WC: 2015 — Team Slovenia

[Wosush]

No, really there are nothing wrong with Slovenia, Austria or Latvia to be replaced by any other team from I-st division. And I mean it. By any team. Because all the point of having 16 teams in WHC is to promote hockey in lesser hockey countries. We haven't got 16 competitive teams, we barely have 8 such teams. Any team that's worth to be in WHC have almost nonexistent chance of losing its place in elite division. If you can't be at least seventh team in the group, you aren't deserve to be here. Even if you are better than team that would replace you.

I would introduce something like promotion-relegation game, so it doesn't happen that obviously better team like Slovenia gets automatically replaced by Italians, Hungarians or so.

 

[alce*]

I would introduce something like promotion-relegation game, so it doesn't happen that obviously better team like Slovenia gets automatically replaced by Italians, Hungarians or so.

There was such tournament before. It was dropped, because it was nothing but unnecessary troubles. I find current system almost ideal. You've taken one of first two places in 1-st division? Here is your reward. You've been last in the group? Here is your punishment. It also makes games between teams in lower half of the table much more meaningful, because they know that there would be no other chance to keep their place in elite.

 

[likid]

Our general problem is following:

- lack of hard games in preparation phase. For some reason best Euro NT don't wan't to play friendly games with us. It was said few times from our responsible in Slovenian hockey federation, that there is some kind of close group of 12 Euro teams, that play preparation games in april before WC generaly only between themselves.
- So we only manage to play against Germany from A-group Euro teams (I'm not counting Austria, that have quite similar problems). And this lack of that type of games is clearly visible in close games like it was yesterday against Slovakia or in first two periods against Belarus.

What I'm most afraid that in case, we relegate again, we will probably lose Kopitar senior as our national coach and I just don't see adequate substitution. some guys will probably retire from playing for our NT and because most of players now play for teams in leagues that have A-group NT, they usually don't finish with their season in time division 1 WC is starting. Last season we almost miss qualification for this year WC because of this and it won't be any better in next seasons in this case.

 

[mattihp]

Our general problem is following:

- lack of hard games in preparation phase. For some reason best Euro NT don't wan't to play friendly games with us. It was said few times from our responsible in Slovenian hockey federation, that there is some kind of close group of 12 Euro teams, that play preparation games in april before WC generaly only between themselves.
- So we only manage to play against Germany from A-group Euro teams (I'm not counting Austria, that have quite similar problems). And this lack of that type of games is clearly visible in close games like it was yesterday against Slovakia or in first two periods against Belarus.

What I'm most afraid that in case, we relegate again, we will probably lose Kopitar senior as our national coach and I just don't see adequate substitution. some guys will probably retire from playing for our NT and because most of players now play for teams in leagues that have A-group NT, they usually don't finish with their season in time division 1 WC is starting. Last season we almost miss qualification for this year WC because of this and it won't be any better in next seasons in this case.

Get the Kopitars to talk to sweden in swedish