Signs continue to point to a lack of NHL participation in the Olympics.

The latest news doesn't sounds good.

HockeyFeed
HockeyFeed
Published 7 years ago
Signs continue to point to a lack of NHL participation in the Olympics.
Keystone Press

The National Hockey League and the IOC have been at odds for some time now, and by the sound of the latest reports it's starting to appear more and more likely that the NHL will not cooperate with the IOC for the upcoming Olympics in Korea.

One of the main points of contention comes from the insurance and travel costs for the players that the IOC now wants the NHL to pay. When you consider that they are effectively asking the NHL to pay $10 million to interrupt their own season and massively inconvenience themselves, it's easy to see why the league isn't jumping at the chance to participate in the games.

“There’s been no commitment from the IOC to pay for what they’ve paid for in the past, which is really the expenses of us shutting down our season and attending the Olympics,” said NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly. “I have no reason to believe that position has changed.”

It should come as no surprise then that many believe the NHL will make the decision not to participate in the games, and a recent report from Sportsnet insider Chris Johnston one source puts the odds heavily in favor of that very decision.

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From Johnson:

One person close to the discussions recently pegged the odds of an agreement being reached at “30 per cent” – and the topic will continue to receive a lot of focus with the NHL’s board of governors set to meet for two days in Florida next month.

There is a key meeting that will occur on Wednesday and we likely will have somewhat of a clearer picture at that point, however the NHL does not believe that a decision will be made official before the new year. 

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