The Puck Stops Here

I hate to address this problem, becauce in my ideal world as a hockey fan, I would like it if high level hockey played by the best players in the world was available to be watched seven days a week every day of the year. I would like to be able to watch high level hockey in the middle of the winter, spring, fall and summer. I cannot get enough hockey.

This neglects the fact that the best players in the world are real people. Playing an NHL season at a high level takes a huge toll on their bodies. They need time to recover once the season is completed. Playing out training camp, exhibition games, an 82 game schedule plus the playoff tournament each year, year after year, is very hard on a body. It is hard mentally. It is hard physically. It is even harder when inevitable nagging injuries occur. It is hard when players have to keep playing and cannot rest themselves until they are 100% again. It is even harder when we throw in other tournaments like the Olympics for the players to play in.

As a fan, the Olympics are great. Its even more days of high level hockey played by the best players in the world that I can watch, but as a player the Olympics can be draining because its even more days of high level hockey played against the best players in the world.

There is a growing list of players including Markus Naslund, Miikka Kiprusoff and Kari Lehtonen who are skipping the Olympics not because of serious injury, but rather because they need a break and will have an opportunity to rest nagging little injuries. This is a symptom of how hard it is on the human body to play as much high level hockey as NHL players do.

So what should be done about this? As a fan, I want to see the best players in the world playing in the Olympics. I want to see the best players in the world playing in the NHL as well. It would be possible to reduce the number of regular season games in the NHL season to reduce player's workloads. A minimum suggestion is given by Eric Duhatschek that the NHL reduce its regular season by 8 games (from 82 to 74) in Olympic years. I see this as a happy compromise that the NHL should consider (but probably wont because less game dates would cost them money).

As a fan, I am looking forward to seeing the best players in the world play the Olympics. I want to see if the Canadian Olympic team can defend their gold medal. I want to see if the US Olympic team can defend their silver medal. I want to see if any of the other European nations can upend them. Most of all I want to see a good tournament played by the best players in the world. I don't want to see a situation where several of the best players in the world beg off due to overwork.

NOTE: The Globe and Mail (Eric Duhatschek) article requires registration. Bugmenot.com can help with this problem.