NHL coach proposes a solution that would allow NHLers to return to the Olympic Games
We're still a couple years away from the 2026 Winter Olympics, which are set to take place in Italy, but it would appear as though the NHL is doing everything in its power to accommodate players attending for the first time since 2014.
By that time, more than a decade will have passed since the last time the NHL players attended the Olympic Games. Most of the issues were finance-related, but the stoppage in the NHL season was also a huge consideration. Whether or not the NHL players participate in the 2026 Olympics, one current NHL coach believes he has a solution that would allow players to participate going forward - and it wouldn't result in a disruption to the NHL's regular season.
During a recent appearance on the Clearing The Crease podcast, Carolina Hurricanes head coach Rod Brind'Amour shared his idea that would allow for future Olympic participation for NHL players. He proposed the idea of moving the hockey tournament to the Summer Games instead of the Winter Games.
"The argument I heard was they don't have the arenas in these places and this and that, but just, maybe you just make it always, when it's the Olympics, wherever it is, it's always in Toronto for the hockey thing. So, you miss out on that Olympic Village part as the Olympian, but man, for the spectators across the world, it's going on at this time and, you know, it would be great and the players would love it because if you did it right now, for example, in September, they're getting ready for camp anyway, so what do they miss? They miss their team's pre-season and stuff. Like, so what? You know, then you don't shut the season down. I think that's the problem with the league, I'm assuming, is you're shut down for three weeks. That doesn't really work very well." Brind'Amour said.
It would be interesting to see what the players think about this idea, but from a coaching standpoint, it's easy to see why Brind'Amour wants to see hockey at the Summer Olympics rather than the Winter Olympics.
| POLL | ||
Should the IOC, IIHF and NHL agree to have hockey during the Summer Olympics? | ||
| Yes | 19 | 23.5 % |
| No, keep it during the Winter Games | 46 | 56.8 % |
| See Results | 16 | 19.8 % |
| List of polls | ||
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