There are few good ideas. The most you can say is, "Well, I guess that's the best they can do." The urge to try and have anything normal is understandable, but there are so many limits to how to get to that that we either can't have them or ignore them. Neither is a good way to go about things.
I am relieved that the NHL season will be normal this fall after last year's abbreviated version. It reminded everyone of what we didn't have and never felt right. I don't know if the sight of hockey starting in the middle of October as usual with crowds was something I would be hoping to be a sign of normality within touching distance, or just a distraction from everything. It has not been either. It seems that the Olympics are the next step in how far we have to go.
The NHL was having its Governors Meeting over the weekend and players were worried about going to China. The NHL has never been a fan of the idea, and they have made it clear that they still don't think it's a good idea. Which it isn't.
Gary Bettman made it clear that he and the owners would let it be the players' decision, but that it was still up to them. It sounded like a parent was trying to encourage their child to make their own decision without having to be the bad guy. You can do it if you think it is a good idea. Do you think it is a good idea?
The main concern is the possibility of a five-week stay in Beijing for any players that test positive. The players are still waiting on the outcome of the test, but they are certain that a positive test could lead to their departure from China. The current protocols in China call for a week-long quark. We don't know if that applies to Olympians.
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There is a problem here. If a player tests positive in the last week of the tournament, they could miss a month or more of NHL action while waiting to return, and also be marooned thousands of miles from home. This does not appeal to a lot of players, who are starting to wonder if this is worth it.
It is not the only issue. The NHL does not pay for players who miss time for testing positive and quarantining and missing games. A player stuck in China for weeks and missing games back home would not be paid for that privilege. The International Ice Hockey Federation has a $5 million fund to reimburse players if they get hurt, but if that fund runs out, there is no answer. You will be surprised to hear that NHL owners aren't rushing to dive on that live grenade.
The NHL players will get a handbook from the IOC and IIHF about what life in Beijing will look like, as they will get a clearer idea of what the exact protocols are for the Olympics. They will not discuss how their party will be affected. Don't be fooled. The fun and opportunities are a huge draw for players when they play in the tournament and win a gold medal. You don't need to know what life is like inside the village. NHL players are the biggest celebrity there with no of the celebrity gossip that star athletes get at home. That is a big part of the appeal for players. The appeal deflates if everyone is locked up in their dorm and only allowed to practice and games.
Even if the players are clear that it is still up to them, the NHL still has a half-hammer on this. The owners and players can agree that they need the Olympic break to make up games if the NHL schedule is not fixed. It's not feasible to pack in many games in the last two months of the season.
The game between the Flames and the Bulls in Chicago was postponed because of positive tests. I'm just sayin'...
Some teams have booked their arenas during the break for other things, which is not as cut and dried as it seems. I have to chase that revenue lost. It will take some time to schedule aerobics should it happen. What is the threshold on that? There are some games that the Islanders have to make up. The Flames will do it. No one has a definite number of teams or games that would be too much to make up in February.
The NHL going to the Olympics has always been a nightmare, and even more so for games that will be on at 3 a.m. The NHL has never really received a boost from these. If there is a full 12 years between the NHL players going to the Olympics, it would be sad for an entire generation of players to miss out.
The World Cup in the summer should be a better tournament with rested players, where both the owners and players can profit, but both sides have messed that up.
This is a bigger mess than normal, and it seems like it will become too much of one to go through with.
