It’s time for the NHL to end ‘dream teams’ in Winter Olympics

As of Tuesday, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman reiterated the league’s stance on participating in the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, saying, “As things stand right now, people should assume we are not going.”
This shouldn’t come as news to fans that enjoy watching the sport’s elite players compete for their respective countries. The NHL has held this stance for quite some time now, despite wanting to participate in Beijing in 2022. Bettman noted that its disruptive to the season, which is easily understand since the NHL will basically shut down for almost a month as the league’s top players would go.
It’s also been reported that the IOC – who has paid for the insurance, travel and other accommodations for players attending the event in the past – has recently pulled out financially. Now, this is something I can understand why the britches of NHL brass are in a bundle.
Not only would the league be required to temporarily shut down the season, which would be in the peak of some teams trying to make that final push for wild card slots, but now they would have to fork out what I would assume to be roughly in the $15 to $20 million ballpark for its players.
I may be wrong, but isn’t that what sponsors are for?
Now, there has been a report that Bridgestone is trying to get a deal done that will assume the role of what the IOC has done since 1998. Until that deal is reported complete or talks permanently diminish, I can understand Bettman’s ‘beef’ with the IOC and understand even more the business decision as to why he doesn’t want NHL players to play in the Games.
If I can suggest though, I want you all to pause before you continue reading to think about some of the greatest moments from the Olympics. I can be the popular favorite or your personal one.
Is it the Miracle on Ice? 
What about T.J. Oshie’s shootout performance against Russia in 2014?

(Click Mark Humphrey of the Assosicated Press's photo to watch Oshie's performance) 
While I wasn’t even alive at the time, thanks to the power of YouTube and Disney’s “Miracle,” I can say that the game from 1980 (Team USA versus the USSR) would probably be at the top of my list. Despite the numerous games I’ve seen since I started following the sport. And here’s why: those 20 players didn’t have an NHL contract to lean on. In fact, some of the players from Team USA wound up having NHL careers in the years following the events in Lake Placid. The storylines – the Cold War, the USSR embarrassing the NHL all-stars in the months prior, the undefeated streak of the Russians – were too intriguing not to get hooked.
More importantly, it may be the game itself. The USSR scored and the U.S. fired right back, being able to find an archived broadcast of the game of YouTube will be one of the best videos I have ever watched on that site.
So, with that said, if Bettman and the NHL plan to stay their ground, the federation should revert into using amateur players. Now, this can create somewhat of a complication as well. If owners are not interested in letting their star players play in the games, is it the same protocol for their top prospects?
That remains to be heard. It would probably affect the United States and Canada the most, being that they have players who were born in the country playing in Europe under NHL assignments. Players who are playing overseas KHL don’t possess any tie to NHL franchises, which bodes well for a few Americans and Canadians, but is a treasure trove for Russia.
Now, if it is the same thought, then I would expect the teams – at least Team USA – to be entirely built of undrafted college players and there is quite the market to choose from. Heck, a few members of the Golden Gophers who are multi-time All-Americans are without a team in the NHL owning their rights.
After Team USA won the gold medal in 1980, Minnesota legend and Team USA head coach Herb Brooks said:
“A few years later, the U.S. began using professional athletes at the Games - dream teams. I always found that term ironic because now that we have Dream Teams, we seldom ever get to dream.”
It may sound weird, but maybe he was right. Maybe it is time to kill ‘dream teams’ so that the dream can live on.
Wild Clinch; Kunin signs
Well, it wasn’t a pretty week for the Wild. Yet despite another three-game losing skid, the Wild managed to clinch a fifth-straight playoff appearance. Good ole Brucey should probably send a bottle of fine whiskey to the LA Kings because with their loss on Saturday, Minnesota backed into a place at the table for Lord Stanley’s cup. It’s kind of like kissing a distant cousin, but hey, it works for me.
The Wild will play host to the league-leading Washington Capitals Tuesday.
I hinted at it in last week’s column and it was made official Thursday. Wisconsin’s Luke Kunin – a 2016 first-round pick of the Wild – agreed to terms with the club on an amateur tryout with the Iowa Wild for the remainder of the season. The organization reports that the sophomore wing’s three-year deal will start during the 2017-2018 league year.