Bettman updates status of NHL All-Star Game and Olympic participation

Still holding out hope?

HockeyFeed
HockeyFeed
Published 6 years ago
Bettman updates status of NHL All-Star Game and Olympic participation
Keystone Press

In April NHL commissioner Gary Bettman made a definitive statement regarding the NHL’s participation in the 2018 Winter Olympic Games. That statement? No, no no. Yet, here we are six weeks later and there’s still speculation that the NHL is merely posturing for a better agreement. Well, today Bettman poured more cold water on those rumors.

When asked if the league would potentially cancel the NHL All-Star Game planned for Tampa Bay in January, 2018 if an agreement with the IIHF and IOC could be reached, Bettman replied “No possibility. I think we’ve been about as clear on this subject as we can. The announcement six weeks ago, I reaffirmed that on Monday. I know there’s a lot of people saying, the International Ice Hockey Federation, the IOC, even the players’ association, ‘Oh no, this can still happen.’ No it can’t. We’ll be here, looking forward to being here, and the Olympics should not be a concern.”

So, the question remains: is this the final nail in the coffin or just more posturing? With Bettman and the NHL, you never can be quite sure. Regardless, the speculation will continue until later this month when the NHL officially releases its schedule for the 2017-18 season. Until then, keep your fingers crossed hockey fans!

Source: NHL on NBC