Remember last week when we said that NHLers need to speak up if they want to keep participating in the Olympics?
Per the Olympic News Service, American forward David Backes is speaking up.
“It’s the Olympics; it’s irreplaceable, I think,” Backes said. “World Cups could be a step below. You’re never going to replace the Olympics. It’s every four years, and it’s something special.”
Backes conceded that shutting down the NHL “for a couple weeks is probably not ideal"; however, the “guys absolutely love playing in the Games, and hopefully it is something other generations of guys have the opportunity to play, and not just something that we had a short window to do.”
On Tuesday, deputy commissioner Bill Daly said it was a “possibility” that there could be both ongoing Olympic participation and World Cups in the future.
Related: Bettman, Fehr, Fasel address future Olympic participation for NHL