By Chris Pryor

With the 2014 Olympics right around the corner and the NHL sending its premier players to represent their respective countries, the question has come up again, is this the best option? What does the fan truly want to see?

This is a tough question to which I’m sure there is no definitive answer.

I know the 1980 “Miracle on Ice” was one of the most exciting sporting events in the history of sports, but the concept of being an “amateur” has seen an significant change since the games in Lake Placid some 30 years ago.

Let’s take the USA vs Russia game. For the U.S. team in today’s world, the chances are a vast majority of those players would have already been signed and playing pro. More and more kids who have been drafted are signing after their freshman or sophomore year, thus limiting the pool of players to choose from. The Russian players for the most part would also be signed and either playing in the KHL or NHL.

The reality of the game today is between the elite leagues overseas and the NHL/AHL in North America, the vast majority of the players are getting paid already. The kids who aren’t making any money as of yet are usually playing high school or junior, and for that age bracket we already have an event that is similar held every year called the World Juniors.

Without making a stance one way or the other, I would say unless the rules and regulations change on what is or is not an “amateur,” the best way to see all the best players play is in the format we currently use and that is to have them participate in the Olympics.

Chris Pryor is the director of hockey operations for the Philadelphia Flyers. He is in charge of the amateur and pro scouting departments. A native of St. Paul, Pryor spent eight seasons as a scout for the Flyers. He played parts of six seasons in the NHL with the Minnesota North Stars and New York Islanders. If you have a question for a pro hockey scout, e-mail it to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .