An agreement on NHL players taking part in the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, is “not part of the CBA,” deputy commissioner Bill Daly said in an email Sunday.
That does not necessarily mean that NHL players cannot go to Sochi. But it was not something written into the new collective bargaining agreement.
Daly said in a follow-up email that the issue will be addressed later. It involves the International Olympic Committee and International Ice Hockey Federation.
It’s likely to come up as an issue sooner rather than later, given that Russian players like Alex Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals and Evgeni Malkin of the Pittsburgh Penguins have made it clear they want to represent their country at home in the Olympics.
Ovechkin said Tuesday “I think a deal’s done. We’re going.” That’s not official, of course.
