The International Ice Hockey Federation has stepped in to help ensure NHL player participation at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, but work still needs to be done in order to reach an agreement with the International Olympic Committee.

The NHL is seeking something equivalent to IOC Top Sponsor status in order to market the Olympics on its various platforms, reports Karolos Grohmann of Reuters.

"Obviously, this time the owners of the NHL clubs are putting more commercial conditions to the IOC and the Olympic movement," IOC spokesman Mark Adams said.

The IIHF has agreed to cover NHL players' travel and insurance costs, as the organization initially announced in November 2016. Those expenses had been paid by the IOC in the past.

Special treatment for the league from the IOC may not be in the cards, however.

Adams continued, "The IOC knows that the NHL understands that the Olympic movement cannot treat the owners of a commercial franchise of a national league better than an international sports federation or other professional leagues with regard to the Olympic Games."

From the IOC's point of view, participation alone brings a great deal of exposure to the NHL, especially in 2018 and 2022 when the Games will be played in markets serving billions in prime time.

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