Chance of NHL players in Winter Olympics dims over insurance, travel issues

PITTSBURGH --- The prospect of NHL players returning to the next Winter Olympics dimmed on Monday.

NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said the International Olympic Committee and International Ice Hockey Federation have backed away from subsidizing the travel and insurance costs, something they done in past Winter Games.

“I am pretty sure our teams are not really interested in paying of the privilege of disrupting our season, but we will have to see what they ultimately decide to do," Bettman said at his annual State of the League address ahead of Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final.

Bettman said the added cost to the NHL would be in the "many, many, many" millions of dollars.

“These costs have been considerable to say the least," Bettman said. "If presidents Thomas Bach of the IOC and Rene Fasel of the IIHF are unable to resolve the expense issue, I have no doubt it will have a significant impact on our decision."

A message left with the IOC on Monday night was not immediately returned.

NHL owners have long expressed concerns about players playing in the Olympics, which forces the league to halt games for a couple weeks every four years. Injury fears typically been the biggest issue for league ownership, something that had been offset by the IOC and the IIHF picking up a portion of the insurance costs to cover potentially injured players.

"I think Mr. Bach has been pretty clear from the the outset (of his appointment in 2013) that he doesn't think there should be special subsidies for any sport," Bettman said. "So, did we see it coming? It wasn't like a freight train, but it seems to have built momentum."

NHL players debuted at the 1998 Nagano Games and have played in each of the four Winter Games since.