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Report: Olympic participation meetings set for next week

Alex Ovechkin

The start of the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, is exactly a year away. And while there’s still no official agreement to have NHL players participate, that could soon change.

Per Sportsnet’s John Shannon, the NHL, NHLPA and the International Ice Hockey Federation will meet Thursday and Friday of next week in New York to discuss the issue. The three parties are also reportedly hoping a representative from the International Olympic Committee will be in attendance.

Earlier in the week, TSN’s Bob McKenzie called the NHL’s participation in the Games “just short of a foregone conclusion”, but noted that the league and the players’ association wanted a better deal from the IIHF and IOC.

“A better deal doesn’t mean a better monetary deal,” McKenzie said. “It means better access to the players. The use of images, the use of video, things like that — as well as accommodations, tickets and the NHL and NHLPA basically being treated as if it was a major sponsor of the Olympics.”