Olympics 2018: NHL Commissioner Pessimistic On Winter Games' Hockey

Negotiations for participation by the National Hockey League in the 2018 Olympics in South Korea have broken down, making it less likely the league will send any players to the Winter Games, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said Tuesday.

“Assume we’re not going,” Bettman tweeted.

Bettman said there have been no negotiations with the International Olympic Committee since early February and none are scheduled although the league remains “open to having discussions,” Reuters reported.

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The Pyongyang Games are scheduled to run Feb. 9-25.

The NHL is seeking concessions that would it allow it to market the Winter Games on its platforms and for the IOC to pick up player insurance and transportation costs.

Bettman said the Winter Games are “terribly disruptive to our business” since they entail shutting down the season for 2 1/2 weeks. There also are concerns about player injuries.

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"If they don't value our participation why are we going?" Bettman asked.

The NHL waited until July 2013 before agreeing to participate in the 2014 Games in Sochi, Russia.

But, Bettman said, the NHL has derived very little benefit from participating in the last five Winter Games, and considering Pyongyang is not a hockey market and the contests would be broadcast in the early morning in North America, the NHL would “just disappear” during what should be a key part of the season.

"Why did we do it five times? Well, it seemed like a good idea at the time, but we have been unable to quantify any benefit from it,” Bettman said.

Several players have said they would go whether or not the league participates. Washington Capitals star Alex Ovechkin wants to play on the Russian team. But the Ottawa Senators are balking at sending team captain Erik Karlsson for fear of injuries.