The USOC yesterday said that it "has discussed a Plan B" with USA Hockey should the NHL decide not to send players to the '18 PyeongChang Games, according to Steve Keating of REUTERS. The NHL has participated in five consecutive Winter Games, but its participation in South Korea is "in doubt" after the IOC said it would no longer cover players' costs, which have been estimated at around $10M. USOC CEO Scott Blackmun yesterday said, "We're still very hopeful the NHL players will be there. We know they (players) want to be there and we understand the challenges it creates for the league. We are certainly exploring all avenues that would allow that to happen" (REUTERS, 12/13). The AP's Larry Lage noted NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman "has said a decision would need to be made by early January at the latest, giving the league time to create a schedule for next season with or without a two-plus week break for the Olympics." IIHF President Rene Fasel is "trying to stay out of the fray, acknowledging the highly anticipated decision isn't up to him or the governing body he leads." Fasel yesterday said, "We will await the NHL and the NHLPA's decision and hope for a positive result" (AP, 12/14). SPORTSNET.ca's Elliotte Friedman noted the "key thing to remember" is that there is "somewhere between four and six weeks" before the deadline for a decision. Friedman: "Years of covering mind-numbing labour negotiations teaches a very important fact: we are going to know one way or another right at the very end." That means "50 more days of rhetoric and forceful proclamations" (SPORTSNET.ca, 12/13).
TALKS TO RESUME: TSN's Pierre LeBrun reports Bettman and NHLPA Exec Dir Donald Fehr are expected to meet "sometime next week to get the ball rolling again on where this stands." However, there are "no official meetings scheduled." An IIHF source said that Fasel is "waiting for the NHLPA and the NHL to figure this out" ("Insider Trading," TSN, 12/13).
