The NHLPA may have officially shot down the idea of extending the CBA through '25 in exchange for continued Olympic participation, but the door "still seems to be wide open to explore that framework further," according to Chris Johnston of SPORTSNET.ca. NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman came out of the BOG meeting on Thursday night in Florida and "indicated that owners who aren’t in favour of the Olympics might be swayed by a grander plan." He said, "If (Olympic participation) was viewed as more than a one-off, if we were doing something grander on a more predictable, more involved international schedule -- that might interest people more than just saying ‘let’s shut down for two and a half weeks and go to Pyeongchang.' I was looking for something that might make this more appealing, more sensible, more involved as part of some grander scale." Johnston noted each of the parties with a stake in the Olympic discussions need to "get a resolution sooner rather than later," and throwing a CBA extension "into the mix would seem to complicate an already complicated set of talks" (SPORTSNET.ca, 12/8). ESPN.com's Craig Custance noted Bettman on Thursday "clarified reports" that he asked the NHLPA to extend the CBA in return for Olympic participation. He said that the offer was "part of a larger discussion to provide clarity to hockey's international calendar, one he felt would be best served without the threat of a work stoppage, rather than a demand" (ESPN.com, 12/8).
NHL LOOKING PAST SOUTH KOREA? USA TODAY's Kevin Allen notes league officials have been "clear that the romance with the Games has waned." NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly said, “Our constituents have become increasingly negative toward the Olympic experience." Bettman added, "It’s fair to say there is strong negative sentiment in the room." Allen notes disenchantment with Olympic participation "has been building among NHL teams, and it was pushed to the forefront" when the IOC said it "would no longer pay for the travel and insurance costs for NHL players." That cost is "projected to exceed" $10M. In an effort to continue having NHL players at the Olympics, IIHF President Rene Fasel said that he will "find a way to cover those costs." But Bettman "has reservations about the IIHF plan." Allen noted NHL execs are "more intrigued" by the '22 Beijing Games than '18 in PyeongChang. Bettman said that it "hasn't been made clear whether the NHL can opt out" in '18 and then return in '22. Bettman: "The answer is ambiguous from the other side" (USA TODAY, 12/9).
THE GREAT 8 DEBATE: TSN.ca's Gary Lawless wrote Capitals LW Alex Ovechkin's "promise to go" to PyeongChang creates a "thorny business issue." Ovechkin leaving the Capitals to play in the Games "would be in breach of contract," but it is "not so easy as a team telling a player if he goes he’ll be in breach." Lawless: "What are the Washington Capitals going to do? Tell Ovechkin he’s broken his contract and terminate the deal? They would be making their best player an unrestricted free agent." Bettman is "going to have to find a way to put teeth into the NHL’s decision if they elect not to take part" in '18. The players "have leverage if they act en masse." Capitals Owner Ted Leonsis has "said he won’t stand in Ovechkin’s way," but "don’t be surprised if Bettman and the rest of the league’s owners apply pressure on Leonsis to change his tune" (TSN.ca, 12/8).
