32 billionaires that understand the IOC business model is one of the most insane things they have had rundown on and they don't like it. I frankly don't think they should, but I would be on board with pushing for a summer Olympic tournament. Guys can come or not and the IOC better hand over the highlight info and take care of the substantial assets they are being entrusted with. Doesn't seem to be their concern, so enjoy the lesser version of the tournament, I will watch a few games. Doesn't fall even a majority of the way on the NHL for me, it is high time we start calling out the preposterous existence that is the IOC. One of those organizations you kind of wish you could burn to the ground and start over at this point.
To be clear I really do believe they are cancelled over the health issues and all that. It is a part of the Olympic messaging, I just am amazed how many buy that, while they take bribes, skirt laws, humanitarian violations. But surely this is Uncle Gary's fault he is to blame. Come on see them for what they are, the NHL might be bad but I have trouble getting to where a lot of people get on Olympic hockey.
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GotTheMovesLikeJagr
Registered User
Just want to point out that ice hockey was included in the 1920 Summer Olympics because A) the first Winter Olympics wasn't organized until 1924, and B) figure skating, which had been included at the 1908 Summer Olympics, was only allowed to be organized in the 1920 Olympics by the owners of the Palais de Glace in Antwerp if ice hockey also was included.
Also, regarding the difference between the NBA and NHL on releasing players for their respective Olympics, while it is true that the major soccer tournaments are between seasons, professional clubs also release players all the time for various mid-season international breaks for qualifiying games to the FIFA World Cup / regional tournaments and friendlies. Of course, no matter if you like it or not, it is the prerogative of the NHL to release players for the Olympics or the World Championship. From a practical standpoint I don't see why the NHL couldn't do the same as soccer clubs do - in theory the premier football leagues like Premier League, Bundesliga, Serie A, La Liga or Ligue 1 could do the same as the NHL and not let their players participate in mid-season international games but still do so.
IOC and FIFA are both horrible organizations, but sadly organize sporting events for ice hockey (and a lot of other sports, including team sports like basketball or handball) and soccer that hold a lot of prestige and tradition.
vorky
@vorkywh24
- Jan 23, 2010
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Thank you for explanation.
Plus, the soccer leagues in Europe finish their season one or two weeks earlier in a year of EURO to accomodate the friendlies (camp) of national teams before EURO. This year we will have FIFA WC in November/December and of course, the leagues will release the players to that event.
Shawn Heins 44
Registered User
In terms of Covid safety it is probably going to be the safest environment that these athletes will be at the whole year. Will life outside of the events be much fun? I highly doubt, but I have no doubt China will make it Covid-safe.
The Zetterberg Era
Ball Hockey Sucks
Soccer is an interesting example to bring, the Olympics is a U23 side with only three selections above that. You have the clubs openly at war with Fifa about a second World Cup. That they have been on that international calendar helps. Imagine if the NHL just built in 3 1/2 weeks off every February, some leagues build in those breaks. Having the consistency of an international calendar every year helps. You also have clubs that block Olympic participation if the players have already attended the June/July regional tournaments.
However, do you know a big one here, at least on the men's side in my opinion. Guess who is on the hook for these players club salaries when they are hurt on international duty? Their federation and their global body FIFA sanctions it. So again I think you're looking at the wrong entity. Everyone always places this on the NHL to fix around HF, why would one league be in charge of that? We never require that of the other leagues and sports but I find this really unreasonable position to apply to hockey for some mythical reason.
Also I wouldn't call the soccer example willing participation and as the money has grown you're getting a lot more push back by Clubs that have serious issues with the FIFAcalendar. I mean the idea that Chelsea could guilt the USA into minimally using Pulisic after they paid his Chelsea salary for two months and Tuchel couldn't get off his ass to get him in games going into the break and openly kind of soft threatened Berhalter isn't this spirit of cooperation I am thinking. I don't think this is going to evolve better in Soccer though I am fascinated to watch them fight over the second World Cup and what it does to the summers.
The NHL is not on the IIHF calendar, now we could argue for that. They have long released players at the end of their season to international duty at the World Championships. They are under no obligation to do so for the Olympics as they wouldn't release players for a World Championships in February if it happened there either. Why are they obligated? It is a fact we have played far more Olympic tournaments without NHL involvement than with it. The IOC isn't offering a competitive or reasonable deal to be involved. They are too busy stuffing all the money in their pockets. Hell my guess is they made enough money on Olympic hockey in Vancouver to cover 5 or 6 Olympic Hockey tournaments with the rights and partnership the NHL has asked them for for now going two decades.
Asking for the highlights when you stop your season and dry up your own content for almost a month, by the way probably the lightest month of the year for them from competition with other sports in NA isn't unreasonable. It is honestly a very easy hurdle to figure out, hand it to your legal team IOC, negotiate it in some of your next contracts, they have been completely resistant to that. The IOC has a history of doing the absolute bare minimum for others, it is who they are and what they are about in my opinion. Until I hear them hand over those rights I wouldn't go, I wouldn't go in 2026, but I think they will if everything is clear health and site wise.
The Zetterberg Era
Ball Hockey Sucks
Keep in mind when they did the bid they promised they wouldn't move it to the season, but changed that after the bribes were exchanged. The Clubs have been openly against that time placement for a while. I am waiting for the superstar that doesn't get released in season with a knock. It is going to happen in my opinion.
Djp
Registered User
vorky
@vorkywh24
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You blame IOC. Fine, your opinion. So, I will ask. The NHL would be nothing without players. How does the NHL clubs get the very best players? For free or very small development fee which is not even paid by a club. If the NHL wants to use the players as argument, the NHL clubs should start paying REAL transfer fees for the players. Then we can discuss. The NHL has no moral right to demand anything from IOC.
Agree 100% here and I think the dreamers that think Bettman and the NHL are the bad guys here obviously have a nostalgic fantasy view of the Olympics and some ideal of purity, gamesmanship and other such ideals that simply haven't existed in the Olympics for a great long time now.
GotTheMovesLikeJagr gave you a good reply about how the football teams always is able to use their best players for international games. Handball, floorball and bandy is three big sports in Sweden that has got no problems taking a break during their season to play a World Championship. And teams in Europe usually do not have a problem releasing their players for their international teams regularly.
But it is quite remarkable that hockey did not get their best players around for a tournament until the mid 70´s. And it is very baffling hearing a so called hockey fan being more bothered about NHL not accessing highlights over another nonsense and non-NHL Olympics.
As I said before, the dull regular season has been too long ever since the early days and could well have been reduced to 60 games a season. Then you have room for more interesting games during the Olympics. Or just play a 75 game season during the Olympic years. I would not miss those 7 NHL games. Would you?
Are you implying the NHL made its decision to pull out of the Olympics based on posts from HFBoards?
In regards to the quarantine time, I would guess the NHL and NHLPA got their information directly from a source associated with the IOC. The Swedish story posted above is likely fake news.
