Should NHL players be allowed to compete in the 2014 Olympics?

Will this be the last Winter Olympic Games for the NHL?

The future of the NHL's participation in the Games is in doubt because  the league has not decided whether it will allow players to compete in the 2014 Olympics in Sochi, Russia.

NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman has called the midseason Olympic break a "strain on the players, on the schedule and on our fans here" and has said the league receives little positive impact from the Olympics when the Games are played outside North America.

Obviously, the Olympic break isn't an ideal situation for the NHL. While it does give players a chance to rest and heal from injuries, it does little to generate fan interest. And for teams like the Kings, who've won nine of their last 10,  a late-season, two-week break is the perfect momentum killer.

If the Olympic break were in November or December, this would be less of an issue. But with the playoff race so close in the Western and Eastern conferences, you can see why team owners aren't thrilled with the idea.

Still, the issue is not that clear-cut. Olympic participation is popular among NHL players and it's included in the league's current collective bargaining agreement with the NHLPA. So it'll be interesting to see how hard the league and its owners are willing to fight before the agreement expires after next season.

In addition, other professional leagues, including Russia's Kontinental Hockey League, will be allowing its players to take part in the Games. If NHL players were barred from playing, certain countries -- primarily Russia -- would hold a significant talent advantage over the rest of the competition.

But what do you think? Should the NHL allow its players to compete in the Olympics, or is it too disruptive to the season?

-- Austin Knoblauch

Photo: Dustin Brown. Credit: Tom Szcerbowski / U.S. Presswire

Comments

[WNCPuckDrop@twitter]

I say if your Pro you No Go!! I must be old school. The interruption of the NHL season is ridiculous. Everything comes to screaming halt so a select few can go and indulge in more press, more endorsements. I say let someone else have piece of the pie. Give young players a platform to be showcased . Keep it interesting keep the playing even all the way around.Mr. Bettman needs to revisit the question. I find him interesting with his activities. Sending NHL teams to Europe to play when the season begins as if to be testing marketing how the NHL could integrate into a market with perhaps the KHL and the European teams. Something about him seems rather shakey. Not in the vain of an Alan Eagleson. But he gives me the vibe there is more behind the curtain of OZ!
But to not stray from the topic remove the Pro element from the Olympics!!!
Just my half a cents worth

[Shanna]

I think if an athlete has the opportunity to compete for his/her country, then he/she shouldn't be denied that opportunity. Though I do understand the first poster's comment on pros vs amateurs, my standpoint is this: If the leader of the UN can call a cease-fire on all wars for the duration of the games, then the NHL can take a playing hiatus.

[Fred Garcia]

The "Keep the Pros Out" argument is worthless because in the days of the Soviet Union, the Soviet players were paid to train and play hockey for 12 months.

The best players in the world should represent their countries. Since nearly all the best players are in the NHL, the league should shut down.

Bettman and the NHL owners need to look at the big picture. Hockey is a premier event during these two weeks, unlike the regular season where you can find hockey on lowly Versus.

[Cadell]

Why not have an ORL (Olympic Reserved List) and keep the season going?

[Mercy]

I seem to remember when I was a kid, the whole reason for the Olympics was for amateur athletes to be able to prove themselves. Paid professionals were not allowed to compete because they would have an unfair advantage. The Olympics need to go back to that.

[GET REAL, PEOPLE!!]

I think the players in the NHL should be able to compete. Obviously the NHL players aren't the only ones making money so the money argument is invalid. Look at someone like Shaun White. He's a professional athlete probably making good money, and why is he in the olympics, because he is one of the best snowboarders in the world. So what's to say that NHL players can't play just because they aren't amateurs? I personally would rather see people that are super-skilled at hockey versus your mediocre players. Also stopping the season argument is stupid. The olympics happen once every four years.

[Carlie]

It should be positive pub for the NHL, but when NBC (the league's partner) decides to air figure skating over the men's Canada-US game, how much pub is derived? As with anything, whatever decision Bettman makes will end up being the wrong one.

[mike]

- Carlie " but when NBC (the league's partner) decides to air figure skating over the men's Canada-US game, how much pub is derived?" there are more than one NBC channel... i was watching the game just fine... your argument is invalid. if you dont pay for the channels then thats not an argument

[Erik]

Perhaps NBC should give Hockey better coverage on the Olympics and not stick USA vs. Canada on MSNBC but NHL execs would have to be out of their mind if they bared NHL players from the Olympics. I'm not a hockey guy...I'll go to a game if I'm given tickets but the Russia vs. Czech game and especially the USA vs. Canada game have made me a huge fan. What a showcase, giving millions around the world a taste of what the Stanley Cup playoffs must be like. Holy cow! The action was non-stop. I'm a huge SEC football fan and what I just witnessed made SEC football look like major league baseball...slow and boring. Suck up the season disruption that happens once every four years...you'd need a billion dollar ad budget to get this kind of positive exposure. I bet the NFL would be all over it.

[Jewlz]

I think that NHL players should be allowed to take part in the Olympics because it adds excitement to the game. Russia wants to change the rules so that they can win gold in their home town.

[tony]

I think it is great to see NHL players in the Olympics. It means seeing a higher level of hockey. Every hockey player would want their chance to represent their country. Why should it be different for them just because they play in the NHL. If pros from Russia can play, why can't NHL players?

[Old Timer]

I remember back in the day when the NHL players wearn't allowed to play. The Eastern Bloc would cream us. I want them to play so we can beat the Russians.

[Old Timer]

I think that morally, the Olympics are supposed to be for amateurs. NHL players are not amateurs because and they get paid pig bucks to play. But realistically, teams from the Eastern Bloc are training full time as a hockey team as their job in the army.

[Matt]

They definately should be allowed to play. The olympics are about pitting the best athletes in the world against each other. if we only send our amateurs, which are still very good but not our best, it would be a disadvantage for us.

Also the olympics are a once every four year event. So if you're a good hockey player, what are you to do. Should you not play in the NHL so you can play once every four years or do you play every year, but forfeit your chance to play the best in the world?

Another argument is the IOC took baseball out of the olympics, why it was there in the first place I'll never know, but I digress, because we didn't send any professional athletes. The IOC's argument was the Olympics are to showcase the best athletes in the world. Period.