from Tim Wharnsby of CBC Sports,

NHL players' potential participation in the 2018 Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea is a spicy topic again because of the imminent World Cup of Hockey, which makes its return this month in Toronto after a 12-year hiatus.

Just because Sidney Crosby, Connor McDavid, Alex Ovechkin, Patrick Kane, Anze Kopitar and others will be going head-to-head in this best-on-best tournament, which opened the training camp doors on Monday, doesn't mean the Olympic spirit is dead when it comes to the NHL.

This dance of whether or not NHL players will skate in South Korea in 18 months began shortly after Crosby and company arrived in Sochi for the 2014 Winter Games. Back then, NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly predicted a decision on Pyeongchang would be made within "six months."

But here we are more than two years later and no verdict has been rendered.

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