The N.H.L.’s main request is the right to use Olympic video on the NHL Network and NHL.com.
The N.H.L., like the N.B.A., the W.N.B.A., FIFA and other sports leagues, is currently not allowed to use such video. That means the clip of Sidney Crosby scoring Canada’s gold-medal-winning goal against the United States at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics has never been shown on an N.H.L. video player of any kind.
But if the I.O.C. grants an exception to the N.H.L., it may have to grant similar exceptions to other bodies. That is the sticking point.
“I would think other leagues would ask for the same thing,” said Ed Desser, president of the consulting firm Desser Sports Media and a former president of NBA Television and New Media Ventures. “It’s a very interesting conundrum.”
Desser added: “On the one hand, you have leagues that spend a huge amount of time and resources in creating the interest in the athletes and the sport, and the I.O.C., in essence, gets a free ride on that. It’s hardly surprising to me that the N.H.L. would seek to obtain some benefits.”
In 2010, Commissioner Gary Bettman raised the possibility of financial compensation for N.H.L. teams for shutting down at midseason and exposing their players to injury at the Winter Olympics. However, that issue is not believed to be under negotiation.
Last month, representatives from the N.H.L., the N.H.L. Players’ Association and the International Ice Hockey Federation met in New York for two days with Richard Carrión, chairman of the I.O.C. finance commission.
In joint statements after the meetings, Bettman and René Fasel, the I.I.H.F. president, said they were hopeful that N.H.L. players would go to Sochi. But they stopped well short of expressing confidence that an agreement would be reached.
“There are a lot of things that still have to be worked out on both ends,” Bettman said.
On Friday, Bill Daly, the N.H.L. deputy commissioner, described the negotiations between the league and the I.O.C. as ongoing but did not give details.
Mark Adams, the I.O.C. director of communications, said, “We would very much like to see N.H.L. players in Sochi and know the players are very eager to compete there, as the Games have long been a stage where some of the most memorable games in ice hockey have taken place.”
Most expect that the N.H.L. will send its players to skate for their home countries, as it has done for every Winter Olympics since 1998. The league’s players are known to be overwhelmingly in favor of Olympic participation.
“It sounds like it’s going to happen, whether the N.H.L. gets the video rights or not,” said Neal Pilson, a former president of CBS Sports.
NBC, the N.H.L.’s television partner in the United States, may offer a way for the league to gain some concessions from the I.O.C.
“What the I.O.C. might say is if NBC, the rights-holder, can work something out with the N.H.L. that allows the league to use video clips, then O.K.,” Desser said. “Of course, the N.B.A. might come along and ask for the same thing. Is it potentially messy? Absolutely.”
Article source: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/02/sports/hockey/nhls-request-for-video-rights-creates-quandary-for-olympics.html?partner=rss&emc=rss
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