Olympic Hockey Was Great, But I’m Already Over NHL Players at the Olympics

So the Olympics are now done, and men’s hockey was terrific for the most part. It was the first time we got to see true best-on-best international play at the Olympics since 2014, and the tournament lived up to the hype.

We saw so many great stories, like Juraj Slafkovsky and Team Slovakia coming out of nowhere and winning their group, Germany fielding one of their better teams to date, and the Finns once again showing they are one of the most underrated hockey nations out there.

And of course, it was all capped off with one of the best hockey games I've ever seen as Team Canada and Team USA went toe-to-toe in the gold medal game, where the Americans got revenge for their Four Nations loss last season and prevailed as champions, with Jack Hughes scoring "The Golden Goal" in overtime to win the U.S. their first gold medal in Olympic men's hockey since 1980.

As someone who’s Canadian, I’m not going to be mad or upset about the result. Canada outplayed the U.S. for most of the game, but goaltending is part of hockey, and Connor Hellebuyck was simply unbelievable today.

I’m not going to be like some of the Sportsnet and TSN guys who immediately jumped to saying the Americans “needed it more” or that three-on-three overtime in the Gold Medal game sucked. If you’re going to make excuses, at least say Sidney Crosby didn’t play. And yes, if Crosby was in the lineup, do I think things might’ve changed? Probably.

But that said, almost nobody was getting anything past Hellebuyck that night. He was sensational, and the U.S. deserves credit for doing what they had to do to win.

However, while the play was great and I do enjoy seeing best-on-best hockey, I honestly don’t think I need to see NHL players at the Olympics anymore. That is probably going to be a hot take, but I’m over NHL players competing at the Olympics.

I don’t know exactly what it is; I just don’t need to see it. To be fair, I love best-on-best international hockey, but I like it when it doesn’t interfere with the NHL schedule.

As an NHL fan, I don’t want a three-week break in the middle of the NHL season. Sorry if that doesn’t make me a “great Canadian” for not wanting our best players on the ice at all times, but I want an NHL season that actually flows and is not completely cut off right as football season ends.

For that very reason, I’m not totally upset about NBA players going to the Olympics, as the summer Olympics don't interfere with the NBA season. There’s been discussion about moving basketball to the Winter Olympics over the past couple of weeks, and if that ever happened, I’d say the exact same thing. I do not want my NBA season interrupted for nearly three weeks because players have to travel overseas to compete.

Not to mention, the Olympics were originally meant for amateur athletes to get on the biggest stage. NHL players are not amateurs; they are professionals, and elite ones at that.

I’m not opposed to NHL players competing in best-on-best international hockey, and I do support it, as I think it helps grow the game. I just don’t think it needs to be at the Olympics.

We’re getting a World Cup of Hockey in a couple of years, and if it were up to me, I’d run that in September like they did in 2016. Market it as the season approaches and let it build hype for the upcoming hockey season. What we don’t need are long breaks in the middle of the season that directly impact NHL teams.

The Los Angeles Kings lost one of their most reliable forwards in Kevin Fiala, who is now out for the season. Sidney Crosby, who has the Penguins exceeding expectations and pushing toward a playoff spot when many thought they’d be one of the worst teams in the league, is now out with a mysterious lower-body injury.

For someone as competitive as Crosby, the fact that he couldn’t continue says a lot. There’s a real chance this injury derails the Penguins’ entire season and playoff chances.

So yes, I enjoyed this tournament. I loved seeing Sidney Crosby, Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar, and Connor McDavid all on the ice together at the Olympics. But if it were up to me, this would be the final time NHL players played in the Olympic Games.

I’d rather see more international tournaments that happen before the NHL season or something quick, like the Four Nations tournament last year. I enjoy seeing these guys play together; I just don’t need or want a three-week pause in my NHL season.

Sorry if that makes me a bad hockey fan.

To end it off, congratulations to Team USA. You did enough to win today, and Connor Hellebuyck, specifically, had a legacy-changing game.

He proved he can show up in the biggest moments. It was great to see best-on-best hockey return at the Olympics, but like I said, it’s not something I’m craving or begging for anytime soon.

I can't wait for Wednesday when the NHL gets going again.