THIS THREAD IS FOR BOTH MEN'S AND WOMEN'S TOURNAMENTS
Let's be honest though: the Women's tournament will be more entertaining than the Men's.
WHERE IS THE NHL?
On April 3, 2017, the National Hockey League (NHL) announced that it would not allow athletes to participate in the Winter Olympics. The disagreement between the NHL, the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF), and International Olympic Committee (IOC) stems from issues in guaranteeing insurance for players with NHL contracts, as well as the NHL not earning profits from the Winter Olympics. The League would usually pause games for a month, and forgo an All-Star Game during a Winter Olympic year.
Other European leagues will allow for time off for participation. The Kontinental Hockey League will have a 33-day break; The Swiss National League a 25-day break; Deutsche Eishockey Liga a 26 days break; The Czech Extraliga an 18-day break; The Slovak Extraliga a 14-day break. Finland's SM-liiga will allow players to participate in the Olympics, but will not impose a break during the Olympic games.
A UNIFIED KOREAN WOMEN'S TEAM
The Korean Women's Team will participate as a unified group consisting of 23 players from South Korea and 12 from North Korea. The women's team will compete under the COR acronym.
WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN NORTH AMERICAN HOCKEY AND INTERNATIONAL HOCKEY?
There are a few notable differences between the two. The Olympic games will implement international rules to the tournament, approved by the IIHF.
The most notable difference will be the ice surface: the IIHF-mandated rink size is larger than North American ice, measuring at 200x98.4 ft vs. 200x85 ft for the latter.
No-touch icing will be in effect, meaning play is called dead the moment the puck crosses the goal line and faceoffs start at the offending player's defensive zone.
Fighting will be an automatic game misconduct on top of a 5 minute major for roughing.
Goaltender restricted area will not be in effect.
Click here for full IIHF rules.
WHERE CAN I WATCH IT?
In the US, it is available on NBC. In Canada, CBC, TSN, RDS, Sportsnet.
WHEN ARE THE GAMES?
Click here for the Men's Tournament schedule.
Click here for the Women's Tournament schedule.
ALRIGHT ALRIGHT OKAY LET'S GO
NOW FOLKS, YOU KNOW IT'S THAT TIME. THE WINTER OLYMPICS ARE HERE! EACH NATION'S BEST FACE OFF AGAINST EACH OTHER--WAIT WHAT? WHAT DO YOU MEAN NHL PLAYERS AIN'T PARTICIPATIN'? IT'S THAT LEFT-WING PINKO JUSTIN TRUDEAU'S FAULT AIN'T IT?
ALRIGHT FOLKS, 'CAUSE OF CLIMATE CHANGE AN' TRUDEAU, WE AIN'T GETTIN' NHL PLAYERS IN THE OLYMPICS THIS YEAR. YOU KNOW WHAT? THAT'S ALRIGHT. THE TEAM'S FILLED WITH GOOD CANADIAN KIDS THAT'LL MAKE US PROUD, EH. GUYS LIKE MASON RAYMOND AN' BEN SCRIVENS, OR MAXIM LAPETERS AN' WOYTECK WOLSANGAKGNALKSSLDMALSKALASKI. OTHER NATIONS WON'T STAND A CHANCE AGAINST CANADA'S ROSTER. WE MAY NOT BE WINNIN' GAMES, BUT WE'RE WINNIN' IN CLASS.
SPEAKIN' OF CLASS, YOU SEE THOSE KOOKY RUSSIANS? WHAT'S THIS "OLYMPIC ATHLETES FROM RUSSIA" NONSENSE, EH? THOSE DOPES GOT CAUGHT CHEATIN' AN' NOW THEY CAN'T PLAY FOR THEIR FLAG. KIDS, NEVER DO THAT! DON'T BE TAKIN' BANNED SUBSTANCES, OR ELSE YOU CAN'T PARTICIPATE IN THE OLYMPICS...UNDER YOUR COUNTRY'S FLAG. KEEP YOUR STICKS DOWN AN' DON'T DO DRUGS!
NOW LET ME TELL YOU KIDS A STORY:
I WAS IN THE BATHROOM WASHIN' MY HANDS, WHEN A BUNCHA NO-GOOD COMMIES RAN INSIDE A BATHROOM STALL. THEY LEFT THE DOOR OPEN 'CAUSE THAT'S WHAT STALIN TAUGHT 'EM IN THE COMMUNIST MANIFESTO, EH. KIDS, DON'T READ THAT BOOK. IT'LL TEACH YOU THAT VISORS ARE OKAY AN' HOTDOGGIN' IS GOOD. NO!
ANYHOW, THOSE COMMIES WERE IN THE STALL TRADIN' NOTES ON HOW TO BE BETTER COMMIES AN' PRAYIN' TO STALIN AN' THAT GOT ME REAL STEAMED, EH. MASON RAYMOND SUDDENLY RAN IN, SLIPPED AN' FELL INTO ANOTHER BATHROOM STALL BESIDE 'EM. HE STARTED SINGIN' THE CANADIAN ANTHEM WHICH GOT MORE PLAYERS RUNNIN' IN THE SAME STALL. THEY ALL SHOOK HANDS AN' STARTED STITCHIN' A CANADIAN FLAG. THOSE COMMIES WERE SO EMBARRASSED AN' OUTCLASSED, THEY RAN OUTTA THE STALL CRYIN'. THEY DIDN'T EVEN WASH THEIR HANDS! THEY ALL RAN BACK TO THE KREMLIN AN' CRIED TO PUTIN. THOSE GOOD CANADIAN KIDS STARTED SINGIN' THE ANTHEM AGAIN, AN' I JOINED IN. I WAS TEARIN' UP THE WHOLE TIME. THEY REMINDED ME OF BOBBY ORR.
THE LESSON HERE KIDS: DON'T BE A COMMIE, NEVER WEAR VISORS, DON'T BE HOTDOGGIN', NO TURT-A-WHIRLIN', AN' BE A GOOD CANADIAN KID.
GOD LOVE 'EM.
The NHL season will continue without any breaks during the Olympic Games. Feel free to join us as we throw salt at each other.
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