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As owners descend on Florida this week for their annual December meetings, the league and the game itself are at a crossroads, with the NHLs almost-20-year relationship with the Winter Olympics hanging in the balance. http://www.jordan4uk.com/312567-141-air-jordan-xiv-14-retro-mens-basketball-shoes-low-white-pacific-blue-a14005.html .Ive covered Winter Olympic tournaments in Italy, Canada and Russia, and I never thought it would come to this. But its time for the NHL to walk away from its longstanding love/hate relationship with the five rings.The International Olympic Committee seems content to let that happen. In April, the IOC announced it would no longer pay the travel and insurance costs of NHL players or the ancillary costs associated with shutting down the NHL on a quadrennial basis.The move has left the International Ice Hockey Federation in the unenviable position of having to beg for scraps from member nations in an effort to placate the NHL and its players. Commissioner Gary Bettman said during the Stanley Cup finals that hes pretty sure that our teams are not really interested in paying for the privilege for disrupting our season. Although?Washington Capitals superstar Alex Ovechkin told colleague Pierre LeBrun at the World Cup of Hockey that he plans to play for Russia?in the 2018 Games regardless of the NHLs decision, there appears to be a consensus among players and players association officials weve talked to that they shouldnt be paying to play in the Olympics, given that they do not receive any remuneration for doing so.That the IIHF would try to piece together enough money to cover the costs has already created outrage in the hockey community. Where would that money come from? Even if IIHF president Rene Fasel has the funds, presumably on some level they would come at the expense of developing the game in Canada, the United States and other hockey nations. And that would be a disgrace.Before the NHL first joined the Olympics, for the Nagano Games in 1998, it was hard to imagine what the tournament would look like, with the worlds best players all gathered in one place on sports grandest stage. Five Olympic tournaments later, its perhaps even more difficult to picture what the 2018 Winter Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea, might look like without hockeys brightest stars.An Olympic hockey tournament without NHL players would definitely be different. Would it be diminished? Probably. But maybe less so than you might think.The fact that the NHL is on the verge of walking away from the Olympics -- a prospect more likely now that the players have rejected the leagues offer?to extend the current collective bargaining agreement by three years in exchange for Olympic participation?-- reinforces the fact that nothing about hockey and the Games is black and white.Have there been memorable Olympic moments? Of course.Sidney Crosbys golden overtime winner over the U.S. in Vancouver in 2010 capped one of the greatest games of all time and put a cherry on top of one of the greatest best-on-best tournaments ever. From start to finish, the Vancouver Games were chock-a-block with dynamic performances and compelling games.And there was Canadas seminal gold medal win in 2002 in Salt Lake City, with Wayne Gretzky at the helm, which erased 50 years of disappointment in mens Olympic hockey for the country. The semifinal game between Russia and the U.S., the team beaten by Canada in the 02 gold medal game, was among the most dramatic in international play.What about the other tournaments? Well, thats the problem.When the game is played on NHL-sized ice,?as was the case in Vancouver, rather than on an Olympic-sized rink, the game is more enthralling. Its as simple as that.When we talk about the Olympics in terms of growing the game, what game are we talking about growing? The NHL game and the Olympic one are sometimes mutually exclusive. Forget the time difference and the difficulties of scheduling Olympic games during North American prime time. The more important question -- and ultimate incentive for owners -- is: Did the Olympic games in Japan, Italy and Russia do anything to promote the NHL game globally?The answer is pretty simple: No.Olympic games played on international-sized ice, which is 15 feet wider, are not NHL quality. Its not even close. To be blunt, its often unwatchable.Can you name memorable moments from those non-North American Olympic tournaments?A few: Canadas shootout loss to the Czech Republic in the semifinals of the Nagano Games, in which Gretzky was inexplicably left on the bench. The U.S.s shootout win over Russia in a round-robin game in Sochi that made multiple shooter?T.J. Oshie (T.J. Sochi?) a minor celebrity outside the game for a few days was great theater. But it was ultimately a meaningless contest, as both teams finished out of the medals.Two shootouts, a device the NHL is working to weed out of its game back in North America -- thats what we think of.What else? How about the Swedes tacit acknowledgement that they tanked a round-robin game against Slovakia in 2006 to gain an easier route to the gold-medal game, in which they beat Finland? Or the Americans smashing up their dorm rooms in Nagano after an early exit from the tournament?Canada was defensively dominant in Sochi in a way that might never be matched in international best-on-best play. But werent we talking about growing the game? Im not sure watching Canada squash the life out of all comers for a fortnight is the best way to attract legions of new fans around the globe.If the powers that be could guarantee that the Olympics in South Korea would be played on NHL ice, Id be all for it. Same for Beijing in 2022. Bring it on.But that isnt going to happen. And for every shining, mark-your-life-calendar-by-it moment such as Crosbys overtime winner, therell be dozens of Olympic games that are pedestrian and largely forgettable.And so, as the NHL edges closer to making the seminal decision to quit the Games, we contemplate the clash of the Olympic mythology -- the idea that Olympic hockey is grand and important and compelling -- with the reality that, more often than not, it is none of those things.It makes it easier to let go when you look at it that way.http://www.jordan4uk.com/408452-603-air-jordan-4-retro-fire-red-white-black-cement-grey-women.html . Reigning world champion Eve Muirhead of Scotland opened with a 12-2 rout of Winnipegs Jennifer Jones in a battle of teams bound for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi. http://www.jordan4uk.com/men-s-air-jordan-14-indiglo-basketball-shoes-black-white-vivid-green-487471-005.html . The 25-year-old Japanese star has officially been posted by his club team, the Rakuten Golden Eagles. http://www.jordan4uk.com/authentic-384664-107-air-jordan-6-retro-white-sport-blue-black-men-women-gs-youth-girls.html . Booth picked up 65 caps after making her national team debut in 2002 at the age of 17. She most recently played for Sky Blue FC of the National Womens Soccer League. "It just felt like it was my time to move on," she said in a phone interview from her hometown of Burlington, Ont. Brisbane Roar have added much-needed steel to their midfield by signing former Danish international Thomas Kristensen for the upcoming A-League season.Kristensen, 33, is a direct replacement for the Roars reigning player of the year Corona, who made a surprising return to Spain earlier this month despite having a year left to run on his contract.Much like Corona, Kristensen brings a wealth of experience to Brisbane, having played seven seasons for top Danish club FC Copenhagen before spending the last two years in the Dutch Eredivisie with ADO Den Haag.But unlike the diminutive Spaniard, Kristensen is a more defensively-minded player who is not afraid to put his imposing 188cm frame on the line - a bonus for coach John Aloisi, who believes his side were often bullied by bigger-bodied opponents last season.His ability to play the ball will suit our style, but hell give us that balancee defensively we need as well, Aloisi told reporters on Wednesday. http://www.jordan4uk.com/men-s-nike-kyrie-1-dream-basketball-shoes-black-white-bright-crimson-anthracite-705277-016.html. Kristensen said he knew little about the A-League, but his interest was piqued when former international teammate and good friend Morten Nordstrand signed for the Newcastle Jets midway through last season.Despite his advancing years, Kristensen has a reasonably clean injury record and believes he has plenty of football still left in him.From what I see, (Brisbane) is a club thats usually in the top. Hopefully we can play for the championship, he said.Kristensens contract with the Roar does not officially begin until August 1, meaning he wont be involved in Fridays behind-closed-doors pre-season friendly against the Western Sydney Wanderers at Cbus Super Stadium on the Gold Coast. Cheap NFL JerseysCheap NFL Jerseys ChinaCheap Jerseys From ChinaCheap NFL Jerseys AuthenticWholesale Jerseys ChinaCheap NFL Jerseys ChinaNFL Cheap Jerseys ' ' '
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