Well, I guess I will have to jump in with something that was glossed
over but not quite brought out:
 
   Any decision the NHL makes regarding sending players to the
   Olympics should (and will) be made in the best interests of
   the NHL.
 
The NHL has little to lose and a lot to gain by sending its best
players to the Olympics.  They will be exposing the non-hockey crowd
to the NHL players and if the "NHL" Olympic teams get the exposure
that I think they will, they will draw more spectators, possibly even
non-hockey fans, during the regular season.
 
With the "Dream Team", I don't think the NBA gained much of anything.
It is really the McDonald's and shoe companies that have gained by the
huge exposure their sponsored athletes are getting, and in the
commercial endorsements that NBC is broadcasting.
 
The NHL, however, is not nearly as popular, as least in the U.S., as
the NBA, and needs an event like the Olympics to help promote it.
 
Personally, I would much rather see the NHL stars participating, for
it can only increase the level of the games played during the Olympics
and thus would be beneficial to the sport of hockey as a whole.  In an
ideal world, it would be nice to have only amatuers playing in the
Olympics, but those days are long past.
 
adam bryant
--
Boston University