2014. And while the bench that didnt provide much scoring p

TORONTO -- International Ice Hockey Federation President Rene Fasel feels better about the chances of having NHL players compete at the 2018 Olympics in South Korea than he did earlier this year. The league doesnt sound nearly as confident and may be looking six years ahead to China instead.In May at the IIHF world championship, Fasel said he thought there was a 60 percent chance the NHL and NHL Players Association would pass on the opportunity to participate in a sixth straight Olympics. Whether the best hockey players in the world go to South Korea in about 16 months is up to the league and union, though Russian star Alexander Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals has said he will go no matter what .I think it is 50-50 chance, Fasel told The Associated Press on Tuesday ahead of Game 1 of the World Cup of Hockey final.NHL officials, however, sounded an ominous tone.Time is very short to make a decision and Im not sure there has been a lot of progress made in the past six months, and Im not sure theres any prospect for progress being made, Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly said. On the basis on that, Im more negative today than I was two weeks ago.Money is a big factor in the deliberations.NHL players have not and will not get paid for participating in the Olympics, but their travel expenses and insurance have been covered in the past. The International Olympic Committee is not expected to pay for travel and insurance costs to get NHL players to the previous five Olympics.The IOCs position, obviously, didnt make it any easier, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said.The IOC spent about $14 million to cover travel and insurance costs for NHL players for the 2014 Olympics. Fasel expects the bill would be about $10 million for the next Olympics because he said it wont be necessary to charter planes to South Korea as it was to get players to Sochi, Russia.While the league doesnt sound eager about going to South Korea, it does sound very interested in tapping into Chinas huge market in 2022.When the IOC awarded the Beijing Games, it certainly created a bigger opportunity than we thought existed potentially before, Daly said. But it is also possible that you dont go to one Olympics and you do go to the other. I dont think anybody has ruled that out as a possibility.Fasel, saying he is simply at fan at the World Cup of Hockey in Toronto, intends to beg for $10 million to cover expenses for NHL players to be at the 2018 Olympics.He hopes to persuade national Olympic committees and hockey federations to donate the funds to keep the games best players on the biggest stage in sports. To make up the shortfall, Fasel acknowledged the IIHF could possibly use some of the $40 million it gets from the IOC every four years and make cuts from its development programs for boys and girls.Our job at the IIHF is find solution, Fasel said. I will go everywhere and anywhere to beg for the money. That is my job.Fasel said he had Olympic-related discussions with Bettman and NHLPA Executive Director Don Fehr on Sept. 19 in Toronto, and plans to meet with them again in November.Gary would like to make decision before end of the year, Fasel said.Mike Babcock, who has led Canada to gold at the last two Olympics and is hoping to add a World Cup of Hockey title to his collection of accomplishments this week, made his preference clear before the puck dropped Tuesday night.The World Cup is great. Its not the Olympics, Babcock said in an unsolicited comparison of the two events. Lets not get confused.---Follow Larry Lage at www.twitter.com/larrylage and follow his work at www.bigstory.ap.org/content/larry-lage Discount Shoes Black Friday . -- Stanfords Kevin Danser knelt on one knee and hardly moved on the sideline as Michigan State celebrated its Rose Bowl victory and his Cardinal teammates made their way to the locker room. China Shoes Black Friday . Pirlo limped out of Sundays 1-0 win over Udinese after just 13 minutes. Juventus says Pirlo underwent tests on Monday which revealed he has "a second-degree lesion to the collateral medial ligament in his right knee. https://www.cheapshoesblackfriday.com/ . JOHNS, N. Fake Shoes Black Friday . This should be celebrated because it will not always be this way. With the amount of money given to players by their clubs these days, it is a wonder that so many of those teams allow the sport to continue to take away many of their assets so they can play for a different team in the middle of their season. Wholesale Shoes Black Friday Free Shipping . 1 position. The Mustangs (6-0), who beat Queens 50-31 last weekend, earned 17 first-place votes and 287 points in voting by the Football Reporters of Canada. Western was last ranked first in the country in October 2011. INDIANAPOLIS -- The Indiana Pacers took the Miami to seven games in Eastern Conference finals, with missed shots and big Heat runs finally doing them in. Pacers President Donnie Walsh and General Manager Kevin Pritchard know they need to make some moves so that doesnt happen again. "You look at it and you say, If we could have made a few more shots, if we could have had a few more players get into the paint," Pritchard said. "So I think those are areas that well look at." It isnt just shooting. Pritchard pointed out the Pacers identity is defence and collecting strong defensive players is just as vital after the best season for the franchise since 2004-04. "I think that we could get better shooting, as every team in the league could get," Walsh said Thursday at a news conference to discuss the off-season. "We could get a defensive player or two at different positions and play makers. So were looking at those elements more than particular players." Bringing back unrestricted free agent David West is Indianas top priority when free agency begins July 1. And why not? Averaging 17.1 points and 7.7 rebounds, he became the guy Indiana turned to to help close out games. He came through in a big way much of the season. "We want David back," Walsh said. "We think hes one of the anchors of our team. Hes a terrific player and we want him back as much as you could want anyone back." Under coach Frank Vogel, the team has steadily improved, reaching the conference semifinals last season and then taking another step this year. Botth runs have come to an end against Miami.dddddddddddd Still, Pritchard said proof that Indiana is moving forward could persuade West into signing with the team again. Last summer, Indiana gave big contracts to Roy Hibbert and George Hill. They will likely seek to re-sign Paul George and Lance Stephenson, who are scheduled to become restricted free agents in 2014. And while the bench that didnt provide much scoring punch against the Heat, Walsh said hes not worried about it. The Pacers must also decide what to do with Danny Granger, who led the Pacers in scoring each of the previous five seasons. In 2012-13, he played in only five games because of an injured left knee. "As were moving forward and Danny is healthy and put back into the lineup, whether it be on the bench or starting," Pritchard said. "That allows us to have one more player that has a lot of experience out there." Walsh also said the door is still open for former team President Larry Bird, who left after the 2012 season because of health reasons. Walsh came out of retirement to run the team and always told Bird he had the option to return. "It remains what Ive said since I got here and every other day since," Walsh said. "Id love to see him come back. He knows he can come back. Im sure hes going to direct himself to it." Birds name has circulated in reports of joining other teams, but nothing has come together. Bird was named president of basketball operations in 2003 and played a significant role in helping the team rebuild over most of the past decade. ' ' '