The let-down begins

It is hard to argue that this latest Olympic hockey tournament was the best ever. It featured & displayed arguably the best players in the world who played at neck-break speeds & passion that has never been seen. The outcome, although great, does not match that of the 1980 Miracle team, as that was a different time and under different circumstances, but it does top that event because of the level of play that was display for the past couple of weeks. Unfortunately, it did not end with an American victory as Team Canada needed overtime to end the Gold Medal hopes of Team USA. Not bad for a bunch of overachievers that carried only a couple of players that were deemed worthy enough to play for our 'friends' to the North...yeah whatever O-Canada. At any rate, it was a great finish to a great tournament and left fans craving more.

The hockey that we just witnessed over this two-week period was nothing short of spectacular and may never be repeated again, in the short-term, as in four years from now. It has yet to be determined if the NHL and it's players union will be able to forge an agreement that will allow such a display in 2014 when the next Winter Games are held and hosted by Sochi Russia. So now the let-down begins. I am as excited as the next fan to have our NHL teams up and running again. But if you are expecting the kind of hockey that was just witnessed, think again. While it is true that the majority of the Olympic rosters were filled with NHL'ers, the quality of play will not be that same once the league gets cranked back up. While the intensity may reach levels of the Winter Games because most teams are entering their 'playoff mode', the skill will be lacking. After all, NHL rosters are not filled top to bottom with the kind of quality players we just watched.

Speaking of NHL'ers in 2014...

The Wild's chase in the Western Conference is foremost on fans minds now that the Olympic torch has been extinguished but since we are fresh of the games, the thoughts in the international community may be turning towards whether or not they will see our NHL players in 2014. You read in a post here earlier that I don't like seeing my favorite team and league shut down for an extended period of time. First off, it smells of that same 'second-class' league stench that is never seen in the other 3 major league organizations. Imagine for a minute the NFL shutting down for anything other than a labor dispute. It just would not happen. Secondly, if you did not notice, the NHL was in the midst of stepping into the fire in terms of playoff positioning & conference races and closing the doors for weeks is not exactly the way to keep the momentum going. I know the owners and front office folks would agree with me on this but the true revenue generators, the players, would not subscribe to my opinion. Yes, I loved the hockey that made up the Olympics but the timing could not be worse. It is unfortunate that during the games, the NHL season is revved up and really poised for some great playoff positioning battles. And throw into the mix that the NHL is only sharing the stage with the NBA at this time of year, so competition from other professional leagues is low.

Earlier, my idea was to 'let the amateurs play'...but after watching this latest tournament, I have to rescind that thought, with a caveat. Unless they can come up with a way to allow NHL players in the Olympics without disrupting the NHL season to the degree that it did this time around, I have to continue to disagree.