SOCHI, Russia – Ask a player which is better, winning a gold medal or a Stanley Cup, and they’ll be diplomatic, saying a Stanley Cup during the NHL season and a gold medal while at the Olympics.

St. Louis Blues player David Backes has compared the question to asking a mother to choose one child over another.

NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman and International Ice Hockey Federation President Rene Fasel don’t have to be so diplomatic.

During a news conference Tuesday that focused on whether the NHL should return to the Olympics in 2018, they had this exchange:

Fasel: “There is nothing like winning the Olympic gold medal.”

Bettman: “Except perhaps winning the Stanley Cup.”

Fasel (after laughter dies down): “The gold medal, the Olympic gold medal, you can’t replace it. The Stanley Cup, the world championships, yeah, yeah. … But the gold medal, look at the faces here Sunday when the players win the Olympic gold medal. It’s so different.”

Bettman: “It’s like when they win the Stanley Cup.”