Personally, I have mixed feelings about pros being in the Olympics in the first place. I think what made 1980 so special was that they were a bunch of college kids going up against the big bad Russians in the height of the cold weather. Unlikely that type of event would ever be replicated anyways given the underdog status, world events, and home ice. I really wish I had been alive for that. At the same time, I do like seeing the best in the world compete.
I was 10 and remember it well. It was absolutely awesome....and while I knew it was a big upset at the time, it wasn't until much later that I fully comprehended just how big an upset it was. And while it didn't necessarily turn me on to the NHL (many of the guys on that team never made it to that level, and only one had what could be considered a noteworthy NHL career), I think that was more because the NHL just was not available to me to watch in that era, since I was probably the last kid on my block to get cable TV at home. But after the Olympics I definitely followed with great interest the Islanders of the early 80s and the Gretzky-led Edmonton teams after that, at least as best a kid without access to many games on TV could.
But 1980 is just something we aren't likely to ever see again....at least not in Olympic team sports that have a significant global reach. Even if the IOC takes take the pros out, in addition to the NHL'ers that also means you eliminate the players from other professional leagues around the world. So instead of those powerhouse Soviet teams, arguably better than even the best NHL teams of their era, the Russians, Czechs, Slovaks, etc, would also be sending rag-tag groups of amateurs because of how the world's political landscape has changed since 1980. Personally, I prefer seeing the best players each country has to offer, regardless of professional status.
