WINNIPEG — Canada won gold in Olympic men’s hockey and many fans and players are already looking ahead to the next Olympic tournament — but there might be a major difference in 2018.
Every player on Team Canada also laces up for the National Hockey League and right now, the league hasn’t agreed to send its athletes to the Games in South Korea.
“I think it’s great for the players, great for the game,” said Team Canada forward and Winnipegger Jonathan Toews. “I think it’s a huge thing to … keep our sport on the map and keep developing in a lot of different countries.”
What happened to John Tavares in Sochi is a prime example of why the NHL owners want their players to stay home.
The New York Islander forward suffered a knee injury in Canada’s game against Latvia and will be out for the rest of the season.
“The insurance covers the money aspect, but it doesn’t cover the money coming and loss of revenue because your star player is out,” said Jim Toth, host of the CJOB Sports Show.
Without NHL players, the Olympic hockey experience could be similar to the World Juniors or the Spengler Cup, Toth said.
“I think people will pay attention to it, but I don’t know if people will go out of their way to get up at 5 a.m. to watch a game,” said Toth.
“You are supposed to be playing the best players in the world and I think it should be like that, but it’s not up to me,” said Michael Frolik, a Winnipeg Jets forward who suited up for the Czech Republic.
The International Ice Hockey Federation and the National Hockey League said a decision on whether NHL players will be allowed in 2018 is expected within a few months.
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