Sochi 2014
November 12, 2013 by staff
Sochi 2014, Breaking up the NHL season for the Olympics and risking player injuries when they’re not even making money for their team owners is an “imperfect solution,” says league commissioner Gary Bettman.
NHL stars will compete in the Sochi Olympics in February but a World Cup of Hockey would be a better option going forward, Bettman told the Prime Time Sports Management conference in Toronto on Monday.
But, at the same event, Bob Nicholson, CEO of Hockey Canada, argued that the global reach of the Olympics makes it an important part of hockey’s future and the best players should continue to take to the Olympic ice every four years.
“NHL owners are involved in the game because they want to make money and we have to understand that but . . . we shouldn’t pick off the Olympics, which is the highest-profile sporting event in the world. We should use the Olympics so we can all benefit, make dollars and promote the game in a lot of different ways,” Nicholson said.
The NHL needs the Olympics to open up new markets and grow its brand, particularly in Asia, said Rene Fasel, president of the International Ice Hockey Federation.
“We have 500 hockey players in China, not 500 million or 500,000 but 500 out of population of 1.3 billion people and 60 ladies are playing,” Fasel said.
The next few Olympics are especially important for those markets. The 2018 Winter Games are in Pyeongchang, South Korea and China is expected to bid for the 2022 Games.
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