NHLers in the Olympics...Just Say No!

[keithp40]

why? why do pros need to be in the olympics, especially in the major sports like baseball, hockey, basketball (ok, not a real sport), etc? the spirit of miracle on ice, the epitomy of the olympic spirit, may never be achieved again if this continues. i think it is endearing to see young college kids playing at that level. new faces, new energy. instead, you have a couple few teams totally dominate while trying to act surprised that they have accomplished what they have (canada winning gold for example). yeah, its fun to see (like the 1992 dream basketball team), we were beating teams like 87-7. we just kicked ass in the gulf war and then we kicked ass in spain. (america, F@&k YEAH) but, the point was proven, now lets give the games back to those who cherish it the most.

[drwoland]

Uh why was The Miracle on Ice called the Miracle on Ice?

Trust me, this way is better.

[MUBLUES]

I think what keeps the Miracle so special is that it will never happen again. Keep it that way.

[kodos]

Screw that. Keep the pros in it. I love Olympic hockey just like it is now.

If they go back to college kids I won't be into it at all.

[TheoSqua]

Yesterday we got to watch an all star game where the players actually cared about the outcome. That was one of the most incredibly hockey games i've ever watched.

[WaukeeBlues]

Let's look at the whole idea of the olympics.

Every nation, thumping it's chest and waving it's flag, marches out the best athletes within its borders against everyone else.

Why should hockey be any different? Yea, okay, they're not training for a full year before the Olympics and Olympics alone, but how much would other nations revel in beating a team of a bunch of 20 year old USA college kids? You want to win the gold and know that you beat the best hockey players on the planet to do it. That's why pros should play.

And the USA-Canada gold medal game was one of, if not THE, best game I've seen this year by far, NHL included.

So where's the problem again?

[strocklen083]

Pros in the Olympics this year was was the best thing, I repeat BEST THING to happen to this league since this lockout. Especially in the United States! Yesterday's game drew a 17+ rating on NBC on a Sunday afternoon. That's INSANE numbers for any hockey competition. This country came out of the woodworks to cheer for this team and it shows everywhere. I bet you see bump in attendance across the board over the last quarter of the season based on the events of the last two weeks. The NHL couldn't have asked for better exposure than what the Olympics have brought. For christ's sake, 10 million people tuned in to US/Canada Round 1 and that game was on MSNBC! This sport is relevant again in this country and the league needs to build on that.

Ending NHL participation after 2010 would be a massive mistake and I'm sure the league is smart enough to realize that!

[kodos]

Hockey may be Canada's national sport but I think that the era of Canadian domination will come to a close. Hockey is growing in popularity every year in the States and with our much larger population it's inevitable that we will eventually be fielding a better team. It might take another 20 years, but it will happen.

[WaukeeBlues]

Hockey may be Canada's national sport but I think that the era of Canadian domination will come to a close. Hockey is growing in popularity every year in the States and with our much larger population it's inevitable that we will eventually be fielding a better team. It might take another 20 years, but it will happen.

I think it's going to take a while (I think your 20 years is definitely in the ballpark), but def agree. And the sport is growing even in non-traditional markets (e.g. Anaheims' most recent efforts to expand the number of rinks in central/southern california).

Canada will always have a powerhouse team, it's just that it won't be AS above and beyond everyone else. This decade has already shown that to be happening.

[Krigloch the Furious]

best players from each country...

[glen a richter]

I gotta go with Just Sayin' on this one.

The spirit of the Olympics is that it's a competition between uncompensated amateurs. The pros have professional leagues so they can compete against each other. The fact that they're allowed to participate in the Olympics is ludicrous.

USA v. Canada? I couldn't have given two shits less. It was a meaningless exhibition between two teams of professional athletes. It had no bearing on the NHL season stats, playoff seeding, home ice advantage, nothing. And worst of all was that it didn't pit amateurs against amateurs. If the IOC has any balls at all, they'll institute a rule that in any sport which is played professionally, the athletes must be no older than 17 at the time they will be competing in the Games. Or, at any age, they may be the property of a professional team, but may not have played any games at the highest level prior to playing in the Olympics.

[STLADOGG]

best players from each country...

Yep

[not_a_wings_fan]

Anyone who wants pros out of international competition like the olympics is high. Seriously (Franking) high. Pass the pipe, I want what ur smokin.

That was an incredible tourney and a sheer joy to watch.

[ViPeRx007]

Anyone who wants pros out of international competition like the olympics is high. Seriously (Frank) high. Pass the pipe, I want what ur smokin.

That was an incredible tourney and a sheer joy to watch.

[richtedm]

Ummm... I'm gonna say yes every time. That game was outstanding. And its because NHLer's were there.

And also if you keep NHLer's out, it won't stop the KHL from sending out its players and stomping everybody else (especially on home ice in 2014). Especially since the KHL looks like a joke right now after teams with their players got stomped right out of the competition by teams without them.

[Gaijin Flyer]

I love seeing the best players playing in games that are obviously significant to them (- unlike some random Wed matchup with the Panthers). However, I'm sure the NHL front office is going to take a good look at revenues for the last 1/3 of the season and estimate what we'd see for 2014. Sochi games are problematic for the NHL: travel time and time zones make it not an appeal. Even with the games in Canada, the same network that carries the NHL put the games on a cable only network that wasn't universally in HD.

I wouldn't hold my breath in 2014.

[Leedog]

Move hockey to the effin Summer Olympics. That's why it works so well for basketball. It's in the off season.
Short of that, the rub against the 4 years from now is with it being in russia, you won't get the friendly live action in prime time because of the time zones, so not enuff of the people that matter (N American viewers) will get to see it live, so they don't get the same ++'s for all the --'s of interrupting your season in the middle of your playoff push. sorry for the run on sentence.

[-C-]

The gold medal game was the most watched hockey game in 30 years.

The NHL would be crazy to pull out of the olympics.

[Leedog]

But one in 2014 won't be.

[northwest dave]

Move hockey to the effin Summer Olympics. That's why it works so well for basketball. It's in the off season.
Short of that, the rub against the 4 years from now is with it being in russia, you won't get the friendly live action in prime time because of the time zones, so not enuff of the people that matter (N American viewers) will get to see it live, so they don't get the same ++'s for all the --'s of interrupting your season in the middle of your playoff push. sorry for the run on sentence.

Only a handful of games were on prime time.