<P> The Olympic Games were originally intended for amateur athletes . However , the advent of the state - sponsored `` full - time amateur athlete '' of the Eastern Bloc countries further eroded the ideology of the pure amateur , as it put the self - financed amateurs of the Western countries at a disadvantage . The Soviet Union entered teams of athletes who were all nominally students , soldiers , or working in a profession , but many of whom were in reality paid by the state to train on a full - time basis . In 1986 , the International Olympic Committee ( IOC ) voted to allow professional athletes to compete in the Olympic Games starting in 1988 . The National Hockey League ( NHL ) was initially reluctant to allow its players to compete because the Olympics are held in the middle of the NHL season , and the league would have to halt play if many of its players participated . Eventually , NHL players were admitted starting in 1998 . </P>
<P> The Olympic Games were originally intended for amateur athletes . However , the advent of the state - sponsored `` full - time amateur athlete '' of the Eastern Bloc countries further eroded the ideology of the pure amateur , as it put the self - financed amateurs of the Western countries at a disadvantage . The Soviet Union entered teams of athletes who were all nominally students , soldiers , or working in a profession , but many of whom were in reality paid by the state to train on a full - time basis . In 1986 , the International Olympic Committee ( IOC ) voted to allow professional athletes to compete in the Olympic Games starting in 1988 . The National Hockey League ( NHL ) was initially reluctant to allow its players to compete because the Olympics are held in the middle of the NHL season , and the league would have to halt play if many of its players participated . Eventually , NHL players were admitted starting in 1998 . </P>
when did nhl players start to play in the olympics
when did nhl players start to play in the olympics
1998
1998