NHL players skipped recent Olympics mainly because of money, risk, and control issues between the NHL and the International Olympic Committee (IOC), not because players didn’t want to go.

Why Did NHL Players Not Play in the Olympics?

The Core Reason in One Line

The NHL decided it wasn’t worth shutting down its season, risking injuries to star players, and paying big costs when it got almost no direct benefit from the Olympics.

Quick Scoop: What Actually Happened

From 1998 to 2014, NHL players went to the Winter Olympics thanks to a deal where the IOC covered travel, insurance, and accommodations. That stopped before PyeongChang 2018, when the IOC said it would no longer pay those specific costs, arguing it doesn’t give that special treatment to other pro leagues like the NBA.

The NHL owners were already unhappy about shutting down their season for nearly three weeks, so when the IOC pulled financial support, it gave the league a perfect excuse to walk away.

Key Factors: Why Did the NHL Say “No”?

1. Money and Costs

  • The IOC used to pay for NHL players’ travel, insurance, and hotels, but decided it would no longer cover those expenses for 2018.
  • Insurance alone reportedly cost around several million dollars at Sochi 2014, which was a major sticking point.
  • The NHL argued it does not profit from the Olympics and “disappears for two weeks,” with no ability to market itself using Olympic footage or logos.

2. Risk of Injuries

  • Olympics fall in the middle of the NHL season, so star players risk serious injury while playing for their national teams.
  • If a franchise player gets hurt in February, it can sink a team’s playoff run, costing owners money and fans a competitive season.

3. Disrupting the NHL Schedule

  • To allow players to go, the league has to pause its entire season for about three weeks.
  • This compressed schedule means more back‑to‑backs, more travel, and a tougher grind on players the rest of the year.
  • Unlike basketball, which plays in the Summer Games during the NBA off‑season, hockey’s Winter Olympics collide directly with the NHL calendar.

4. Power Struggle with the IOC (and a Bit of Stubbornness)

  • The NHL wanted more say and more benefit from letting its stars go: use of highlights, branding, better TV windows, and more direct promotional upside.
  • The IOC pushed back, insisting it could not treat the NHL more generously than international federations and amateur bodies.
  • At one point, the IOC even tied future participation (Beijing 2022) to the NHL agreeing to PyeongChang 2018, which the league publicly rejected.

But Didn’t Players Want to Go?

Yes—players overwhelmingly wanted to play in the Olympics.

  • The NHL Players’ Association released a strongly worded statement calling the decision “shortsighted” and saying players were “extraordinarily disappointed.”
  • Stars like Alex Ovechkin openly talked about wanting to go, even hinting they’d consider leaving their teams to play for their countries, before ultimately staying.
  • In fan and forum discussions, people often note it was a tug‑of‑war: owners and league executives worried about risk and money; players pushed for the chance to represent their countries.

A common fan summary on forums goes something like:

“The NHL didn’t want the risk and disruption; the IOC didn’t want to pay or share, and players and fans were stuck in the middle.”

Forum & Trending Talk: How Fans See It

On hockey forums and Reddit threads, the “why did NHL players not play in Olympics” question keeps popping up, especially whenever a new Winter Games approaches. You’ll see a few main storylines:

  • “It’s all about the money”
    Fans point to the IOC refusing to cover costs and the NHL not wanting to pay for insurance and shutdowns itself.
  • “The NHL is protecting its business”
    Some argue the league was acting rationally: taking on all the risk (injuries, lost ticket revenue, TV disruption) for almost zero direct financial gain.
  • “The IOC is the real villain”
    Others blame the IOC for demanding NHL stars but not offering extra support or flexibility and limiting how the league can use Olympic content.
  • “The players just want to go”
    This view stresses that, from a players’ and fans’ perspective, the Olympics are the pinnacle of international hockey and skipping them hurts the sport’s global showcase.

You’ll even see conspiracy‑style takes that the NHL never truly wanted to go and used safety or logistical issues as convenient cover.

Recent & “Latest News” Angle

In the mid‑2020s, there’s been a strong push to get NHL players back to the Games, and newer agreements and CBA talks have specifically included Olympic participation as a key topic. League officials have also emphasized that they won’t send players if ice conditions, arenas, or logistics aren’t safe and up to standard, which has become a fresh discussion point linked to future Olympics.

Sports and news outlets now frame the last decade as a “lost Olympic era” for NHL stars: they dominated from 1998–2014, then disappeared for multiple Games due to a mix of cost disputes, control battles, and the league’s calculation that the Olympics just weren’t worth the disruption—despite huge fan and player demand.

TL;DR:
NHL players didn’t play in certain Olympics because the IOC stopped covering big costs, the NHL didn’t want to shut down its season and risk injuries without real benefits, and both sides dug in over money, power, and promotion—while the players themselves mostly wanted to go and fans kept arguing about who to blame.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.