This year's Winter Olympics could be the last for NHL players. According to The Seattle Times, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman remains noncommittal on the league's participation in the 2014 Games in Sochi, Russia.
"That doesn't mean we're not going to do, it doesn't mean we are going to go," Bettman told the Times. "All it means is that we haven't made a decision yet."
The location of the 2014 Games could be the deciding factor in the decision. The trip to Vancouver was a minimal distance, but the distance to Sochi could provide a challenge that would force the NHL to create a longer break in the season, something Bettman wants to avoid.
"Location matters in terms of impact," Bettman said. "The break impacts us. The question is the balancing act and how you work it out."
Finances will play a role in the NHL's decision as well.
"I'll give you one statistic — $2.1 billion. That's the value of the contracts of the NHL players who are participating in this tournament," Bettman said. "We have turned over, for two weeks, control of the most important assets in our game, and that is our players."
The NHL commissioner did not indicate when the choice would be made on the 2014 Olympics, but Bettman and the NHL Players' Association will make the decision together.
