World Cup: 2016 World Cup — Team Europe

[JackSlater]

I bet the federation does... Junior hockey etc. gets ALOT OF money from the government. Which will base its funds to hockey on international performance. If the Brandon Converys, Jamie Rams etc. of the world are once again the best Canada can muster... It will show in every level of hockey.

Not so. Hockey developed in Canada because people liked it, not because the government wanted to use it as a political tool. Canadians generally care about hockey and demand access to it, they don't care nearly as much about international competition. There's a reason that international competition has been so insignificant in Canada for more than half of hockey's history. The idea to base hockey funding primarily on IIHF World Championship results (which are generally ignored by the Canadian people but held in high regard in the IIHF rankings) would be unfathomable to basically any Canadian.

 

[Hardyvan123]

Unknown to you, not to everyone else. Both Slovakia and Switzerland have nearly 20 players signed to NHL contracts making them part of the NHLPA, let them use them and fill in the few remaining holes with players from Europe. Then at least it would be an international tournament.

This is what will happen for the next tournament..if they qualify and depending when qualification is and the guys under NHL contracts the actual qualifying team and team in the tournament might be 2 entirely different things which would be a joke right?
Kopitar in this tournament as per the rules set up right now.

 

[Corax]

Please stop whining. Team Europe is a great idea and I will cheer for them to go as far as to win it all.
I live in Europe anyway and this will bring fans of small markets closer to each other. The Olympic movement was supposed to bring people together, instead fans end up fighting and offending each other on the boards at every major tournament.

Here we have possibility to learn more about players from our neighboring countries.

I see in your eyes the same fear that would take the heart of me.

A day may come when the courage of men fails,

when we forsake our friends

and break all bonds of fellowship, but it is not this day.


An hour of wolves and shattered shields,

when the age of men comes crashing down,

but it is not this day!



This day we fight!!

By all that you hold dear on this good Earth,

I bid you stand, Men of the West!!!

 

[Jakk123]

Please stop whining. Team Europe is a great idea and I will cheer for them to go as far as to win it all.
I live in Europe anyway and this will bring fans of small markets closer to each other. The Olympic movement was supposed to bring people together, instead fans end up fighting and offending each other on the boards at every major tournament.

Here we have possibility to learn more about players from our neighboring countries.

I see in your eyes the same fear that would take the heart of me.

A day may come when the courage of men fails,

when we forsake our friends

and break all bonds of fellowship, but it is not this day.


An hour of wolves and shattered shields,

when the age of men comes crashing down,

but it is not this day!



This day we fight!!

By all that you hold dear on this good Earth,

I bid you stand, Men of the West!!!

Team Europe will be a nice exhibition, that's all, no one will cheer for them like they would for their actual national team. But anyway, it doens't even bother me that much anymore, as even if we would have our NT (Slovakia) at the tourney, we would get our a*ses kicked by everyone.

 

[Faterson]

Please stop whining. Team Europe is a great idea

It's a silly and embarrassing idea, and it's a parody of international hockey just like the NHL All-Star Game is a parody of a competitive NHL game. Sure, you can also cheer at the All-Star Game all you want. It's mostly 12-year-olds who would do that, but anyway, enjoy it!

My hope was that Slovak players would stay away from this travesty, one and all (just like they have now announced a boycott of Slovakia's regular national team – 52 players in total), but with Šatan as GM, the chances of a boycott have decreased, unfortunately.

 

[Corax]

It's a silly and embarrassing idea, and it's a parody of international hockey just like the NHL All-Star Game is a parody of a competitive NHL game. Sure, you can also cheer at the All-Star Game all you want. It's mostly 12-year-olds who would do that, but anyway, enjoy it!

My hope was that Slovak players would stay away from this travesty, one and all (just like they have now announced a boycott of Slovakia's regular national team – 52 players in total), but with Šatan as GM, the chances of a boycott have decreased, unfortunately.

Slovakia has no place in World cup, they have never won a game. If you want to be proud about Slovakia, you can watch Slovak folk songs in the evenings.

I will watch Team Europe filled with talent and professionals that are used to play their best for the teams they do not relate by place of birth.

We live in EU, and there is definitely some motivation to win this tournament for Europe. I look forward to see Nino or Kopi to play for "us".

To watch hockey for hockey is not 12 years old like, it just means I like the sport. But as I said, folk songs might be your option if Team Europe does not satisfy your feelings.

 

[Canuckistani]

I will watch Team Europe filled with talent and professionals that are used to play their best for the teams they do not relate by place of birth.

We live in EU, and there is definitely some motivation to win this tournament for Europe. I look forward to see Nino or Kopi to play for "us".

Look everyone, I found Team Leftovers' first fan!

 

[Faterson]

Too bad he'll be the only person marching in the victory parade! No true-blue hockey fan could possibly give a **** about whether the Leftovers win so much as a single game at the Mickey Mouse Cup next September.

 

[xxxx]

Too bad he'll be the only person marching in the victory parade! No true-blue hockey fan could possibly give a **** about whether the Leftovers win so much as a single game at the Mickey Mouse Cup next September.

I am pretty sure that many, many people in Europe will cheer for Team Europe when they face Canada and USA. I bet even you would like to see Team Europe beating us, wouldn't you.

 

[Faterson]

"Like" to see, as in "nice to see", sure. But no one will really give a damn about this parody of a tourney. Even if Leftovers won the Cup, it would only be something that's "nice to see", it might make you smile but then you'd just shrug it off and move on. It wouldn't be an experience of a lifetime for the viewers who cannot really be emotionally attached to a Leftovers team, unlike winning Olympic or World Championships gold in a genuine best-on-best international tournament.

 

[FiLe]

If Slovakia happened to win a best-on-best tournament, there'd be a huge party in the streets of Bratislava. Same for Bern, if Switzerland happened to win.

If Team Europe happens to win, there will be no party in those towns, no party in Riga, no party in Ljubljana, and most likely no party in Brussels either, despite it being the capital of the EU. Only one who might give a piss is certain statue.

 

[Corax]

"Like" to see, as in "nice to see", sure. But no one will really give a damn about this parody of a tourney. Even if Leftovers won the Cup, it would only be something that's "nice to see", it might make you smile but then you'd just shrug it off and move on. It wouldn't be an experience of a lifetime for the viewers who cannot really be emotionally attached to a Leftovers team, unlike winning Olympic or World Championships gold in a genuine best-on-best international tournament.

How is your nationalism have anything to do with game of hockey. The best hockey is played in NHL with close to 0 hometown boys.

And no, I don't watch hockey so I can parade and hit myself in chest, I am Slovak. Many people do, but it doubtful if they are hockey fans. They watch also Tour de France since Sagan made it through.

Do you watch Tour de France?

And about if Slovakia won, Swiss won... can we stop living in fantasy world?

I want to see high quality hockey, again, hockey. Not bunch of underachievers that cant skate after 30 minutes.

 

[FiLe]

I want to see high quality hockey, again, hockey. Not bunch of underachievers that cant skate after 30 minutes.

Even if the "quality" of such hockey has as many question marks on it, that's actually a respectable stance.

The question just is, if there will be enough like you to warrant this team.

 

[Corax]

Even if the "quality" of such hockey has as many question marks on it, that's actually a respectable stance.

The question just is, if there will be enough like you to warrant this team.

If Slovakia loses first game with 4 goals difference, how many people are going to watch those games? Of course except for Slovaks.

Me personally, I watch top teams playing each other. I might watch Swiss from time to time at Worlds, but World Cup is different animal.

On the other hand, everyone complains, but Denmark + Slovakia + Austria + Germany + Latvia + Slovenia + Switzerland.... I think quite a few fans will watch this
and it will be interesting for Canadian and US and Russian or any other fans.

And for some IIHF type of fans, they will not follow World Cup. When it is IIHF WC, 70 years old guys are watching TV in pubs.

World Cup never had that attention in Slovakia. People complaining here would know that, if they were not mostly kids. There was no gatherings in pubs or anything like that.

 

[xxxx]

"Like" to see, as in "nice to see", sure. But no one will really give a damn about this parody of a tourney. Even if Leftovers won the Cup, it would only be something that's "nice to see", it might make you smile but then you'd just shrug it off and move on. It wouldn't be an experience of a lifetime for the viewers who cannot really be emotionally attached to a Leftovers team, unlike winning Olympic or World Championships gold in a genuine best-on-best international tournament.

If there was a best-of-seven series between Canada and Team World, I don't know how much emotionally would you be attached, but any hockey fan would say, it would be a great hockey, right? And that's what I want to see here. For me, it's how players will get into it. That's what always matters to me.

 

[smitty10]

Zuccarello-Kopitar-Gaborik
Vanek-Grabovski-Hossa
Tatar-Nielsen-Niederreiter
Grabner-Girgensons-Draisaitl
Eller

Seidenberg-Chara
Ehrhoff-Josi
Sekera-Sbisa
Streit

Andersen
Hiller
Halak

Decent roster. I'm actually somewhat excited to see this team. Should be fun.

 

[Corax]

Zuccarello-Kopitar-Gaborik
Vanek-Grabovski-Hossa
Tatar-Nielsen-Niederreiter
Grabner-Girgensons-Draisaitl
Eller

Seidenberg-Chara
Ehrhoff-Josi
Sekera-Sbisa
Streit

Andersen
Hiller
Halak

Decent roster. I'm actually somewhat excited to see this team. Should be fun.

Definatelly more fun than watching Team Slovakia with Centers that play on 3rd line even in KHL. Finally I can cheer for a team that is strong in the middle. Nielsen is much better center than anything we had on our first line last 3 - 4 years. Having him as 3rd line, definitely something to look forward to.

 

[RobertR]

Curious if some non-NHL guys will make it.

Thoresen, Da Costa..

 

[mattihp]

Curious if some non-NHL guys will make it.

Thoresen, Da Costa..

Who would pay their insurance?

 

[bert]

Unknown to you, not to everyone else. Both Slovakia and Switzerland have nearly 20 players signed to NHL contracts making them part of the NHLPA, let them use them and fill in the few remaining holes with players from Europe. Then at least it would be an international tournament.

This exactly, its a joke the way its being handled.

 

[Jakk123]

Definatelly more fun than watching Team Slovakia with Centers that play on 3rd line even in KHL. Finally I can cheer for a team that is strong in the middle. Nielsen is much better center than anything we had on our first line last 3 - 4 years. Having him as 3rd line, definitely something to look forward to.

Actually, I agree with you, Slovakia is too weak to play hockey with top 6 nations right now(and I am pretty sure it's gonna get worse before it gets better). Nevertheless, you just can't cheer for some kind of Team Europe with the same level of emotions that you would if your actual national team played.

 

[xxxx]

Who would pay their insurance?

of course some non-NHL players will make the rosters. Russia will have some KHL players, and I'm pretty sure the Czechs, Finland, and possibly Team Europe too.

 

[FiLe]

Unknown to you, not to everyone else. Both Slovakia and Switzerland have nearly 20 players signed to NHL contracts making them part of the NHLPA, let them use them and fill in the few remaining holes with players from Europe. Then at least it would be an international tournament.

You're talking about having a thing like Team Slovakia featuring Kopitar as a guest star, or Team Switzerland featuring Vanek?

That'd be... somewhat less weird than this current brainfart, I'll give it that. There's even a precedent, kinda. In basketball, FIBA allows one foreign-born player per each squad, and every other team pretty much exploits this rule. Technically, all players in each squad are citizens of the country they're supposed to represent, but in reality most of them are just random Americans who may not even be able to locate said country on the map. I constantly feel a bit miffed when I for example watch a guy like Pooh Jeter ballin' for Ukraine, but oh well, the world at large seems to at least tolerate the practice.

Actually, even the last World Cup of Hockey featured one such example, since the NHL allowed Dainius Zubrus to dress for Russia.

 

[Elvs]

You're talking about having a thing like Team Slovakia featuring Kopitar as a guest star, or Team Switzerland featuring Vanek?

That'd be... somewhat less weird than this current brainfart, I'll give it that. There's even a precedent, kinda. In basketball, FIBA allows one foreign-born player per each squad, and every other team pretty much exploits this rule. Technically, all players in each squad are citizens of the country they're supposed to represent, but in reality most of them are just random Americans who may not even be able to locate said country on the map. I constantly feel a bit miffed when I for example watch a guy like Pooh Jeter ballin' for Ukraine, but oh well, the world at large seems to at least tolerate the practice.

Actually, even the last World Cup of Hockey featured one such example, since the NHL allowed Dainius Zubrus to dress for Russia.

No what I mean was, Slovakia can nearly fill an entire roster with player signed to NHL contracts. They have several guys in the AHL who have NHL contracts, making them part of the NHLPA.

Current slovaks in North America signed to NHL contracts:

Forwards:
Marian Hossa
Marian Gaborik
Tomas Tatar
Marko Dano
Tomas Jurco
Richard Panik
Marek Hrivik
Marek Tvrdon

Defensemen:
Zdeno Chara
Andrej Sekera
Martin Marincin
Martin Gernat
Erik Cernak

Goalies:
Jaroslav Halak

Currently on try-outs:
Lubomir Visnovsky
Tomas Kopecky
Andrej Meszaros
Peter Budaj

Martin Reway and Peter Cehlarik are probably going to be in North America under NHL contracts next year. I might have forgotten someone too.

If it's true the NHL only want players within the NHLPA in the World Cup, I think Slovakia should be allowed to participate with these players, and fill in the few remaining holes with slovaks playing in Europe. Likely a couple of the euro league players would impress enough on the world stage on the small ice surface, and get signed to NHL contracts. Then maybe they could fill an entire NHLPA roster next World Cup. Same thing with Switzerland.

 

[Faterson]

If it's true the NHL only want players within the NHLPA in the World Cup

It's not true, it's a disgusting myth, just like the whole setup of this pseudo-tourney is disgusting.