Like watching NHL players in the Olympics?

Well, be sure to stay glued to your screens for the next week, because this could be the last time that players from the world’s top league take part in the event.

That suggestion comes from NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly, in an interview with QMI Agency’s sister sports channel, TVA Sports.

Reached in his New York office, Daly said no final decision had been taken on the matter, adding that there’s an important reason why the NHL isn’t yet ready to let its players go to the 2018 Games in South Korea.

“Obviously, location of the Olympics is always one of the factors you consider in determining whether it’s the right call to go to the Olympics,” said Daly. “While Sochi is a long way away, obviously we know that hockey is a big sport in Russia, it’s very important to our Russian players, as well as other players.”

The sport has grown significantly since 1998 when the IOC first agreed to let NHLers take the ice in Nagano, Japan. But Daly says the NHL has to balance the boost that NHL players give to international hockey against the mid-season disruption to the NHL’s schedule.

“The reality is that we must halt our activities for 17 days,” he said. “That’s unheard of for us. We lose the rhythm of the season and the impact is different for each team. Some teams send 10 players and others only two.”

If you read between the lines, there won’t be any NHL players in Pyeongchang in 2018. The IOC has also reiterated this week that it’s out of the question to pay the NHL for players to take part.

Money is at the heart of the war. Expect the return of the World Cup of Hockey, perhaps even as early as 2015. The tournament was last held in 2004.

The NHL could keep the revenues from a World Cup tournament, which is not the case for the Olympic event. But so far there’s no formal agreement with the NHL Players’ Association to determine how any potential income would be shared.