Connor McDavid said “100 per cent” that NHL players should go. The Edmonton Oilers captain, who wasn’t even born the last time NHL players didn’t attend in 1994, said he couldn’t envision the Olympics without the world’s top players.
ennnhhhh. I've seen so many of these now that i have no real interest in them. Plus, the last 2 have been dullsville. Bab**** had Canada playing just boring hockey.
To me it's massively disappointing but it makes perfect sense, especially now the NHL wants to do a 'World Cup of Hockey' every whatever years. One comment from Bettman in the past has been that the NHL makes 'no money' at the Olympics so why send 'their assets' to another country where they gain no benefits. Initially it was because they wanted the exposure, but they found people watched the Olympics but it didn't translate to anything beyond watching.
I guess Hockey Canada (in our case) were the main benefactors... that and the fact the NHL players seemed to genuinely be proud to represent their country internationally and it was some of the best hockey I looked forward to watching every 4 years.