from Ken Campbell of The Hockey News,

One item that has yet to be resolved on which the players should insist is participation in the 2014 Winter Olympic Games and beyond. Actually, both sides should be eager to get this done. If the NHL and the NHLPA are truly repentant about putting their fans through this latest imbroglio and truly want to do right by them, then they will do the right thing and make sure the best players on the planet play each other on the biggest stage in the world every four years.

In fact, when you think about it, it really is the least they can do. Regardless of whether or not the two sides come to an agreement and the season is saved in the next week or so or the dispute drags on into next season, the owners will get a bigger piece of the revenue share and will undoubtedly recoup all their losses to this point and then some. And while the players will have undeniably endured a reduction in take-home pay, they will still be very well compensated for what they do.

The only real losers in this dispute are the fans who have had to live without NHL hockey for almost three months and those whose livelihoods depend on the league playing on a regular basis. While Olympic participation would not be a cure-all, it would be one in a myriad of things both sides could do to help improve their image and repair the enormous amount of damage they have caused.

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