by Gregorio Lentini, Staff Writer, All Habs Hockey Magazine

As the season of the Montreal Canadiens has turned out to be quite dismal and the trade deadline is still a week away, I wanted to discuss an event which has kept me much more entertained: the 2018 Winter Olympics.

I, personally, love the Olympics. I love watching the best athletes competing against each other in hopes of winning gold for their country. The Winter Olympics are even more special for Canadians since we have, historically, performed better in these games than during the Summer Olympics.

I love rooting for Canadian bobsledders, curlers, skiers, skaters and snowboarders. Above all, my favourite sport is hockey. Watching the women’s hockey team make an unlikely comeback in 2014 was unforgettable, and so too was Sidney Crosby’s “Golden Goal” in 2010.

This is the reason I was quite angered when the NHL decided not to allow NHL players to play in the Olympics for the first time in twenty years.

Honored to wear the Red, White & Blue again in the olympics! Can’t wait to chase gold in #PyeongChang. @usahockey

— Brian Gionta (@Giostyle21) January 2, 2018

Granted, I am elated for the players who were selected for this year’s team. This experience is probably a dream-come-true for them, and I wish to take nothing away from that. They have brought energy to each game so far and their passion is contagious. I, along with all of Canada, am still cheering them on.

However, I simply have to admit that I miss watching the best NHL players on the world stage. The Winter Olympics is the only event where the world’s best hockey players can face each other. The level of talent and competition is unparalleled, even compared to the All-Star Game or the recent World Cup of Hockey.

No matter how much the NHL tries to market their All-Star Game, it comes nowhere near the level of intensity of the Olympics. Several players selected for the All-Star game usually seem a to have mysterious illness that keeps them out of the game. Those who are still in it, from what I see, appear rather apathetic when playing the game. Dissimilar to the Olympics, there is no real incentive to compete.

The NHL has also tried to market their North-American-driven World Cup of Hockey, but unlike the Olympics, it lacks a tradition that gives it intrinsic value. The modern Olympics have been around for more than a century, and it has its roots back in Ancient Greece. This is probably the reason no NHL player decided to kiss the “World Cup” when they won. Their faces appeared nowhere near as ecstatic as when hockey players have won Olympic gold. I also don’t know how many Swedish, Finnish and Slovakian players enjoyed playing under an obscure, joint European banner.

Nothing can compare to watching Team Canada play Sweden, Finland, Russia or the U.S.A. Each team is saturated with talent, making every game more exciting. Watching Sidney Crosby, Connor McDavid, John Tavares, Steven Stamkos, Nathan MacKinnon (among other notables) all on the same team would have been salivating. I would much prefer to watch the talented, national teams play then watch Montreal play Arizona, or Philadelphia play Ottawa. Even the best teams in the NHL come nowhere near those of the aforementioned countries.

Disappointing news, @NHL won't be part of the Olympics 2018. A huge opportunity to market the game at the biggest stage is wasted..

— Henrik Lundqvist (@HLundqvist) April 3, 2017

I, personally, was also not satisfied with reasons NHL owners gave for prohibiting willing, world-class athletes for competing in the Olympics. The first reason stated was that the time zone difference was far too incompatible with North America. However, this did not appear to be a problem for Commissioner Gary Bettman when he allowed players to play in Nagano, which happens to be in the exact same time zone as PyeongChang. The NHL owners also reportedly have serious interest in attending the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, but that time zone is only one hour different than PyeongChang.

The other reason some owners gave was the risk of injuries. But in my opinion, if owners were truly concerned about general injuries, they would not have reinstated the World Cup, they would be pushing for lighter schedules and they would toughen suspensions for rule-breakers.

The unmentioned reason, which was the most likely one for withholding players, was financial. I’m not going to delve into whether skipping the Olympics was an intelligent business decision because predicting its long-term effects are difficult. The NHL may have saved money in the short-term by not having to pay the insurance costs of its players, but the Olympics may decide to retaliate and keep the NHL out for another set of Olympics, which will decelerate the international growth of hockey.

I am more concerned with the numerous players who would have loved to play in the Olympics. It would have probably been the last one for players like Shea Weber, Ryan Getzlaf and Patrice Bergeron who will all be thirty-six by 2022. Coaches, such as Mike Babcock, also expressed their disappointment with the decision.

Some disagree with Babcock and have argued that Olympic hockey should be reserved for amateur athletes. I, on the other hand, disagree with this proposition. Today, professionals participate in every sport in the Winter Olympics. I therefore see no reason for hockey to be any different. The only sport in the Olympics that still ban professionals is wrestling, and the ban will probably be lifted in the near future.

Amateurism was a rule developed at the end of the nineteenth century when the Olympics were on a much smaller stage. At the time of the rule, the goal of the Olympics was to showcase athletes who were well-rounded, and did not specialize in one specific event. Training for an event was actually considered cheating. Over time, Olympics grew in popularity. The aim of the Olympics started to shift, and so did the rule. Eventually, the goal of the Olympics was to showcase the world’s best athletes, and I support this aim.

Watching professionals perform at a high level is exciting. It also adds more value to every win knowing that your country’s best can beat another country’s best. Without the NHL’s players, the talent level dropped. I therefore hope that the NHL will reconsider for the future, if not for the players, at least for a large number of hockey fans who help support the league and who just want to watch elite hockey.

https://twitter.com/HC_Men/status/965232242585870336

That all being said, I don’t want to disregard this year’s Team Canada. They are giving all their effort and that is something to be proud of. For many, it will be the pinnacle of their careers and we all stand behind them in their quest for gold. They will cherish these moments, and if all goes well, so will we. Let’s make it a three-peat.

Go Canada Go!