Bettman questions Games hiatus

CALGARY, Alberta: The National Hockey League is questioning the future involvement of its players in the Winter Olympics because of the interruption to the NHL's season and the physical toll it takes on teams, commissioner Gary Bettman said on Thursday.

There are no agreements in place for Olympics following the Vancouver Winter Games next month, Bettman said. He plans to discuss the issue of the two-week hiatus that takes place every four years with the NHL Players' Association. No decisions have been made, he said.

"It's difficult for any business, any league, to shut down for two weeks with the attendant loss of attention and everything that flows from that," Bettman said after speaking to a business audience in Calgary, where three players from the NHL's Flames will compete in Vancouver.