Report: Major hint to another NHL lockout!

We are all aware that the National Hockey League players are not happy with the decision that was made for them not to take part in the upcoming 2018 Winter Olympics. 

The players are not the only ones with a bad taste in their mouths following the NHL's decision and "NHL Players’ Association executive director Donald Fehr said owners choosing to skip the 2018 Olympics “is a thorn, is a sore” for players and is “not going to be forgotten,” as reported by the Associated Press. 

The NHL players' participation to the Olympics was not written into the collective bargaining agreement signed in 2013. The NHL'ers and owners will get a chance to opt out of the CBA in two years and the topic of the Winter Games will be on their minds, along with escrow payments and the draft age.

“I think it is clearly something the players are going to want to think long and hard about when they get to the point of formulating their positions,” Fehr said. “I would not be at all surprised if they wanted to make this an issue around which they felt very strongly in terms of the overall agreement because you have to remember that while it’s true that roughly a fifth of the players play in any particular set of Games, everyone would like the opportunity to go.”

Fehr might be hinting at a possible lockout if players are looking to fight for their right to represent their country on the international stage. 

Dallas Stars center Tyler Seguin said not going to the Olympics “kind of makes you angry.” He added: “We’re going to have to figure something out for future players and for our future in general as a game.”