Jazz
Registered User
Bettman needs to tell certain onwers to simply shut up and look for the greater good of the game, and shorten the season during Olympic years.
I also think that some European fans need to understand the first paragraph below, ie why there is a reluctance by some owners to break the season during Feburary. The obvious counterpoint is that hockey should be able to stand on it's own 2 feet and not worry about other sport's schedule's (but unfortunately at this point in time, it can't....)
You can read the entire article here: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2006/olympics/2006/writers/02/15/nhl.olympics/index.html
I also think that some European fans need to understand the first paragraph below, ie why there is a reluctance by some owners to break the season during Feburary. The obvious counterpoint is that hockey should be able to stand on it's own 2 feet and not worry about other sport's schedule's (but unfortunately at this point in time, it can't....)
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For many American-based teams, the reluctance is understandable. The Olympics fall during what amounts to their Christmas season: post-Super Bowl, pre-March Madness, a fallow time on the sporting calendar when hockey is as easy a sell as it ever is going to be. To stay dark at money time, NHL owners want tangible benefits, something that rings the cash registers and not merely stirs the fans and the soul
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Although the NHL is sending its players to the Olympics through the 2010 Games in Vancouver, that level of commitment has to change. The league can't continue to straddle the fence. If Bettman still believes the Olympics provide a global platform that ultimately will make the game grow, he simply has to tell his owners to release players for the Games with a smile (edit: Jazz: Ed Snyder). If not, the NHL, in the next CBA, should extricate itself from the Olympic commitment, a move likely to rile the Players Association
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To make the Olympic hockey tournament mature, the NHL must give it a break. A decent break. Canada captain Joe Sakic thinks an earlier start to training camp and a September start to the season would allow the Olympics -- and the regular season -- to feel less hurried. "Certainly it would be nice to have more days," said teammate Vincent Lecavalier, who plays for Cup-champion Tampa Bay. "I know we get back [from Turin] on a Monday night and we play Tuesday. Some guys get home and play back-to-back [games]. They were talking about it yesterday." But after winning the golden ticket with its last CBA -- controlled labor costs -- the NHL should suck it up and shorten the season every quadrennial to make the tournament better and less risky. Cut four games. Maybe six
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You can read the entire article here: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2006/olympics/2006/writers/02/15/nhl.olympics/index.html