NHL Olympic Showdown Leaves Fans Wanting for More | IXGAMES

The dramatic showdown between NHL players in the Winter Olympic finals between Canada and the United States could be the last. As the NHL owners are still questioning its Olympic involvement, with no agreement being made for future Olympics, the 2010 Vancouver Games could be the last time ice hockey’s best face each other to fight for the gold medal. The Olympic tournament has been the scene for the most gripping and compelling matches in the world of hockey recently. The players from the 12 participating countries gave out high quality performance. To top it off, Sidney Crosby’s goal at 7:40 into overtime was the exhilarating finish, making this year’s games living up to its hype as the greatest hockey competition ever. Down from the Olympic high However, despite the stellar performance backed up by blockbuster television ratings in both Canada and the U.S., NHL owners have not yet committed their players for another tour of Olympic duty, at least not right after this year’s Olympic climax. There is still the NHL’s next collective bargaining agreement that the NHL and the players have to hurdle before the decision to take part in the 2014 Sochi Winter games will be made. NHL commissioner Gary Bettman told reporters that the Olympic finals will have an impact on the season, which has to be balanced, so going to the next Olympics will make sense. “It’s naive for anyone to think the Olympics are great so let’s go,” Bettman explains. According to him, it is a difficult decision. Hope for the future Despite Bettman’s caution in making future Olympic plans, International Olympic Committee President Jacques Rogge and International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) chief Rene Fasel, as well as the players and coaches are all pushing for the NHL to make the trip to Sochi. U.S. coach Ron Wilson says that he hopes that NHL players will get to go to Sochi. He adds that since the league “steals” players from every country, going will be the league’s way of giving back to fans everywhere. Wilson added that they owe it to ice hockey fans who should be given the privilege to watch a spectacular event like this. Team Canada’s Olympic performance Since hockey is closer to religion than just a sport in their country, Team Canada was under the most intense pressure to win the gold. The path to the championship was a roller coaster ride that included a win over Switzerland, a loss to the U.S., booting out old rival Russia in the quarterfinals, and a victory over Slovakia in the semi-finals. It will be Russia then who will be gunning for the gold when it hosts the 2014 Games but it would be hard without NHL players like Alexander Ovechkin playing for them.