Daly says NHL in no rush to discuss Winter Olympic plans
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. The NHL isn’t going to get drawn into any discussions about participating in future Winter Olympics until after the Pyeongchang Games are complete.
Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly said that’s the answer he provided to International Ice Hockey Federation general secretary Horst Lichtner on Friday. Daly and Lichtner happened to sit together during the first period of the world junior hockey championship outdoor game between the United State and Canada being played at New Era Field.
Daly said the two talked little business, though he noted Lichtner did ask when the NHL might be ready to discuss its plans regarding the 2022 Games at Beijing.
Daly said his response was: “Certainly not any time before Pyeongchang.”
Citing monetary and logistical concerns, including the time difference between North America and Asia, the NHL elected against having its players compete at the Winter Games in February for the first time since 1994. Daly said it was premature for him to publicly discuss the league’s plans regarding Beijing.
“The issues with each Olympics are different,” Daly said. “Obviously, some of the logistical difficulties we have with South Korea will be the same in China. But maybe there are some opportunities in China that aren’t in South Korea.” INDIANAPOLIS Andrew Luck looks healthy and sounds confident.
All he has to do now is prove he can still sling a football.
After spending six weeks rehabbing his throwing shoulder in the Netherlands, the Colts’ quarterback returned to Indianapolis on Friday with a promising prognosis.
“The pain has significantly gone down and that’s why I’m so optimistic,” Luck said in his first public comments in more than two months. “I feel really good today. I do not feel like I need another surgery. I believe in the process I’m in right now.”
Luck even hopes to participate in the Colts’ off-season workout this spring. It’s the most encouraging news Indy’s increasingly anxious fan base has heard all season.
But if Luck’s recovery has taught the Colts (3-12) anything, it’s this: There are no guarantees.
Team officials believed the typical six- to nine-month rehab process following January surgery for a partially torn labrum, would put Luck back on the field during in September. Instead, he didn’t even start throwing a football until early October. Two weeks later, the throwing regimen stopped when Luck complained of soreness.
He was given a cortisone shot and sought out additional medical opinions before going on seasonending injured reserve Nov. 2. A couple weeks later, he left for Europe to work with a trusted trainer.
Luck stayed in touch with teammates, coaches and team doctors through text messages as speculation swirled about what was wrong. Some suggested he was getting experimental treatment while others questioned whether the injury might end his career.