Friday, Feb. 13, Team Switzerland lost arguably its best player, Kevin Fiala, to injury during the last few minutes of a 5-1 loss to Canada. It was later reported by Bryan Logan of ClutchPoints that Fiala suffered a broken leg and would miss the rest of the Olympics, as well as the rest of his NHL season with the Los Angeles Kings.
Fiala’s injury is likely to spark debate about whether the NHL should send its players to the Olympics anymore. This isn’t a new argument, as NHL players haven’t played in the Olympics since 2014 due to injury concerns and the pandemic.
The short answer to the debate is that the NHL should absolutely allow its players to play in the Winter Olympics. They even skip the All-Star game and set aside a break so players can go to the games.
While having the winter Olympics during the middle of their season isn’t the most convenient, the NHL has been able to adopt a system that allows them to work around it. The opportunity for a player to represent their country only comes once every four years, so when it does present itself, they often take advantage of it.
Not only does the NHL sending its best players to the Olympics keep the players’ best interests in mind, but it also helps grow the sport. When fans know that the best of the best are going to be playing, it builds more interest. With more interest comes more viewers, and potentially new eyes on the sport.
If the NHL is serious about helping the sport grow, it won’t let one injury to a star player prevent it from sending players to the Olympics in the future. A serious injury like the one Fiala suffered is the worst-case scenario, but the chances of it happening are unlikely. All the players go out onto the ice every game knowing the risks of their sport, and choose to play anyway.
As the debate heats up once again, the best the NHL can do is listen to its players. Most players would likely tell the league that they value representing their country even more than they do the NHL team they play for. It’s not every year that these players get the chance to play in the Olympics, so the choice should be left up to them.
