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Bettman points finger at IOC for opening a ‘whole can of worms’ re: Olympic expenses

2016 NHL Stanley Cup Final - Game One

PITTSBURGH, PA - MAY 30: NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman speaks with the media during a press conference prior to Game One of the 2016 NHL Stanley Cup Final between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the San Jose Sharks at Consol Energy Center on May 30, 2016 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)

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LOS ANGELES -- The International Olympic Committee may have opened a “whole can of worms” when it said it would no longer cover out-of-pocket expenses for NHLers to go to the 2018 Games in South Korea.

That was the phrase NHL commissioner Gary Bettman used today. There is still no deal to send the world’s best players to the next Winter Olympics, and according to Bettman, the IOC’s refusal to cover insurance, travel and accommodation costs may have actually put some league owners off participation.

“What I think has happened...you know, there were probably some owners over time who always thought the Olympics were a good idea, there were some owners who always hated it,” said Bettman, “and there were probably a bunch of clubs that really didn’t give it much thought until the IOC said we weren’t going to pay the expenses. And then I think it caused a number of clubs to say, ‘Well, wait a minute, if that’s how they value our participation, why are we knocking ourselves out?’”

Translation: Even if the money gets raised to cover the expenses, the NHL may still decide against Olympic participation.

“I think when the IOC said, ‘You know what? We don’t think it’s worth it, we’re not going to pay,’ I think that may have opened a whole can of worms,” said Bettman.

“We’ve never said, and I’ve been very clear about it, that just raising the money was the only issue. We’ve said from the outset that if they’re not going to pay the expenses, we don’t even have to think about this.”

So, not the greatest update for all the players and fans who desperately want the NHL to continue its participation. While there’s still time to strike a deal -- and perhaps the commissioner was doing some of his patented posturing today -- the clock is definitely ticking.

Related: NHL working on two different schedules for 2017-18 due to Olympic uncertainty