IIHF president Fasel says talks on NHL players competing at 2018 Olympics will 'not be easy'

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published Tuesday, April 21, 2015 9:43AM EDT

IIHF president Rene Fasel, rightm, responds to reporters questions at a news conference Monday, May 19, 2014 at the IIHF World Hockey Championship in Minsk Belarus. Organising committee president Yevgeni Vorsin, left, looks on. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jacques Boissinot)

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SOCHI, Russia -- International Ice Hockey Federation president Rene Fasel says it will "not be easy" to reach a deal for NHL players to compete at the 2018 Winter Olympics.

Fasel tells The Associated Press that the IIHF has started the process of consulting players and officials over a deal for the 2018 Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea.

Fasel says "our goal is to bring the NHL to Korea," but he adds that it is a "long process" and "will not be easy."

The IIHF must reach a deal with NHL officials, the NHL Players' Association and the International Olympic Committee. Insurance for player injuries is a perennial sticking point.

For the last Winter Olympics in Sochi, a deal was reached seven months before the games.