The road to deciding whether to allow NHL players to compete in next February’s Sochi Winter Olympics is nearing an end.
Officials from the IIHF, International Olympic Committee, NHL, and NHL Players' Association continued their past discussions on Friday in Stockholm, Sweden, the host of the international ice hockey championships.
While several matters remain open, the NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly said, "We are proceeding under the assumption that the NHL will participate in Sochi,” in a statement posted on the IIHF web site.
If such issues as the use of Olympics video on NHL.com, as well as medical and security safety concerns, are resolved, over a hundred NHL players will compete in this penultimate hockey event.
"We are working hard putting together the last pieces to ensure NHL players' participation in Sochi," IIHF President Rene Fasel said on the website. "We have some issues left, but I, as always, remain optimistic."
NHL players have competed in the last four Winter Games – stretching back to Nagano, Japan in 1998.
If this Sochi quadrennial follows suit, current plans include the players ending their mid-season play on February 8, travelling by charter flights to Sochi, Russia on February 10, and squeezing in one day of practice with their home country teams before the Olympics begin on February 12.
The NHL will then resume its season on February 25, two days after the gold medal game.
While no deadline has been set for this decision, the organizations are committed to partnering into the summer.
"Hopefully sometime soon we will be able to give the recommendation to our board of governors regarding our league's Olympic participation," Daly said.
