Only one year to go till all the pageantry and pomp we associate with the Winter Olympics grips the small city of Sochi, Russia, and the Olympic cauldron is lit.
But there is a slight hiccup on the horizon.
One of the highlights (for Canadian fans at least) of the Olympics is under threat from paperwork, administration and greed.
The NHL and the International Olympic Committee have yet to agree on players competing in the Olympics.
As with many things, it all boils down to money.
Essentially, the NHL is threatening to schedule games during the Olympics. This means players won’t be able to represent their home countries.
They will allow players to head to Sochi, if certain criteria are met.
The NHL wants the IOC to guarantee insurance for injuries, access to players’ regular doctors, a larger portion of revenue from the games as well as a shortened selection camp.
However, the IOC seems unwilling to meet these demands and has started taking shots at Gary Bettman, the NHL commissioner.
In an interview on CBC television, René Fasel the International Ice Hockey Federation’s president, said that blocking any potential agreement is the “ego from some people in North America.”
After the public relations war that engulfed the NHL lockout this year, this is the last thing the NHL needs.
From 1954 until 1991, there was no agreement between the NHL and the IOC to allow time off from the NHL schedule to attend the Olympics.
This deprived hockey greats such as Bobby Orr and Gordie Howe the opportunity to participate in the Olympics and add to their own trophy haul.
Professional players were finally allowed to join the Olympic team in 1977 but due to scheduling NHL players were only able to join after being eliminated from the Stanley Cup.
An agreement was finally struck in 1991 when the NHL agreed to not schedule any games during the Winter Olympics to finally give players the opportunity to represent their country.
Since then, Canada has won its only two medals, both gold, for hockey.
The gold medal game in Vancouver at the last Winter Olympics set a Canadian record for viewers. Roughly 16.6 million Canadians turned on their TVs, whether it be in bars or at their homes, to watch Canada edge Team USA 3-2 in overtime.
That was up from the 10.3 million who tuned in during 2002.
Sidney Crosby’s overtime winner in the 2010 final saw fans dancing in the streets of Vancouver and created a new memory for a younger generation of fans.
Simply put, why ruin a good thing?
Stories of loonies being frozen in to rinks to guarantee good luck, overtime victories and competing against our neighbours to the South have all added to the entertainment of the Winter Olympics.
Olympic hockey has grown in popularity with superstars such as Alexander Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby took to the ice to play for their countries.
In 2002, the game was shown on two channels: the CBC and the French SRC. In 2010, nine channels all showed the game allowing for more people to tune in and cheer on their team.
Why allow an argument about more money jeopardize the popularity of the Olympics and hockey?
Fans have already seen the feuding over money in hockey with the NHL lockout only two months gone.
The animosity drove a wedge between fans of the sport and the people behind it, with both the players and owners getting the blame.
For Canadians, there’s something special about pulling on a jersey and representing your country and its iconic sport.
“It’s just an honour to be on the team,” said Scott Neidermayer after being selected to participate in the 2010 Winter Olympics.
The opportunity to play at home, in front of friends and family, has lured Russian players. When prominent players such as Evgeni Malkin and Ovechkin are threatening to play no matter what, then the NHL has no choice but come to an agreement.
If you lose some of the league’s brightest and most visible stars, how do you discipline them for wanting to represent their country?
Where would the punishments end?
With bad blood already existing between hockey fans and the NHL, a quick resolution would help not only fans but also the NHL’s PR.