The NHL's status regarding participation in the '18 PyeongChang Games remains unchanged, and NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman indicated that instead of money, it appears to be about the league's BOG "no longer wanting to shut down the season," according to Greg Wyshynski of YAHOO SPORTS. Bettman said, "There’s concern from teams about the ongoing disruption in the season. The schedule. A whole host of other things. I’ve never said that just raising the money was the issue." He added, “There were some owners, over time, who probably thought the Olympics were a good idea. There were some that always hated it. And then there were some clubs that didn’t give it much thought until the IOC said they’re not going to pay the expenses. And that’s when they said, ‘wait a minute why are we knocking ourselves out (to go)?” Bettman said Olympic participation was discussed for "10 seconds" at the BOG meeting on Saturday in L.A. in conjunction with All-Star weekend (SPORTS.YAHOO.com, 1/28). Asked how long the issue can remain undecided, Bettman said, “We’re not the ones setting deadlines.” In L.A., Elliott & Zupke noted without a decision on its participation, the league "cannot announce the site" for the '18 All-Star Game. Bettman said the league is "looking at a few places,” including the new Golden Knights franchise sometime down the road (L.A. TIMES, 1/29).
PLAYERS STILL WANT TO GO: In Boston, Steve Conroy notes many players "would be disappointed" if the NHL does not go to PyeongChang. Bruins LW Brad Marchand: "We want to go, there’s no question about it. It would be a big blow for guys to not be there. You want to represent your country any time you can" (BOSTON HERALD, 1/30). Ducks D Cam Fowler: "I would assume that most guys would want to play. The Olympics is the greatest sporting event in the world and not many people have the opportunity to say they participated in the Olympics. ... A lot of this stuff is out of our control but I think for the most part guys would love to go and represent their country" (L.A. TIMES, 1/30). Oilers C Connor McDavid: "One hundred percent. NHL players should be there. I certainly hope they are there. But ultimately it isn’t up to me. There’s a lot of people a lot higher than me who will make that decision" (TORONTO SUN, 1/30). Blues RW Vladimir Tarasenko: “It’s really big for Russian players. I hope they make the right decision. It would be great if they decide to let us go." Capitals LW Alex Ovechkin: "Everybody wants to go. We're very excited about it. It's going to be fun." Ovechkin has said that he "intends to compete regardless of whether NHL players are released for the tournament" (N.Y. TIMES, 1/30).
