The New York Times asserts the N.H.L. is expected to send its players to Sochi, Russia, next February, marking the fifth time the world's best players take part in the Olympic men's hockey tournament, but it is hardly a done deal.
The talks hinge on one overarching issue: whether the N.H.L. can extract extra rights and considerations from the I.O.C. and the I.I.H.F. in exchange for suspending business for two weeks at midseason and risking injury to its players.
But the I.O.C. and I.I.H.F. are believed to be reluctant to grant such concessions. It could set a precedent for other professional leagues that send players to the Olympics to ask for similar deals.
Officials have not disclosed the full list of what the N.H.L. is seeking, but the league is known to want the right to use Olympic video on the NHL Network, NHL.com and other league platforms. The N.H.L. is currently not allowed to use such videos. That means the clip of Sidney Crosby's gold-medal-winning goal for Canada against the United States at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics has never been shown on an N.H.L. Web site, television show or arena scoreboard.
The N.H.L. may also be seeking some form of financial compensation or increased perquisites for participating in the Olympics. René Fasel, the president of the I.I.H.F., said in 2011 that such an arrangement was out of the question.
Officials from the N.B.A. and the W.N.B.A. declined to comment on what they would do if the N.H.L. won extra video rights from the I.O.C.
Ilya Kochevrin, a spokesman for the Kontinental Hockey League, which is centered in Russia, said the league was already committed to sending its players to Sochi even if the I.O.C. were to grant the N.H.L. concessions. Asked about the K.H.L.'s participation in future Olympics should the N.H.L. win extra rights, compensation or perquisites, he said it was "too early to discuss this issue."
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