NHL Players "Cautiously Optimistic" Over Olympics

(ATR) NHL Players’ Association Executive Director Don Fehr tells Around the Rings he’s "cautiously optimistic" after the latest negotiations over NHL participation at Sochi 2014.

"Friday's discussion was constructive," he says in a statement emailed to ATR last week, referring to meetings of April 12.

"While there is a lot of work still to be done, I remain cautiously optimistic."

His comments follow a third round of talks among the NHL, NHLPA and International Ice Hockey Federation, this time at NHL offices in New York City.

Included in the discussions were Fehr, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman and Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly, IIHF President Rene Fasel as well as Hockey Canada President and CEO Bob Nicholson, who is also an IIHF VP.

A spokesperson with the NHL told ATR that it was "still early" to comment on negotiations and that a statement is expected "as soon as logistics are settled."

The IOC would not comment on the ongoing negotiations, saying: "We understand that the NHL and IIHF haveheld positive and productive discussions and we are confident they will come to an appropriate conclusion."

Fasel said logistics have replaced player insurance as the biggest challenge.

"They would like to bring more people than only one guest per player, so we need more rooms, more tickets," he told NHL.com

"In 2010 it was a little bit different because the logistics were different. Also, Vancouver is different than Sochi -- the rooms, the hotels, the tickets, the size of the arena. So it makes it a little bit different. The arena in Sochi is not as big, so the ticket requests are not so easy. So we have to finalize that."

Efforts made by ATR to contact Fasel for additional comment were unsuccessful due to his attendance at the 2013 IIHF Ice Hockey U18 World Championship in Sochi.

Fasel is trying to ensure NHL participation for the fifth straight Winter Games dating back to Nagano 1998.

Written by Matthew Grayson.

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