Another NHL Marketing Fail: No Canada-NA Game

[Kudo Shinichi]

Scored 4 against Swedens defense and the king.

So does this mean Russia is better defensively than Sweden? Crazy. But anyways I would love a canada vs na game and a canada vs Sweden and a canada vs russia game.

Your post makes no sense
I didn't compared any team, I said that team NA should have managed to score more goals when you consider that Russia may have the worst and the slowest defense in the tournament, and that Team NA is the fastest and one of the more skilled team.

The guy I responded to said team na ONLY lost because of Murray. Murray was bad, but NA could still have been able to win by scoring more goals which is not too much to asked for (considering my point above).

 

[Stand Witness]

ITT: One poster makes himself look like a jackass for suggesting the NHL marketing department doesn't know what they are doing.

 

[Soundwave]

ITT: One poster makes himself look like a jackass for suggesting the NHL marketing department doesn't know what they are doing.

Pray do tell what makes the NHL marketing department so great? What great marketing initiatives have they spearheaded? *crickets*.

You're kidding yourself if you think these rocket scientists would last 15 minutes at the NBA or NFL or MLB.

 

[heretik27]

Bit disappointing to not see these North American kids play more hockey. Finland was truly a major let down in this tournament from previous competitions. USA hasn't won a game either and tonight's won't even matter since they're already eliminated. Sure makes for some boring hype when 2 games in you already know who's advancing. Either they need more teams, or fewer with 1 group + playoffs. If they have to do a 6 team round robin and ditch Team Europe+NA then it sucks not to see the young kids step up, but it might be best for the tournament in the long run. Just seems like poor planning the way these groups were set up with Sweden, North America, Finland, and Russia all in the same group while Canada faces USA, Europe, and the Czechs.

 

[Yemack]

With the tiny difference that the are 8 groups, and the groups are formed in a way that the teams are put in the groups based on the qualifications and drawn from pools based on rankings. Wich means there isn't going to be a group with 4 good teams (of course in soccer the difference between good and bad teams is much smaller) unless there are some major surprises in the qualification stage.

A valids point but early group stage tournaments are used everywhere where there are lots of competitors. Could it have been better with 20/20 hindsight? Sure but if NHL missed out on an opportunity, they just have to shoot for the next one. If there is a next one coming that is.

 

[FinnLightning26]

Pray do tell what makes the NHL marketing department so great? What great marketing initiatives have they spearheaded? *crickets*.

You're kidding yourself if you think these rocket scientists would last 15 minutes at the NBA or NFL or MLB.

The MLB which has had it's World Series ratings plummet since the 90's while 4/10 most watched SC Finals games have been from this decade? Such a great marketing department. I haven't watched a single MLB game in my life and even I know this.

 

[Soundwave]

The MLB which has had it's World Series ratings plummet since the 90's while 4/10 most watched SC Finals games have been from this decade? Such a great marketing department. I haven't watched a single MLB game in my life and even I know this.

And the NHL marketing department is the worse than MLB. The only reason SC Finals have been up in a few of those years is because they got Chicago in the Finals.

 

[Sher-Wood]

Some? They won two and lost the other by a single goal...

Well they only won one in regulation. Sweden and Russia won two in regulation.

 

[Soundwave]

A valids point but early group stage tournaments are used everywhere where there are lots of competitors. Could it have been better with 20/20 hindsight? Sure but if NHL missed out on an opportunity, they just have to shoot for the next one. If there is a next one coming that is.

Well that's the point. This is likely to never happen again.

This group of young players is special, and there's no way McDavid/Matthews/Eichel will want to play on the U23 team again.

This was the one chance to see them play, especially with Crosby/Toews/Tavares also in their prime.

10 minutes of pre-planning could've solved this issue by simply changing the pre-tournament schedule a bit. Did we really need two Team Europe vs. Team NA pre-tournament games?

Now because of a crap schedule, we'll never see it. Yeah, I'm bitter about it.

Why not take advantage of what you have? This happens to the NHL constantly, they miss so many opportunities.

 

[Jonas1235]

NHL thought Team NA would be bad. It seems like it was setup for CAN,USA and RUS, SWE

 

[Yemack]

Well that's the point. This is likely to never happen again.

This group of young players is special, and there's no way McDavid/Matthews/Eichel will want to play on the U23 team again.

This was the one chance to see them play, especially with Crosby/Toews/Tavares also in their prime.

10 minutes of pre-planning could've solved this issue by simply changing the pre-tournament schedule a bit. Did we really need two Team Europe vs. Team NA pre-tournament games?

Now because of a crap schedule, we'll never see it. Yeah, I'm bitter about it.

You seem to put a lot of weight onto exhibition games. I dont think internation hockey exhibition games mean much to be honest.

Maybe if there are enough interest maybe NHL can do it as during All Star Weekend or something. There how's that for a marketing idea. Over 24 vs Under?

 

[Soundwave]

You seem to put a lot of weight onto exhibition games. I dont think internation hockey exhibition games mean much to be honest.

Maybe if there are enough interest maybe NHL can do it as during All Star Weekend or something. There how's that for a marketing idea. Over 24 vs Under?

Doubt it, even if they did the players wouldn't take it as seriously. All-Star weekend = vacation weekend for the players. They're not going to listen to a damn thing their coach says for example, it's just a shiny game.

The pre-tournament games were still plenty intense, just as intense as the tournament games, teams want to win this thing and weren't taking it easy in the prelims all teams had to take those games seriously, because you can't just ease your way into round robin play. The players are taking this tournament serious, of that I have no doubt.

You'd have the intensity at least of a meaningful, good regular season game.

Canada would be ready to play, the kids would be ready to play even though they're not playing for a country, they still would be amped to play arguably the greatest team on the planet.

 

[Past Considerations]

NHL thought Team NA would be bad. It seems like it was setup for CAN,USA and RUS, SWE

Indeed and not just NHL thought so. I can't believe I'm kind of defending NHL in this, but OP seems to think that NHL has obtained a time machine.

 

[CrypTic]

I really don't understand why the teams didn't just play the teams in the other pool for exhibition.

I would have liked that as well. It would have let fans see their team play all but one other team in the tournament. Or make the pre-tournament where each team plays every other team in the other pool.

I think they wanted to make sure that they had three games of Canada vs USA for US ratings. They probably also wanted three games of Finland vs Sweden for that rivalry as well.

Russia played Czechia twice and Team NA played Team Europe twice (i.e., cross pool). If they wanted to keep the format of each team in the pre-tournament playing another team twice, they could have had Team Canada play Team NA for its third game, the USA playing Russia for its third game, Sweden playing Europe for its third game (which they did), and Finland playing Czechia. NA and Europe could have still played each other twice with Team NA playing Canada once and Team Europe playing Sweden once. Team Russia could play Czechia twice and USA once and Czechia play Finland once. There are other workable combos if they wanted to keep all teams playing one other team twice. Or they could have let Team NA, Team Europe, Team Russia, and Team Czechia play other teams only once in the pre-tournament. But I think many fans would have liked to have seen Team Canada play Team NA in the pre-tournament.

 

[Soundwave]

I would have liked that as well. It would have let fans see their team play all but one other team in the tournament. Or make the pre-tournament where each team plays every other team in the other pool.

I think they wanted to make sure that they had three games of Canada vs USA for US ratings. They probably also wanted three games of Finland vs Sweden for that rivalry as well.

Russia played Czechia twice and Team NA played Team Europe twice (i.e., cross pool). If they wanted to keep the format of each team in the pre-tournament playing another team twice, they could have had Team Canada play Team NA for its third game, the USA playing Russia for its third game, Sweden playing Europe for its third game (which they did), and Finland playing Czechia. NA and Europe could have still played each other twice with Team NA playing Canada once and Team Europe playing Sweden once. Team Russia could play Czechia twice and USA once and Czechia play Finland once. There are other workable combos if they wanted to keep all teams playing one other team twice. Or they could have let Team NA, Team Europe, Team Russia, and Team Czechia play other teams only once in the pre-tournament. But I think many fans would have liked to have seen Team Canada play Team NA in the pre-tournament.

Ding, ding, ding.

We have a winner.

 

[John Eichel da GOAT]

Team na sholdve won 3 to gusrentee their spot, but the NHL did fail in not having 3/4 teams in each bracket making the playoffs with the top seed earning a bye.

 

[Soundwave]

I really think the NHL's extent of thought put into this entire event was basically this:

"We want to have a Canada Vs. USA tournament! And lets hope to gawd USA wins, maybe ESPN will give us a marketing deal"

"Yeah but what about the other teams?"

"Ah you know, just call up like Russia, Sweden, Finland, we'll get rid of those Euro countries no one watches with a ... I got it ... a Kid Team. Yeah just get that McDavid kid and and few others, that should be alright. And we'll do a Euro team"

And that's basically the extent of their thought process.

It never dawned on them that a Team NA-Canada match-up would be something that would be incredibly entertaining.

"People love this 'skilled hockey' thing with fast skating, it's all over the Facebook and Instagram! We need to get on that stat!! Who knew?!".

 

[Kirk Mclean]

I'm actually really glad the NA vs Canada matchup isnt going to happen, wouldve looked ridiculous imo.

 

[CantHaveTkachev]

I'm actually really glad the NA vs Canada matchup isnt going to happen, wouldve looked ridiculous imo.

so is calling this a "World Cup" that's never been played outside North America and is seems to randomly come and go every 8 to 12 years

 

[ulvvf]

I pity the people that couldn't get past NA being a "gimmick" team, I really do. They let jingoism get in the way of enjoying some of the fastest hockey I've ever seen. Selanne said he thought it was the fastest team ever assembled, and I'd have to agree.

Here is a sport I think you would enjoy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SSmwi9IAtEA

 

[Soundwave]

Here is a sport I think you would enjoy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SSmwi9IAtEA

That is more exciting than clutch and grab hockey where someone who's 5x more talented is brought down to the level of a random scrub.

 

[Icarium]

You do realize that casual hockey fans are nowhere near as obsessed with young promising players as the average poster on this forum? The idea that Canada vs Team NA would be some glorious marketing opportunity sounds very dubious to me.

Personally, I loved the way Team NA played but Russia - Canada is a far more exciting prospect for a semi than Canada - Canada B/USA B.

 

[Soundwave]

You do realize that casual hockey fans are nowhere near as obsessed with young promising players as the average poster on this forum? The idea that Canada vs Team NA would be some glorious marketing opportunity sounds very dubious to me.

Personally, I loved the way Team NA played but Russia - Canada is a far more exciting prospect for a semi than Canada - Canada B/USA B.

More likely -- in 4-5 years no one will remember anything from this tournament but Team NA. And if they had played Canada, that would've been a game IMO that would've been talked about for years.

Too bad.

No one is saying gift Team NA a spot in the semis instead of Russia.

I'm saying they could've really have taken 10 minutes to think about their overall tournament scheduling. We got two Team Euro Vs. Team NA games and one Team NA vs. Czech Republic game.

Couldn't one of those games been Canada/NA? In general I don't like the idea of a tournament like this and having several of the teams never play each other.

What's the point of this if you don't get to see all these different teams play one another. Several people in this thread have suggested IMO far better setups.

 

[CrypTic]

I really think the NHL's extent of thought put into this entire event was basically this:

"We want to have a Canada Vs. USA tournament! And lets hope to gawd USA wins, maybe ESPN will give us a marketing deal"

I'd guess that was a major focus for the NHL but especially for the NHLPA. It's their job to maximize salary/benefits for current players, not to worry much about growing the game. (It's part of a union's duty to its members.) They want to maximize revenues for this tournament because half the NHL money (which includes ticket sales, broadcast $$, and merchandise sales) goes to the players so they'll get more money this year. It will also raise next year's cap, which will help players next year. The NHL needed their approval in order to have this tournament.

That doesn't mean that current revenues weren't the main focus of the NHL too but I think you're ignoring the role of the players' association (and the national hockey federations who also had to be on board).

"Yeah but what about the other teams?"

"Ah you know, just call up like Russia, Sweden, Finland, we'll get rid of those Euro countries no one watches with a ... I got it ... a Kid Team. Yeah just get that McDavid kid and and few others, that should be alright. And we'll do a Euro team"

And that's basically the extent of their thought process.

It never dawned on them that a Team NA-Canada match-up would be something that would be incredibly entertaining.

"People love this 'skilled hockey' thing with fast skating, it's all over the Facebook and Instagram! We need to get on that stat!! Who knew?!".

They wanted Team NA and Team Europe to maximize the number of NHL players in the tournament. Team USA didn't want the kid team (or at least wanted to be able to pick a few young players before Team NA could). The NHL definitely wanted Team NA as a strong team, even if it meant that Team USA would be weaker. They wanted Team Europe so that Kopitar and other NHL players on the team would be able to play in the tournament.

I don't know if they realized how entertaining Team NA would be (or that many ppl in Europe would not be that interested even in games like Sweden vs Finland) but they knew that a strong Team NA would be better than having a team of young leftovers (after Team USA and possibly Team Canada picked). They wanted Team NA to showcase the NHL's young players.

They definitely could have done better but I think there was quite a bit of thought put into the tournament, although there was a much bigger focus on maximizing current/short term profits than on growing the game.

I would have done it differently (in theory) but I don't know the constraints due to the NHLPA, the national federations, ESPN, etc. I wish they would have been more concerned with how it might be received in Europe but maybe the European national teams thought this tournament would be a success in Europe. Or maybe they objected (like Team USA did) but the NHL didn't care as long as they ultimately agreed to what the NHL wanted.

 

[yukoner88]

lol before this tournament started everyone was crapping hard on the idea of NA vs Canada with the argument of "what if McDavid scores the winning goal against Canada"

Now people are complaining cause the match up didn't happen.