Corey Hirsch column: The NHL needs to go to the Olympics

To go or not to go - that is the question the NHL faces with regard to the 2018 Olympics in South Korea.

I have to be honest - I am torn. On one hand, I personally want to see the best players in the NHL play in the Winter Games. On the other, I was in the Olympics the last year that amateurs went in 1994 in Lillehammer, Norway. So it holds a special place in my heart.

I can definitely understand NHL owners’ reluctance to send players to South Korea. The jet lag, injuries, and wear and tear on the bodies of their best players will be a major impediment to winning a Stanley Cup.

I saw it firsthand while coaching with the St. Louis Blues in 2014. We sent nine players to the Olympics in Sochi, and most, if not all, came back completely fatigued; if they weren’t already injured, they were hurt as soon as they returned to NHL action. We were subsequently knocked out of the first round of the playoffs by the Chicago Blackhawks.

I won’t even get into the money side of all this; it’s complicated and expensive. Insurance and liability are a whole other element.

My argument is more personal than professional: It was possibly the best year of hockey of my life. Picture traveling the world and playing hockey with your best friends. The majority of you are single, and you’re all between the ages of 20-24. You play hockey in countries like Germany, Italy, France, Switzerland, Austria, Russia, Sweden, and Norway, then cap it off with a trip to the Olympics. It was the ultimate hockey player experience.

(Photo courtesy: Getty Images)

If not for those Games, some of my friends might never have played in the NHL. I think of Todd Hlushko, whose career was on its last legs after he’d been released by the Capitals. He led our team in goals at the Olympics, and it gave him a showcase. He went on to play for the Philadelphia Flyers. I also think of Brian Savage, drafted 171st overall in 1991, a long shot. He went on to play 674 games in the NHL.

I have so many unforgettable memories of playing for the Canadian national team. Here’s one: During the season, the team had a really early flight out of Moscow. We had to get our equipment from the arena after competing in the Izvestia tournament.

Two Russian cops were guarding the arena in their police car. They were both passed out - maybe drunk, maybe hungover, could have been anything, I don’t know. We packed up our equipment from the arena, loaded the bus, and they never budged. Not once. We probably should have checked for a pulse.

Despite my amazing experience, part of me wants to see Connor McDavid and Sidney Crosby on the same line, playing against Auston Matthews, or Patrik Laine, or Vladimir Tarasenko.

I believe we need NHL players in the Olympics. I am personally grateful for the NHL. It’s the reason I became a goalie and fulfilled a lot of my childhood dreams. The NHL needs to go because somewhere out there, a kid like me is waiting to be inspired by the best in the world.