Will fans still watch Olympic hockey with no NHL players?

The Olympics begin this Friday in Pyeongchang, but one sport has a lot of uncertainty.

Josh White
Kicker News

No Crosby. No Ovechkin. No Karlsson.

Not one NHL superstar will participate in men’s hockey at the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, this year. Local fans have a lot to say about it.

Long-time hockey fan and Team Canada supporter Zack Power says it’s a bad idea.

“I think that it’s not only the wrong move, but I think that there were lots of other ways they could have gone about this,” said Power. “I think this is a big loss.”

The last Olympic Winter Games were held in Sochi, Russia, in 2014. Sidney Crosby and Team Canada won gold at those games, but this year everything changes. It’s 2018 and no NHL players are able to play this time around, a first since 1994.

“I can understand that they took time off for the All-Star break and they would have to take more time for the Olympics, but this is the Olympics,” said Power. “It’s a lot bigger than the All-Star break.”

Robin Short, a sports reporter for The Telegram, says most people will still watch hockey but the disappearance of NHL players will be a big factor.

“I think people will watch it because it’s the Olympics,” said Short. “I think it will still be watched. There’s still some interest, but there will be that underlying factor throughout the entire Olympics as it’s too bad the best aren’t playing.”

While Team Canada has drastically changed this year without the NHL elite, Power says he’s still going to watch the Olympics and support Team Canada.

“I’ll be watching the whole works of it,” said Power. “I’ll watch every single game that Canada plays.

I think it’ll be interesting to see all the old players. All the NHL rejects and the players that decided, ‘Hey, I can make more money somewhere else,’ but I like all that.”