from Chris Kuc of the Chicago Tribune,

These days, Fehr heads a union of approximately 700 NHL players and he has guided them through thick and thin. Here's what he said on a variety of topics, including the World Cup of Hockey, an eight-team international tournament set to begin in September in Toronto:

Will we see NHL players in the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea?

Players would like to participate in the Olympics. You have to negotiate an agreement with the IIHF, with the IOC and between us and the NHL to do that. The reason is that the NHL, uniquely among sports that go to the Olympics, has to close its business down in order to do this. You lose a bunch of the games, you squeeze the schedule, you interrupt your momentum, you subject the players to additional injury risk and so on.

In the past, the agreement has come together sometime after the preceding Summer Games and over the next period of months. So we've had some very preliminary discussions with the NHL and the Olympic parties, but it's not at the stage where they're getting anywhere close to conclusion. It will take a while.

The players want to participate in the Olympics. It means something to them. And it's particularly true in the European countries, where the Olympic movement is so ingrained in all of the sports programs for kids that they've ever gone through. But it means a lot for everybody.

many more questions and answers...