NHL owners reluctantly agreed to let players participate in Olympics
It’s interesting how the NHL has made a huge spectacle of NHLers going back to the Olympics. Instead of making a grand announcement surrounding pro players hitting the ice at Milano Cortina, it’s the TV networks doing it for the league.
But why? Why would the NHL not go out of its way to market the Olympics?
The reasoning here has multiple dimensions to it.
First of all, the NHL doesn’t control the Olympic tournament. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) organized the hockey tournament under the International Ice Hockey Federation’s (IIHF) rules. Those rules include playing in the bigger rinks and changes such as the five-on-five overtime periods, and such.
Second, the NHL doesn’t decide how the tournament is set up or its scheduling. In fact, it’s the other way around. The NHL has to adapt to whatever the IOC and IIHF decide. That means shutting down the league for two to three weeks and a significant loss of revenue.
The TV networks love the idea of NHLers going to the Olympics. But NHL owners hate it because they lose arena revenues and TV income. Of course, the NHL has a guaranteed deal with the networks to get paid. But the loss of advertising revenue, ticket sales, and other income stings.
Lastly, NHL owners dread the idea of having their best players get hurt in a non-essential tournament. NHL players don’t technically get paid to play in the Olympics. They do so out of their own volition. Moreover, a combination of each country’s hockey federation and the IOC covers travel expenses, accommodation, and transportation for the tournament.
But it’s the NHL that covers players’ insurance. So, if a player gets hurt, the tab goes to the NHL, not the IOC of IIHF.