IIHF President Says NHL Players At 2018 Olympic Games Not An Easy Sell

Int'l Ice Hockey Federation President Rene Fasel said that "it will 'not be easy' to reach a deal" for NHL players to compete at the 2018 Winter Olympics, according to James Ellingworth of the AP. Fasel said that the IIHF has started the process of consulting players and officials over a deal for the 2018 Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea. Fasel said that "our goal is to bring the NHL to Korea," but added that it "is a 'long process' and 'will not be easy.'" The IIHF "must reach a deal" with NHL officials, the NHL Players' Association and the IOC in order to "get the players on board" for the Games. Insurance for player injuries is a "perennial sticking point." Fasel also said that he "did not consider next year's revived World Cup, organized by the NHL, to be a threat to the IIHF's annual world championship." The World Cup will be played in Sept. '16, four months after the world championship, which "usually lacks many major NHL names" (AP, 4/21).