Why NHL Players Should Play in the 2014 Olympics

There should be no debate about whether or not the NHL should allow its players to participate in the 2014 Winter Olympic Games in Sochi, Russia.

The players deserve the opportunity to represent their country and compete for a gold medal, and their participation in the Olympics would give the NHL some nice exposure to a worldwide audience.

Let's examine why NHL players should definitely be allowed to play in the next Winter Olympics.

Would Players Participate Even If They're Not Allowed?

If NHL players are not able to participate in the next Olympic games in Russia, there's a possibility that many notable stars might play anyway. Evgeni Malkin talked about this in a 2009 interview with Dmitry Chesnokov on Yahoo! Sports' Puck Daddy blog:

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"I would rather pay fines and still go. If there is something serious like a disqualification for a couple of years in the NHL, if there is something like this I will probably still go because I can even leave to Russia to play. It is very difficult to say right now. But I can give you 100 percent that I will go [to Sochi]."

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Malkin talked further about NHL players and the Olympics.

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"I don't know of any American or Canadian player who doesn't want to play in the Olympics. I spoke with many of them, including Sid and other guys, and they all understand that this tournament takes place once every four years. And it is one of the most important events in the world of hockey. That's why players are eager to go. Those who don't want to go are those who only want to make money and don't love hockey. I don't know any player who doesn't want to participate in World Championships or the Olympics."

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Can the NHL afford to have Malkin and other stars, such as his Penguins teammate Sidney Crosby, leave the league for a few weeks to play in the Olympics?

Absolutely not—their departure would have huge consequences. Fans would be angry, the on-ice performance of teams that lost key players would suffer, and the trade deadline—which, like the Olympics, is also in February—would be more complicated.

Allowing NHL players to participate in the 2014 Olympics is not only the right decision to make, doing so would avoid ugly situations that could result in players leaving to go to Russia even if they aren't allowed to.

Worldwide Exposure

For the NHL to continue to showcase its brand and amazing stars to the most people possible, the league needs to allow its best players to take part in the Olympics in front of a worldwide audience.

Let's be honest—the hockey competition drives the Winter Olympic games. If the hockey portion of the Olympics was played by junior players who don't have the same appeal as NHL stars, how many people would be very interested in the winter games? Watching events like skiing and snowboarding isn't as exciting to a worldwide audience as hockey is with NHL players involved.

The NHL should realize that there is a great opportunity for the sport to grow if its players go to the Olympics and give fans moments they will never forget.

What Does the Future Hold?

The NHL owners will fear players getting hurt and losing revenues from the league taking a break during the Olympics. However, possibly losing some revenue once every four years is something that the owners should be willing to accept.

If major stars like Alexander Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby threaten to play even if the NHL does not allow them to, it's hard to see the league winning this battle. The NBA lets its players play in the Olympics, and so do European soccer clubs.

Those kinds issues can be avoided by making the proper decision and allowing the players to compete for Olympic glory.

The final period and overtime of the gold medal game at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver between the United States and Canada was amazing, and it would be unfair to everyone if the NHL robbed us of this kind of excitement by refusing its players to participate in Olympic competition.

A Canada versus United States rematch in the gold medal game in 2014 would be cool, but far less appealing if players like Crosby and Zach Parise couldn't play.

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