Olympics: Sochi Olympics: NHL-players had better conditions than players from European leagues

[Oan]

http://www.iltalehti.fi/jaakiekko/201704112200101393_jk.shtml

Interview from a Timo Jutila, who acted as "team leader" for team Finland in 2014 Sochi Olympics.

He reveals that NHL-players had their own more luxurious dining area and lounge area, whereas players from European leagues weren't allowed to those places, and they had to use "regular" dining spots. Also, players from NHL got 20 tickets per game to give for friends and relatives, whereas players from European leagues got only 2 tickets per game.

I would think that these kind of things would begin to affect the team spirit, when some players in the same team get preferential treatment, even though everyone is playing for the same team.

Of course this wasn't a problem for teams Canada and USA, since everyone in those teams were in NHL, but for European teams it seems quite unfair.

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[Finnished]

Yeah and how embarrassing was it for the NHL players that played badly to go in the VIP lounge while their team mate who might have had way more points in the tourney had to eat in the regular dining area lol.

 

[Garl]

O am mostly intrested in how they treated Jimmie Ericsson, who was the only non-NHL player on team Sweden?

 

[MaxV]

O am mostly intrested in how they treated Jimmie Ericsson, who was the only non-NHL player on team Sweden?

It was probably lonely in the regular dining.

I'm guessing, I could be wrong, that this only happened to Finns.

Still not right.

 

[JackSlater]

I'm skeptical, particularly about the 20 tickets for each NHLer per game. I can't imagine that team Canada players had access to 500 tickets to each game.

 

[jj cale]

Finland won bronze, they seemed to make out all right from the tragedy.


I'm with Slater.......500 free tickets for a team?

Can't see that.

 

[Yakushev72]

http://www.iltalehti.fi/jaakiekko/201704112200101393_jk.shtml

Interview from a Timo Jutila, who acted as "team leader" for team Finland in 2014 Sochi Olympics.

He reveals that NHL-players had their own more luxurious dining area and lounge area, whereas players from European leagues weren't allowed to those places, and they had to use "regular" dining spots. Also, players from NHL got 20 tickets per game to give for friends and relatives, whereas players from European leagues got only 2 tickets per game.

I would think that these kind of things would begin to affect the team spirit, when some players in the same team get preferential treatment, even though everyone is playing for the same team.

Of course this wasn't a problem for teams Canada and USA, since everyone in those teams were in NHL, but for European teams it seems quite unfair.

Thank God all that garbage is gone now! Some teams like Canada were not affected by this, because they had an all-NHL lineup. As a fan of Russia, I have always attributed a large part of Russia's dispirited and lackluster performance to the caste system that revolved around NHL or KHL affiliation. The hotshot NHL stars, who among them didn't produce a thing in the end, always held court as the privileged among those in the RHF who kissed their *****.

 

[Xokkeu]

I'm skeptical, particularly about the 20 tickets for each NHLer per game. I can't imagine that team Canada players had access to 500 tickets to each game.

Maybe in the round robin. We got a bunch of free tickets from a guy in the PA for Canada v Austria and Norway.

 

[Jumptheshark]

http://www.iltalehti.fi/jaakiekko/201704112200101393_jk.shtml

Interview from a Timo Jutila, who acted as "team leader" for team Finland in 2014 Sochi Olympics.

He reveals that NHL-players had their own more luxurious dining area and lounge area, whereas players from European leagues weren't allowed to those places, and they had to use "regular" dining spots. Also, players from NHL got 20 tickets per game to give for friends and relatives, whereas players from European leagues got only 2 tickets per game.

I would think that these kind of things would begin to affect the team spirit, when some players in the same team get preferential treatment, even though everyone is playing for the same team.

Of course this wasn't a problem for teams Canada and USA, since everyone in those teams were in NHL, but for European teams it seems quite unfair.

As someone who WORKED in Sochi I dispute this. Teams stayed on what was called "Reservations" and the counties chose their "reservation" and THEY assigned who got what quarters

the tickets were agreed upon between the federations and IOC.

As for dinner and other areas? Each Delegation out of "their" budgets--built extra stuff for "THEIR" players--Canada and the US built (paid for a few extra things built) and to get into those who had to be invited by someone from that delegation. I was with the Swedish delegation and the Swedes also had a "special" dinning room for their entire delegation"

 

[TheTwelfth]

O am mostly intrested in how they treated Jimmie Ericsson, who was the only non-NHL player on team Sweden?

Obviously he was part of Jonathan Ericsson's "friends and family" group

 

[Atas2000]

I'm skeptical, particularly about the 20 tickets for each NHLer per game. I can't imagine that team Canada players had access to 500 tickets to each game.

500 tickets is not much.

It is much if you consider how they treated the rest, but it's not like they had half the arena reserved for them.

The NHL is cancer to hockey.

 

[JackSlater]

500 tickets is not much.

It is much if you consider how they treated the rest, but it's not like they had half the arena reserved for them.

The NHL is cancer to hockey.

It's obviously far too many tickets for 25 players. The players had family there, but not 20 per person. It would have been a completely unreasonable and unlikely demand for any federation to make, and I doubt that the IOC would agree to it. A claim like that makes the whole thing a bit difficult to believe. I can't imagine why the players involved or the federations would accept essentially a caste system within their own team.

 

[boredmale]

I guess the question needs to be asked who exactly paid for these extra privileges? If the NHLPA or NHL(I would argue even NBC) did then nobody can complain, if the IOC or IIHF did to try butter up the players then that would be a problem

 

[Lempo]

I guess the question needs to be asked who exactly paid for these extra privileges? If the NHLPA or NHL(I would argue even NBC) did then nobody can complain, if the IOC or IIHF did to try butter up the players then that would be a problem

Jutila specifically says that "the NHLPA has done the negotiations extremely well" for the benefits to happen. I'm but guessing but my feel is that it's not the PA who picks the tab.