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And so, we’re back to the waiting game. But what exactly are we waiting for?

Well, if the NHL and the IOC cannot agree on anything, maybe it’s time for the players to get involved.

If the best players in the world want to participate in the Olympics — as Sidney Crosby, Connor McDavid and others have already stated — then they need to exercise their star power and force the league into making it happen.

That’s the only voice owners will listen to. That’s the only voice that really matters in this discussion.

When Alex Ovechkin said he was going to the Olympics, with or without the NHL’s blessing, it didn’t take long for Washington Capitals owner Ted Leonsis to stand behind his star. And why wouldn’t he? Ovechkin is the face of the team. He not only helps the team win games, he puts fans in seats.

If Leonsis won’t stand in Ovechkin’s way, what are the chances that Penguins owner Ron Burkle or Oilers owner Daryl Katz will stand in the way of Crosby or McDavid? If Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane and Duncan Keith all decided they were going to play in the Olympics, do you honestly believe Blackhawks owner Rocky Wirtz would trade them or fine them for not fulfilling their contracts?

Of course he wouldn’t. The only question is whether the players are serious enough about going that they would be willing to abandon their team mid-season if it came to it.

McDavid said “100 per cent NHL players should be there,” but he also said he wasn’t willing to pull an Ovechkin. “Ultimately it isn’t up to me,” he said at the all-star game. “There’s a lot of people higher (up) than me who will make that decision.” The same was true of Jonathan Toews, who said he would comply with whatever decision the owners made.