IIHF President Rene Fasel said he had "two very positive visits" with the NHL, its union and the IOC recently regarding participation in the '18 PyeongChang Games, and he left with a "clear comprehension of the issues at play," according to Adam Steiss of IIHF.com. Fasel said they were "able to devise a financial framework that will cover" costs for players' travel and contract insurance "without drawing funds away from the IIHF’s development programs" or their Member National Associations. Fasel said the NHL will likely "need to decide during the month of March" whether it will send players "because of their scheduling needs for next season." Fasel: "We do not feel at this time that it would be constructive to set a hard deadline for the NHL and NHLPA to confirm their participation." Asked about a possible "Plan B" if NHL players pass, Fasel said, "As it stands now we would not deviate from the standard format for the Olympic men’s tournament. We would keep to the same rules, schedule, and playing format, and would not shift to something like an Under-23 tournament, for example" (IIHF.com, 2/7). Sharks C Joe Pavelski, who served as the captain of Team USA in last year's World Cup of Hockey, said playing in the Olympics "means a lot." Pavelski: "Players want to go" (CSNBAYAREA.com, 2/8).
POINT OF CONTENTION: YAHOO SPORTS' Greg Wyshynski noted one of the "biggest points of contention for NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman has been that the IIHF would fill the funding gap created by the IOC." However, in the meetings it "wasn’t the sole point of contention." Wyshynski found it "interesting" that the Olympics "wouldn’t switch to a U-23 tournament" if the NHL does not participate. That would have been an "amazing response to the NHL’s decision not to go." It would have "frozen out the veteran NHL players like [Capitals LW] Alex Ovechkin who have threatened to go, thereby keeping the pressure on the NHL." It also would have "offered a novelty that NHL players can’t produce: 'Kids,' playing for their countries" (SPORTS.YAHOO.com, 2/7).
AN OFFER THEY CAN'T REFUSE? ESPN's Pierre LeBrun said, "The NHL now is sitting back and saying, ‘You know how we feel. You guys need to come to us and explain to us why we need to convince our owners to go.’ I really see this as Rene Fasel and (NHLPA Exec Dir) Donald Fehr spearheading this movement at this point." The players "want to be in South Korea," and Fasel "wants the best players in South Korea." LeBrun: "Those two bodies -- the IIHF and the NHLPA -- are going to carry the mail now and try and salvage this." LeBrun: "They've basically got a month, if not a bit less." ESPN's Scott Burnside added, "I just think it's going to get done." Burnside: "If the IIHF has the money they say they do to pay for the outstanding issues of travel and insurance ... I don’t see how the NHL now can come back and say, ‘You know what, all those things we said were a problem for us, well we’re still not going to go.’ Optically, it’s too hard for them" ("Hockey Today Podcast," ESPN, 2/7).
