I make my living as a hockey writer. I’m also as big a fan of the sport as there is, and I love Olympic hockey.
But now that N.H.L. players won’t represent their countries in the Pyeongchang Games, will I even watch?
For hockey fans, the N.H.L.’s decision to send its players to the Winter Olympics beginning in 1998 was a dream come true. There had been major international tournaments, but never with these sorts of stakes on this big a stage. Finally, fans would get a true best-on-best Olympic tournament played in front of a worldwide audience, with dream rosters and genuine suspense over who would win the gold.