World Cup: 2016 World Cup — Team Europe
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Syckle78
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I don't think anyone would really care about that either. Plus the NHL wouldn't be able to jam as many of it's stars into two teams. Same reason they didn't just take the top six teams and have them face off. It's a giant goofy embarrassing bush league gimmick.
Zippy316
aka Zippo
Wouldent it be better to only make 2 teams in a 7game series? TEAM NA vs TEAM EUROPE?
It would be cool if they did that and players can't play in more than 3 games and goalies in 2.
The European All Stars will be turned down by so many players that the team will actually be worse than a Switzerland or Slovakia team. Plus this tournament will be played around (or a little before) training camp. Players will value training camp alot more, especially if they're battling for a spot on their teams roster.
I can't wait to see all the players boycott it. It will be a huge slap in the face to Bettman.
I can't wait to see all the players boycott it. It will be a huge slap in the face to Bettman.
September is a silly date for a top-level international tourney. February for the Olympics is ideally suited. May and June for the Worlds and Stanley Cup play-offs is too late as well, but what can you do.
Denmark will be playing olympic qualification starting September 1, 2016...I certainly don't see any of our guys choosing this thing over that.
I wonder if they'll hand out NHL suspensions for declining to play in this tournament like they do with the All-Star game. That along with significant financial compensation might be the only way to get players to commit to this instead of Olympic qualifiers, training camps, spending time with families and so on.
What do think the attendance will be like for the joke teams during the group stage games? I can not see anybody handing over money to see team leftover vs Sweden in toronto.
Is anybody going to fly in from Europe to see their country play the U-23 team? This is worst than a bad idea. We have a commissioner that does not understand why people become passionate for their club/nation team. I loved the idea of a world cup but now I hope this flops so bad that Bettman is relieved of his duties.
Is anybody going to fly in from Europe to see their country play the U-23 team? This is worst than a bad idea. We have a commissioner that does not understand why people become passionate for their club/nation team. I loved the idea of a world cup but now I hope this flops so bad that Bettman is relieved of his duties.
Jussi
Registered User
Since the hockey fans in Toronto began to show they won't even watch the Leafs if they suck enough, I hope they will show that they won't see these "all-star" teams either.
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mattihp
Registered User
Is it too late to make this just an exhibition between an american and a canadian team? Everything just seems silly and I don't think this makes the sport grow at all.
swisdan
Registered User
That a good question, but imagine if it s the case. How low would be players motivation if it's compulsary to play for this fictive team?
It would be one of the first time you would understand a guy playing with no passion at all.
Well what about the Spengler Cup, during the lockout?...Some blue-chip NHLers ( Canucks included ) were competing against Team Canada, and playing for a partly fictitious squad, yet they didn't seem to lack motivation?
These guys are world class athletes= highly competitive by nature + many would probably never get another opportunity to play ( on a competitive team ) against competition of this caliber... Moreover, they wouldn't face the same pressure as National A Teams do...
Setting aside the potential impact of OG qualifiers, if u put together the best possible Euro squad, from outside Euro's Big 4 nations, they could definitely be a pretty formidable team...a team which might, MIGHT get on a roll + really embrace their underdog status ...
You could say something similar about NA's best possible U23 roster...Man there's some really tremendous young talent on this side of the Pond...now factor in all that McD and Eichel hype...Make no mistake...Those 2 are ( most likely )future NHL superstars, the face of the league in coming years!
If u build it , they ( T.O.'s die hard fans ) WILL COME !
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mattihp
Registered User
Spengler cup is a happy go lucky exhibition tournament which DOES NOT pretend to be more. The World Cup has had an attitude of a tournament which matters. This setup shatters that.
Shatters seems like WAY too strong a word. Those NA U23's + Euro All stars ( or whatever they're called ? ) should be competitive + fun to watch...I mean would it be better to invite the likes of Swiss or SVK, who have even less chance of an upset + would probably play a boring, kitty bar the door, style? + lack the marquee of a McD, for example?
If our A team can't beat all of the ABOVE + ALL COMERS, they don't deserve to win...
They CAN and probably WILL...So I don't see the problem here..
Maybe ur just afraid Team u23 would beat Suomi's A team?
Don't know how the groups and/or sudden death games work? But I'd love to see our Kidz put a hurt on one of Euro's Big 4!
Zine
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- Feb 28, 2002
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I dunno, maybe it's just me, but one would think most true fans would rather watch SWI or SVK.
What will the NHL do next for the sake of entertainment?...the over-33 team? The 'all-minority team'?
This tourney gives the impression that Bettman has been consulting with someone like Vince McMahon.
mattihp
Registered User
I don't care if the mixteams beat Finland, and that is my problem with the tournament. It doesn't matter, it used to pretend like it mattered and had a bit more of my attention at least.
We'd rather watch Team Finland play a best-of-seven series against the most stacked lineup Canada can muster together than a single game against either of these joke teams participating in this tournament, so you can kill that childish poppycock right here and now.
If it pretends to be an international event, it should involve nothing but national teams. Period.
Keyword here is pretends...as in pretended to be an international tourney
U Euros have LONG complained that the old Canada Cup/ World Cup was just a very NHL/ North American-centric tourney pretending to be a first class international hockey showcase....Yet pretended NOT to see the parallel argument when we over here called the WHC Euro-centric, not only because it happens during NHL playoffs ( which probably couldn't be helped since u can't please everybody ) BUT MORE importantly because WHC has only been held in NA once in a hundred years !
So now, NHL has basically really embraced the whole NHL/ NA centric thingy and tried to showcase what should , by rights,be the best eight teams in the world...catering moreso to its NA fans, who will indeed flock to see the McD + Eichel et al team , moreso than they would have for a SVK + Swiss, for example...
Euros are all up in arms again eh?...But they kept insisting the old Canada Cup was bogus from the get go...So what else is new???
NHL brass + NA fans weren't pretending, old Canada Cup / World Cup did matter to us over here...And not just to Canucks either...Yanks still crow ( and rightly so ) about their 1996 World Cup triumph...But u Euros insisted it didn't matter, tourney petered out and died...then got revived with a makeover...
May as well have fun with it anyways...Rubicon has been crossed, die has been cast
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It's not just the Europeans complaining. If you hadn't noticed, this format is not being welcomed with open arms by Americans and Canadians either. I for one will not be watching this charade.
You say that now...maybe in part cuz folks tend to resist change...but if the NA's youngsters pull a major upset, in the round robin, and if McD and/or Eichel catches fire...watch the ratings for their games climb Big time...
And then ppl be like...Hey, I kinda like this new format...compared to say, Russia vs SVK
The hockey fan that would enjoy an team comprised of U-23 players is not understanding what makes a great sporting event. It is not just about the best players in the world that makes a sporting event captivating. There are other ingredients. Such as meaning and passion. An example of meaning and passion without the best players would be the NCAA college football and basketball tournaments. They do not have the best players in the world but they do have passionate fans cheering on their team to be the National college champion. The same goes for leagues outside the united states in sports like soccer or Ice hockey. Yes, they may not have the best players but their fans are passionate for their team playing for their countries championship. When fans are passionate they create the emotional electric atom-sphere that make sports so entertaining.
For people who want to see how a U-23 team would fair in a NHL World cup, let me tell you this. You can develop a rooting interest betting on a game of checkers but passion is much more deeper and infectious than a rooting interest. Passion is emotional to the core that can only be develop following a club team over years or having pride in one's nation/culture.
You may be curious to see how a U-23 would perform but this is not passion. This curious rooting interest may fizzle out after one period.
The NHL just told two countries (Switzerland and Slovakia) who were ready to passionately root for their national team that you are NOT WELCOME. And they did not even coordinate with the other leagues to take an international break. Teams such as Russia and Finland who use players in other leagues must now ask for their club team's permission to leave.
The NHL had most North American hockey fans on there side on creating a real international world cup. Because of the politics of the IIHF and olympic committee. The NHL had every right to control this type of tournament. They own most of the talent why not run the tournament. However, they screwed this up BIG TIME!!!
For people who want to see how a U-23 team would fair in a NHL World cup, let me tell you this. You can develop a rooting interest betting on a game of checkers but passion is much more deeper and infectious than a rooting interest. Passion is emotional to the core that can only be develop following a club team over years or having pride in one's nation/culture.
You may be curious to see how a U-23 would perform but this is not passion. This curious rooting interest may fizzle out after one period.
The NHL just told two countries (Switzerland and Slovakia) who were ready to passionately root for their national team that you are NOT WELCOME. And they did not even coordinate with the other leagues to take an international break. Teams such as Russia and Finland who use players in other leagues must now ask for their club team's permission to leave.
The NHL had most North American hockey fans on there side on creating a real international world cup. Because of the politics of the IIHF and olympic committee. The NHL had every right to control this type of tournament. They own most of the talent why not run the tournament. However, they screwed this up BIG TIME!!!
Maybe, maybe not. We'll see. But one needs only the lowest common denominator to garnish the attention of the masses; this is unfortunately what the NHL appears to be going for in Toronto.
Like previously mentioned, you would hope any self-respecting hockey enthusiast would rather watch Russia vs Slovakia instead of Russia vs Team Young Gunzzzz!!.
Nonetheless disliking the format of this tournament isn't predicated on being a North American or European hockey fan as you earlier insinuated.
Hmm...seems A tad condescending ...
I'll grant you, that many guys wearing their countries colors do punch above their weight...BUT less we forget... most of the games will still feature competing National sides...
Plus we got the case of a group of very VERY talented youngsters anxious to prove just how good they really are/can be against top flight National teams...teams they either dreamed of beating, or teams they dreamed of becoming part of...in the case of Canada + USA's A teams...
Quite a number of those youngsters are not far off being seriously considered for A teams...others may be a few years off, or may never get there at all...and then there's a select few who perhaps would already be on the A team, except for the admittedly highly unusual ( highly experimental ) format of this tourney...
Just like many national team players, I trust that many, MANY of those U23 guys will punch way above their weight...Indeed I'm fully expecting them to be giant slayers, at least for a game or two...
And I for one, look forward to seeing them play!
Jussi
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