Anna Duke

The 2014 winter Olympics are rapidly approaching, and I am already worrying about the 2018 games. Recently, the director of the NHL came out with a bold  statement saying they are not sure whether they will allow their players to participate in the games next year. Many NHL hockey players fear that the Sochi games could be their last chance to represent their home country.

As with many professional US sports teams, not all players in the NHL are from North America. One hundred and fifty of the top athletes that fill the rosters of the USA and Canada NHL teams have to shuffle back to their home country to train with their Olympic team. Recently, the NHL has stated that this is a huge inconvenience. Because of the Olympics, the hockey season has to stop for at least two weeks. This year the NHL season is going to have to stop for the longest it ever has to due to the Olympics being so far away. Bill Daly, the NHL Deputy Commissioner, stated that this 16-day break could affect the competitive streak that some teams have been developing. He also added that the Olympics could ruin any teams’ seasons if some of their top players get injured.

The NHL has come up with an alternative to losing 150 players every four years for at least two weeks. They have conjured up an idea of making a hockey tournament mimicking the World Cup. They would create teams affiliated with home countries during the off-season.

While Daly has a fair point, I think that he is being completely shortsighted. The Olympics attract many new fans and new players for hockey each year. Without the fan-base gained during the Olympics, the future of hockey does not look bright. The NHL does allow for a lot of players who are talented enough to fulfill their dreams of making a living by playing professionally. Right now, US players make up about 23 percent of the players in the NHL. This number is at an all-time high, but would be at a high risk of dropping if hockey is cut from the Olympics. There is a certain pride that representing your country in your sport in the Olympics creates. Making a World Cup-style tournament would take a lot of this pride away from hockey.

One thing that I particularly enjoy about the Olympics is the variety of the people in the stands. While some are die-hard fans coming to support their country, a small section of the fans are athletes. Many Olympic athletes attend other sporting events to show their support. This type of inter-sport mingling brings a sense of pride for their country as well as a mutual understanding and appreciation for what each player had to give to wear the letters USA on their chest. These inter-sports relationships will dwindle.

Also, hockey is not the most diverse sport in America. Hockey gains name recognition by being a part of the Olympics. Right now, hockey is played by predominately white males. Taking hockey away from the Olympics restricts its publicity. Many hockey players speak about getting more diversity in hockey and actively try to encourage it. But this attempt will be cut short if the sport is sectioned off from the Olympics where only a die-hard fan-base will appreciate it.

With that said, I hope that in the next few weeks Team USA will be able to win a medal and possibly bring home the gold in hockey to help secure a place in the Olympics for many years to come.