Interesting news out of Guatemala City: The Russian resort city of Sochi was awarded the 2014 Winter Olympic Games this week.

The bid was secured in part by intense lobbying on the part of Russian president Vladimir Putin, who is a huge hockey fan. One would expect the Russians dearly would love to have the NHL on board for the country's first-ever Winter Games. But that's not likely to happen -- or is it?

The long-held assumption has been that the Vancouver Olympic Games in 2010 will be the last Olympic competition for NHL players. While players are largely supportive of taking part (they've been doing so since 1998 in Nagano), owners hate it. The break in the regular season schedule during Olympic years is disruptive, and the threat of injury to top players (see Dominik Hasek in Turin in 2006) is off-putting. Many owners don't believe there is a direct relationship between NHL participation and the league's profile, especially in the United States when the Games are outside North America and television broadcasts can't be guaranteed in prime time

Given that those nations in the run-off to play host to the 2014 Games included South Korea, Austria and Russia, the speculation was that only an Austrian victory would keep the NHL even slightly interested in coming back for 2014. In team owners' eyes, Austria would be a better option because of the popularity of the NHL in Europe and the shorter travel demands compared to the Black Sea area that is home to Sochi and South Korea.

But here's a question to consider:

Is it possible the NHL would consider taking part in the Sochi Olympics if the rogue Russians were to change their stance on signing a transfer agreement with the NHL, NHLPA and International Ice Hockey Federation?

The Russians have refused to sign the deal for more than two years as they want more money from NHL teams who sign their players. Having the Russians on board would make things simpler for NHL clubs to make development and signing of players more streamlined.

It would seem like a major concession if the NHL was to commit to the Russian Games in order to bring the Russians on board -- but never say never.