LOS ANGELES -- The NHL's board of governors convened at its annual meeting during the league's All-Star break and spent only 10 seconds, by commissioner Gary Bettman's estimation, talking about NHL participation in the next Winter Olympics.
There is no formal deadline to make a decision as to whether the NHL will send its players to Pyeongchang, South Korea, for the next Olympics, but the clock is definitely ticking. The league has plans to finalize regarding next season's schedule and All-Star Game, all dependent on whether the players compete in the 2018 Winter Games.
"I reported there was nothing new since the board meeting in December," Bettman said on the decision.
One concern appears to have been alleviated. The International Olympic Committee has said it won't pay for the NHL's costs related to the Olympics, including accommodations, travel and insurance.
According to International Ice Hockey Federation president Rene Fasel, the IIHF has instead secured the funds to send NHL players to the Olympics.
"Yes, we worked really hard, and I would like to thank all our member federations," Fasel told ESPN.com's Pierre LeBrun on Saturday.
Even in finding the money, Bettman said there are still hurdles to clear.
"The biggest hurdle is I think there's concern among the teams about the ongoing disruption to the season, about a compressed schedule and a whole host of other things," Bettman said. "When the IOC said, 'You know what? We don't think it's worth it, we're not going to pay,' I think it opened a whole can of worms."
Bettman said the league will decide quickly whether to send teams to China next fall for a series of preseason games. Bettman said the league is waiting to hear back from the NHLPA on the endeavor but might make a trip to China in the coming weeks to finalize details.
NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly was recently part of a group of league and union officials who visited China to discuss a possible NHL visit as well as the 2022 Winter Olympics, which will be held in Beijing. The possibility of games being played in China before the start of next season is not contingent on the NHL participating in the 2018 Olympics.
ESPN.com's Scott Burnside contributed to this report.