Olympic Hockey's Fate Is Waiting on the KHL
Can't say much for their timing.
But the International Olympic Committee did the right thing.
Still, how did it take them so long to confirm that part of Vladimir Putin's efforts to restore the Soviet Union's glory days would include blatant juicing of athletes at the Sochi Olympics?
The scale of it all gave the IOC no ethical choice.
Damn.
Why couldn't that dude just stick to dicking with elections?
One of the most visible hits the 2018 Winter Games will take is the hockey tournament.
With the NHL not allowing its players to participate, the next level of elite players available come from Russia's Kontinental Hockey League.
Looks like they're gonna have a good time.
Will they let their players enjoy another cool experience in February?
Hockey's governing body, the IIHF, is totally supportive of the Russian players. So are the national associations in Sweden, Finland, the Czech Republic, and Canada. They want a credible tournament.
Fearless Leader even said it's OK for Russian athletes to participate, but his spokesman denied any wrongdoing on behalf of the state.
But will the KHL go along with it?
Given how Russia works these days, it's unlikely the decision will be theirs alone.
The IIHF has been pushing hard for the last few weeks.
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Every one of the top hockey nations has players in the NHL upon whom they were depending to anchor their Olympic teams. Canada, for one, has 15.
For the record, the NHL is not part of that agreement, and who knows if the KHL will honor their signature on it.
According to one Canadian player in the KHL who obviously prefers to remain anonymous:
| If I've learned anything about Russians, it's that contracts mean nothing to them. |
Former NHL and current KHL star Ilya Kovalchuk is doing his best to rally the troops, but nothing happens until the KHL makes a decision.