Should the NHL go to Sochi in 2014?

[Boges]

Regardless of who wins tomorrow it's obvious there are two kinds of Hockey being played in the world today.

North American Hockey and IIHF Hockey.

It can't be just a convenient coincidence that in the 4 Olympics they've had the ones played on the larger ice surfaces have been owned by the Euros and the ones played on NHL rinks have been pwned by Canooks and Yanks.

So this leads me to the question, what's to gain from sending our elite players to Sochi is 2014? They probably won't win, and even if they do, most of us employed people wont be able to watch it. They're like 9 hours ahead of us.

It's kind of cool watching other Olympic events early in the morning and late at night but not Hockey. I remember the infamous shootout game between Canada and the Czech's was played at like 2am on a Wednesday. The 2-nil loss to Russia in Turin was played in the afternoon on a weekday.

This whole NHL Olympics thing only really works when it's on North American soil.

The only think the NHL gets from this is the extra pub, pub they don't need to get in Canada and pub that likely won't last in the US considering March Madness is soon. I can guarantee the interest wont be anywhere near what it is in 4 years because the Olympics will be held on the other side of the world.

You also have to watch what'll happen to teams like Anaheim that have lots of Olympians on the roster going down the stretch. It may not be a total accident that Edmonton made it to the Stanley Cup in 2006 considering, I think Pronger was their only Olympian and they played Olympics rich teams like the Ducks and Red Wings.

As much as I love watching this, I don't see a good reason for the NHL to go to Sochi in 2014. They should just commit to having regular August/September World Cups. They've only had two since they stopped having Canada Cups.

The only other reason, maybe to consider it. Is the fact that Euros, especially Russians might abandon their NHL teams to play regardless and if the NHL doesn't show up it might be a boon the KHL, but I still don't see that happenening.

Thoughts?

[Jeff in MD]

This is a good debate, and I can see both sides of the argument here. One the one hand you don't want to keep NHL'ers from being able to play for their country in the olympics and it makes the games more fun to watch if you can see your favorite NHL players play. I actually watched games I wouldn't have normally watched simply because several Caps were playing. On the other hand, it's a major liability for NHL teams with olympians because of the travel & risk of injury. I'm hoping that the Caps don't end up suffering down the stretch because of it since half a dozen of their players were there this year, although since the games were played in an NHL city in north america I don't think it will be that big of a factor this year. Sochi in four years is a different story, and Bettman & The IOC have a big decision to make. I don't see where the NHL really gains exposure from having their players in the olympics, and they have to shut down for two weeks during it. Hockey fans around the world know about the NHL anyway because the top players in the world are there. Alexander Ovechkin has already said that he's determined to play in 2014 no matter what, so I'd hate to think that top NHL players would leave their NHL teams just so they could play in 2014, because the Caps would be f*cked if Ovechkin, Backstrom, Semin, etc. made that decision. It should be really interesting to see how this plays out, 

[Willy Loman]

  Russian olympiads

if you thought vancouver was bad that is gonna be a total joke

[Santo Del Negro]

NBC rarely showed the hockey this year on NBC, so why would they show it then when the games will be like 8 hours behind Eastern Time Zone?

[Mike in Crakron]

NBC rarely showed the hockey this year on NBC, so why would they show it then when the games will be like 8 hours behind Eastern Time Zone?

You mean 8 Hrs ahead?  Russia = way east of United States.  Therefore Games played at 8pm local time will be on at around Noon here.   Not the worst thing in the world.  By the time all the live olympics events wrap up for the day, you have the rest of your day here ahead of you.

[Santo Del Negro]

NBC rarely showed the hockey this year on NBC, so why would they show it then when the games will be like 8 hours behind Eastern Time Zone?

You mean 8 Hrs ahead?  Russia = way east of United States.  Therefore Games played at 8pm local time will be on at around Noon here.   Not the worst thing in the world.  By the time all the live olympics events wrap up for the day, you have the rest of your day here ahead of you.

everything will be tape delayed. F that.

[Saxon in Nashville]

I'd like to see individual Olympic events bid on, instead of the whole shebang.  This is would increase competition, force the networks to show more event live to make money, and then spread the Olympics all throughout network and cable television.

This NBC monopoly is a proven fail.  The IOC or the USOC should demand live internet broadcasts along with usage, preferably in Flash.  Silverlight sucks.

[emstrem]

NBC rarely showed the hockey this year on NBC, so why would they show it then when the games will be like 8 hours behind Eastern Time Zone?

You mean 8 Hrs ahead?  Russia = way east of United States.  Therefore Games played at 8pm local time will be on at around Noon here.   Not the worst thing in the world.  By the time all the live olympics events wrap up for the day, you have the rest of your day here ahead of you.

everything will be tape delayed. F that.

Lake Placid in 1980 was tape delayed!!


I don't know how the NHL (Betteman) can deny a player from trying to play for his country after he already f*cked up & set this stupid ass precedent. I still think the Olympic games should be played by non-professional athletes (unless you live in a communist country, then who gives a f*ck?).

I do think that in the future with the USA's economy in tatters & Canadian teams still struggling to stay afloat, you will see more & more players (especially Russian-born, & to a lesser extent European players) bolting to the oil-rich KHL teams & the lucrative money that they can throw at these players, while even the hottest teams in the NHL are playing to 3/4 capacity crowds & shitty TV revenues.

[Saxon in Nashville]

So pure amateurs of free western countries should be forced to compete with blatantly violating communist countries' Olympic cheats who are trained and paid with government money?

We'd be better of just canceling the Olympics altogether...

[Boges]

So pure amateurs of free western countries should be forced to compete with blatantly violating communist countries' Olympic cheats who are trained and paid with government money?

We'd be better of just canceling the Olympics altogether...

Part of the reason Canada went 50 years without winning a Gold is because they boycotted a few Olympic Hockey tournys. They didn't want to have amateurs playing against roided up commie pros.

I guess that's why the Miracle on Ice is such a spectacular story.

[Santo Del Negro]

So pure amateurs of free western countries should be forced to compete with blatantly violating communist countries' Olympic cheats who are trained and paid with government money?

We'd be better of just canceling the Olympics altogether...

Part of the reason Canada went 50 years without winning a Gold is because they boycotted a few Olympic Hockey tournys. They didn't want to have amateurs playing against roided up commie pros.

I guess that's why the Miracle on Ice is such a spectacular story.

How pussy-ish of Canada to not send players to the olympics for that. Pussies.

[Joe in EastVan]

Russian olympiads

if you thought vancouver was bad that is gonna be a total joke

Willy malt 

[Santo Del Negro]

Just wait for a big-name player to get injured in the Olympics. Then it will be no more. 

[Reed]

The NHL will have folded and ceased operations by 2014.

SYHTFOTW

[emstrem]

Just wait for a big-name player to get injured in the Olympics. Then it will be no more. 

I'm tellin' ya SDN. It's all fun & games until somebody gets hurt, & it's only a matter of time before some team loses its star player for the playoff stretch because of a tweaked knee, groin, ankle, or takes a puck off the chops. Then you wait & see how fast teams are trying to recall their players from whichever country they happen to be in