If Joe Battista had his way, Olympic ice hockey wouldn't be a part of the Winter Games. It would be played in the summer.

"They play basketball in the summer, why not hockey?" the Icer coach said. "They couldn't have a Dream Team if basketball was considered a winter sport. The NBA would then be faced with the exact same decision the NHL was faced with."

That decision is whether to send professionals to the Olympics or not. For Team USA, the absence of National Hockey League pros has had a noticeable impact. They barely made the medal round.

"I would love to someday see the world championships of hockey be open to the best players," Battista said. "For years the Russians have dominated . . . because their very best athletes are quote, 'amateur.' "

The only way he sees more pros competing is if hockey is moved to the Summer Games. The problem, Battista said, is that young, North American talent turns pro before getting the chance to go to the Games. If they did attend, Canada would literally kill the competition, with the U.S. not far behind, Battista said.

"People who don't understand the way hockey and its rules are set up don't realize just what an uphill battle Team USA and even Team Canada (has)," he said. "Their best players, at the age of 16 and 17, are playing professional hockey."

Russian teams like Moscow Dynamo are organized as athletic clubs and provided with cars, meals and clothing without officially getting paid.

"That's how they maintain their amateur status -- it's very frustrating," Battista said. "That's why the fact that the U.S. won an Olympic gold medal in 1960 and 1980 really were miracles. They had no business winning those games."

He noted Europeans could also argue that their best players were locked into the NHL. Given the complex contract negotiations involved with any pro sport, the league has made it hard for players to make it to the Games.

But Icer goaltender Dennis Magulick said a Dream Team might not be a good idea, since the NHL would shut down for two weeks. He said if a player wants to go, they should be allowed. The only other obstacle is money -- the NHL provides it, the Olympics don't.

"I'm sure that's a tough decision. The money would be tempting," Icer defenseman John Farrall said, adding he would probably opt for the Olympics. "But I'm sure I'll never have to worry about making that decision."

For Magulick, the decision wouldn't be as difficult.

"If you're making a stable salary, two weeks out of that salary probably isn't going to mean a hell of a lot," he said. "Whenever someone wins a gold medal -- it doesn't matter what sport it's in -- everyone's ecstatic. I don't think there can be anything that can compare to that."