A key meeting has begun on the topic of whether NHL players will participate in the Winter Olympics in South Korea a year from now.
International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach joined International Ice Hockey Federation President Rene Fasel and NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman and NHLPA Director Don Fehr in New York on Friday for the first time.
The league is reluctant to shut down for three weeks, though many of its players want to participate in what would be a sixth consecutive Olympics.
John Tavares was paying attention in the Motor City to the potentially pivotal meeting more than 400 miles away. A union representative from the Islanders, he says the topic seems to be a bargaining chip for the league and NHL Players’ Association in labor talks.
___
AP freelance writer Denis Gorman contributed to this report.