Should NHL players be going to the Olympics?

I don't even really know the argument that is being made why they shouldn't play in the Olympics, but I can't imagine someone could win me over on that idea. A lot of these guys still go home to their countries in the off-season, and when they had a lockout, they went to go play in Russian leagues (and others of course). America is lucky that the NHL has made them the hockey capital of the world. We have never really been the best hockey nation, but we are able to have all the top talent in the world come here. Taking away the players ability to play for their country would turn out horribly, I would imagine a lot of the players would go anyway and it would turn the NHL into a joke (even more so than it has become sometimes).

well being that the hockey is my favorite event of the winter olympics to watch. i think as long as the players want to play why not i mean the quality of the games are so much better with the best players playing. you still get to see players that you don't always get to see, because all the best players don't always decide to play in the NHL. the last that i knew weren't federov and forsberg playing in other leagues in their home countries. the olympic hockey tournament will be the one event that i will not want to miss. the only thing you worry about is injuries, but that should be between the players and the clubs that they play for to decide. kinda makes what happened with the us team in 1980 all the more special cause you will probably never see that again.

I think the problem is with Bettman. I don't think that the NHL and the Olympics have a deal in placed yet after these games in Vancouver. That's why many are speculating that the NHL teams will not allow their players to play in Russia in 2014. Ovie, the superstar that he is, has already taken the lead in declaring that he will play in the Sochi games, sanctions or withour sanctions. I'm sure that when the games come around, the NHL will be forced to have a deal in place because their superstars would want to represent their respective countries.

I thik that the olympics is about athletes from other countries competing for medals..the guys in the NHL don't give up their citizeship when they come here to play, it's only natural for them to want to represent their respective countres and for their contries to want them to. My half-arsed objection to them playing at all is the chance of someone being injured before play-offs and the lack of rest that they so badly need at this point in the season.