NHL's presence at PyeongChang remains murky
Martin Hyun, right, deputy sport manager for ice hockey and ice sledge hockey for the PyeongChang Winter Olympic Committee, talks to Jim Paek, second from right, director of the national team program, during the National Hockey League and NHL Players’ Association officials’ visit to the eastern city in October. The U.S. delegation made a five-day visit to PyeongChang for a venue inspection. / Courtesy of Martin Hyun
By Kang Hyun-kyung
Ice hockey is one of the two most popular Winter Olympic sports, along with figure skating. Hockey fans account for nearly 40 percent of Olympic spectators and it is the most-viewed winter sport.
Hockey fans here are excited they may be able to watch in person the games where the premier National Hockey League (NHL) players representing their home countries play against each other during the PyeongChang Winter Olympics.
What if the NHL players, for some reason, won’t be able to participate in the Olympics? Chances are high that the PyeongChang Olympics will suffer the consequences as less exciting games are likely to lead to fewer spectators.
Looking at what’s happening in North America, the hypothetical scenario of the 2018 Olympics without NHL players may end up becoming reality.
The NHL officials’ announcement last week of the proposal to send their players to Korea for the PyeongChang Winter Olympics in return for extending the current labor arrangement for three more years has fueled speculation that the world’s best hockey players may not join the Olympics.
Donald Fehr, executive director for the NHL Players’ Association (NHLPA), confirmed to reporters last Wednesday that the NHL has offered to sign off on their players’ participation in the PyeongChang Olympics in exchange for extending their collective bargaining agreement by three years. He made the remarks after meeting with multiple parties, including the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) and NHLPA, to discuss the NHL players’ participation in the PyeongChang Olympics.
NHL players are reportedly sick of the wage proposal because they’ve already braced for an income decrease under the current plan which will expire in 2022. It requires 16 percent of those players’ salaries to be set aside in escrow to assure a 50/50 revenue split between the players and club owners.
“It is difficult to get a pulse on all that is happening in North America regarding the issue,” said Jim Paek, director of the national team program of the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympic Committee. According to him, several factors have made NHL club owners hesitant about allowing their athletes to join the Olympics. A two-week mid-season shutdown and the number of players on each team to participate in the Olympics were some of their major concerns.
“Now, I hear about the collective bargaining agreement. It seems there is more to it than a money situation,” said Baek.
The NHL’s presence has emerged as a key issue to determine the success of the PyeongChang Olympics following an April announcement by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) that it will no longer cover any NHL players’ travel costs, including transportation and insurance.
The IOC has paid for the athletes’ trips to the Olympics since 1998 when the NHL sent its players to the global winter sports event for the first time. During the 2014 Sochi Olympics, for example, the IOC spent some $140 billion to cover their trips to and from Russia. It called on the NHL to pay for their players’ trips to Korea for the PyeongChang Olympics, which provoked the ire of the club owners.
Owners there were skeptical about the NHL’s Olympic presence, according to North America-based media outlets. Initially, they were supportive of sending their players to the Olympics because of the perceived global marketing gain. They expected that the world’s best players playing against each other for their national teams would help the NHL draw more international spectators and consequently lead to a revenue increase, which turned out to be wishful thinking.
Rather, the mid-season shutdown caused them to suffer financial stress. Injuries to their players during the Olympics also caused the club owners to be skeptical about the NHL’s participation in the Olympics.
The IOC’s announcement to stop its financial support for travel costs of those players added fuel to their skepticism.
In the face of the growing skepticism, IIHF President Rene Fasel offered a financial plan to cover transportation costs and insurance for the players.
However, the financial arrangement plan seemed not to have convinced the club owners to change their perceptions about the NHL’s Olympic presence.
If the owners show no signs of making concessions regarding the wage proposal, NHL players will need to brace for sanctions from their teams to play for their national teams during the PyeongChang Olympics.
Many NHL players are said to be eager to join the Olympics.
Alex Ovechkin is one of the vocal players calling for the NHL’s Olympic presence. The Russian player, who is the captain of the Washington Capitals, is quoted as saying he would come to Korea for the Winter Olympics regardless of whether the NHL sanctions him for the decision or not.
“Playing in the Olympics is something very special to every player,” said Martin Hyun, deputy sport manager for ice hockey and ice sledge hockey for the PyeongChang Winter Olympic Committee. He hoped for the NHL’s presence in PyeongChang after all the issues are resolved and said the world-class athletes’ participation in the Olympics would help the competitiveness of Korean hockey players because they will face off against them.
In October, NHL officials and NHLPA representatives visited PyeongChang to inspect the venue. “Dan Craig, NHL senior director of facilities operations, was impressed with the progress of the hockey venues and Mathieu Schneider, former Stanley Cup Champion and special assistant to Donald Fehr, gave two thumbs up for our preparation,” said Hyun.