Greg Wyshynski: Admittedly, the Olympic men's hockey tournaments that have involved NHL players have been absolutely extraordinary. Imagine the NHL All-Star Game, except instead of a winning a big car after playing methodical exhibition hockey, the players are battling for national pride, Olympic immortality and playing with a ferocity not seen until the deepest levels of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
There's just no replicating that, as anyone who saw the World Cup of Hockey will testify. The NHL players will be missed, even if I sympathize with the league in its battle against the abject greed and avarice of the International Olympic Committee.