The Olympics - my take

For some reason, maybe because the Olympics are in Vancouver (a short 45 minute flight from here), I've been paying a lot of attention to the winter games. On opening weekend, I literally watched about 24 hours of coverage, if not more (thanks to PVR I was watching live action on one station, and then watching what I missed after that station went off air...a couple of late nights!!)
Anyway, after watching so many athletes perform their heart out (in everything from Nordic combined, to downhill, to biathalon, long track speedskating and pairs figure skating, mens and women's moguls, etc, etc, etc), it kind of ticked me off that the NHLers are now stealing the spotlight.
The NHLers are professional athletes with yearly million dollar salaries, mixing in with the althletes, who in a lot of cases, have day jobs. It somehow doesn't seem right. I mean, Olympic athletes typically don't have fans wearing sweaters with their favorite player's name on the back. I think 99/100 of them can walk down the street unrecognized, even if they've got a gold medal around their neck. They are not household names, and they are not taking a two-week break from their multimillion dollar day job (except Dale Begg-Smith). (tidbit: In the NHL, one sellout game brings in over a million dollars in ticket sales...and there are over 1000 games in the regular season! -- granted not every game is a sellout in every NHL city, but still.)

I remember 1994 when Sweden won the Gold medal in Men's Hockey. It was exciting hockey, complete with future NHL superstar Peter Forsberg winning the Gold for Tre Kronor in dramatic fashion. The following Olympics in 1998 was the first year they featured the NHLers and the agreement (contract with kickbacks, I should say) that allows NHLers in, ends in 2010.

Now....I love watching international hockey. (I watch the world juniors and the world championships religiously). I love watching players represent their countries! There is so much pride involved, and so many great story lines. NHL teammates become rivals due to their birthplace. It's great on so many levels....but I think it is misplaced in the Olympics.

I have a plan (schemy fingers like Mr. Burns from the Simpsons....'yeeeesss').
It starts by cutting the NHL season down by about 4 teams. (come on, there are a lot of struggling franchises, particularly in the southern states that we could stand to get rid of!). That would elimate about 90 players from the League, and the hockey would probably change a little, eliminating a lot of bubble players. (Daniel Carcillo comes to mind...but he's another blog topic!)
After that's done, cut out about 20 games a season from 82 to 60 or so. There will be more of a sense of urgency from fans to buy tickets for an NHL game, particularly with this better brand of hockey. With fewer teams and the shortened schedule, the playoffs would have less teams making it in. AND, they would start in March and end in April...which is just in time for the World Championships, that start every year in May! Then we could have the best players in the world playing for their countries every year rather than once every four years!
Think about it - less teams, shortened schedule - it would be more exciting for the fans who will be much more engaged, (with likely every game in every building being a sell out)!. Playoffs start and end sooner, and then players are able to represent their countries at the World Championships if they so choose!
I think it's a swell idea!

Back to the task at hand...the NHL invading the Olympics.

In silent protest, I haven't watched any of the preliminary games in the round robin pool action. I will however, do a 180 and likely start watching at least the semi's and the final. And I will likely cry tears of joy when whichever winning country is celebrating and signing their national anthem.

I don't remember feeling like this towards the NHL last winter games. Maybe in my old age, I've become crotchity.