Bettman: 2018 Olympic participation still in doubt
Gary Bettman’s voice was muffled and he was coughing profusely, but the tone of the NHL commissioner with regard to the 2018 Olympics remained the same.
“There’s absolutely nothing new,” said Bettman, seemingly under the weather on Wednesday at the conclusion of the GM meetings. “And I think the overwhelming sentiment of the teams is that it’s very disruptive on the season and there’s somewhere between fatigue and negativity on the subject.”
Bettman said no meetings were scheduled with either the International Ice Hockey Federation or the International Olympic Committee and said the NHL was focused presently on an 2017-18 schedule that didn’t include the Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, but would feature a revamped bye week period.
“Unless something changes we’re not going,” deputy commissioner Bill Daly said. “We’ve said that consistently for three months so there’s nothing new about that.”
If still quite dark on the likelihood of players attending in 2018, Daly reiterated more optimism among owners on the Beijing Games in 2022. The appeal of showcasing the NHL product on the gigantic Chinese stage seems to hold more appeal to clubs who are otherwise down on the tangible benefits of attending an Olympic Games outside of North America.
“It’s not the exact same equation in 2022,” Daly said. “Certainly there’s a little more business opportunity in the Chinese Games, (but) it creates the same disruption (to the season).”
Bettman said discussions were ongoing about holding games in China, reportedly for next season.
It’s uncertain what might shift the owners toward supporting attendance in 2018. Time would seem to be running short on a decision, though approval for the 2014 Games in Sochi didn’t arrive until the summer of 2013.
Daly said it was up to the IOC and IIHF to decide when a final decision was required.
If players don’t attend the Pyeongchang Olympics the bye week will proceed next year, but in a different manner from this season. Instead of wideranging five-day periods of time off - some in December, others in January and February - the league is proposing an arrangement which would see half the league off for one bye week (not conference-specific) with the other half of teams to follow afterward.
“We’re very concerned about it and that’s why we’ll try it in another format and if that doesn’t work I think our view will be its had its day and that was enough,” Bettman said.
Instituted this season, the bye week was the NHLPA’s return on agreement to the three-onthree format for the 2016 allstar game.
The proposed concept, which requires NHL Players’ Association approval, would allow the league to keep its product flowing without interruption and eliminate potential unfairness of the current system.