On Balance

It’s not that simple,” Brian Burke said, voicing the minority opinion in front of a Toronto conference room filled with the most influential minds in hockey. In the afterglow of the games once in a generation success at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics, the overwhelming consensus at the Word Hockey Summit is that it is, in fact, that simple. The NHL should go to Sochi in 2014 with almost no reservations. Overall the Summit appears to have been a success, bringing different perspectives from management, players, and media members into the same room to discuss the biggest issues in the game. Though, with much at stake and the perception amongst hockey’s mavens to be swung, it was not without its share of political theater, at times devolving into what appeared to be hockey’s “spin alley”. Speaking on behalf of his Maple Leaf boss and the other 29 franchise owners who have yet to make a decision on participating in the games, Burke lends his well deserved creditability to the argu...