Opinion | Beijing 2022: missing Winter Olympics in China may signal the end of NHL players at the Games for good
- The International Olympic Committee’s decision in 2016 not to pay for the insurance and travel costs of NHL players brought about a massive shift
- NHL brass, led by Gary Bettman, have now created a landscape where heading to the Olympics is just too much of a headache
Eight years ago on February 23 at the Bolshoy Ice Dome in Sochi, Russia, Canada rolled over Sweden 3-0 to win the ice hockey gold medal game at the 2014 Winter Olympics. Generational superstar and Canadian captain Sidney Crosby scored his first goal of the tournament in what was a brilliant showcase of NHL talent on an international level.
The Games were a massive success for the International Olympic Committee, in part, because more than 200 professional ice hockey players were willing, and able, to leave their employers (the NHL) midseason and head overseas for a month as unpaid contract freelancers.
Ratings were great despite the time difference between Russia and the North American market, as fans were more than inclined to wake up early or stay up late to catch a tournament they could only see once every four years.
To think this may have been the last time we see such a showcase of hockey talent was once a laughable prospect, but now the questions have started: could this be the last time we see NHL players in the Olympics?
Sochi built off the immense success of 2010 in Vancouver where Crosby scored a golden goal in front of his compatriots, creating an iconic moment for the sport. Things were looking up and that tournament alone catapulted NHLers into Russia amid a very sketchy political climate with little resistance from the league or its players.
