Around the League - 2022-23 Season Edition

[Jojalu]

Team Europe? After the failed experiment with those gimmicky teams in 2016 I doubt they will do that again.

Failed experiment?

Team Europe was in the finals and the Young Guns NA team was the most exciting by far

 

[MSZ]

Failed experiment?

Team Europe was in the finals and the Young Guns NA team was the most exciting by far

Let's ask half of the PA members(which happened to be Europeans) to approve a world cup plan that includes a Team Europe. Good luck with that.

 

[LeafalCrusader]

Failed experiment?

Team Europe was in the finals and the Young Guns NA team was the most exciting by far

The tournament was a joke. No gimmick teams.

 

[Jojalu]

Let's ask half of the PA members(which happened to be Europeans) to approve a world cup plan that includes a Team Europe. Good luck with that.

Hockey is nowhere near as popular as soccer, and almost each European country could field a legitimate contender.

You can't say the same for hockey.

 

[BTP]

So will our final game against Tampa in April have any meaning? That game better be meaningless.

Failed experiment?

Team Europe was in the finals and the Young Guns NA team was the most exciting by far

Team Canada wasn't allowed to have friggin Connor McDavid. It was a gimmick.

 

[Jojalu]

The tournament was a joke. No gimmick teams.

To each their own.

I had zero issue watching the European and North American team.

Sports is entertainment and both teams provided just that

 

[MCR74]

And no one can touch the Golden boy?

Bullshit hit. Any other guy does that they're at least getting in a scrum.

The day this happens to McDavid, I'll have no sympathy.

 

[Superstar]

Two game suspension??

He's not a Leaf, so nothing!

 

[Phion Keneuf]

If that was Matthews 4 game suspension

 

[Jojalu]

If that was Matthews 4 game suspension

I mean the video pretty much speaks for itself. Horrible hit.

He should probably get a game or 2.

 

[Arzak]

Hockey is nowhere near as popular as soccer, and almost each European country could field a legitimate contender.

You can't say the same for hockey.

I mean soccer is popular here, but I can tell you that number one sport in Finland, Sweden,Czechia, Slovakia, Switzerland, Denmark and Norway at least is hockey, not soccer.

Putting on half decent national football team? sure, but legit contender? No way.

 

[ACC1224]

To each their own.

I had zero issue watching the European and North American team.

Sports is entertainment and both teams provided just that

Entertaining for sure but it shouldn’t be considered a World Cup.

 

[willmma]

So Florida is threatening to overtake Pittsburgh. Interesting.

 

[Arzak]

So Florida is threatening to overtake Pittsburgh. Interesting.

More like Pittsburgh knows its a waste of 8 days ...

Looks less likely Bruins will play Islanders

 

[ULF_55]

Entertaining for sure but it shouldn’t be considered a World Cup.

Astros won the World Series in 2022?

 

[ACC1224]

Astros won the World Series in 2022?

Are you implying the Stanley Cup should be known as The World Cup?

 

[ULF_55]

Are you implying the Stanley Cup should be known as The World Cup?

MLB doesn't have a "World" Series ...

 

[BertCorbeau]

Have both Crosby and Ovi ever missed the playoffs in the same season?

Crazy that their era as it an end.

 

[htpwn]

The NHL is not going to pass over studs, stars, and popular names like Draisaitl, Stutzle, Hischier, Fiala, Kopitar, Zuccarello, Josi, etc., but they also have no business or interest expanding to Olympic or IIHF sized tournaments.
6-8 teams, no more. Smaller countries can group together for representation. And if Russia isn't going to represent themselves (for clear reasons), a Team Europe can take on a couple of the Panarins who are willing to play without giving the Russia Federation the satisfaction.


I'd also argue it wasn't a failed experiment at all.
While a little gimmicky, Team NA was pretty fun to watch and their merch sold like mad, and both teams were competitive (Team Europe finishing second)

I was skeptical of "Team North America" at the time but I agree it turned out great in hindsight. I wouldn't mind seeing another version of a young guns team.

The problem with Team Europe is, I think, twofold:

First of all, I wonder how comfortable other European nations will be in having Russian players grouped under the "Europe" name when Russia as a state is openly and violently going against everything that Europe has built since 1945. Especially given that any "Team Europe" is going to be dominated by Russian players. Maybe a Team Europe in blue-and-yellow, which are coincidentally both the colours of Ukraine and the European Union, could work?

Second, from a marketing point-of-view, I think the NHL should want a Team Germany involved. It is a huge market of 80 million and hockey already has a foothold there. But if they give a team to Germany, then higher-ranked teams like Switzerland and Slovakia, will justifiably ask why they are not included as well. Including all these lower ranked countries, though, means that "Team Europe" or whatever the neutral team is called will essentially consist of Kopitar + Zuccarello + Team Russia, which isn't ideal.

Whatever the NHL's decision, I really hope we see a longer term strategy. The occasional, irregular World Cup has little meaning and does little to grow the game. The NHL either needs to commit to regular World Cups, with established processes about who gets to host and which teams get to participate, or it just needs to go back to outsourcing that aspect to the IOC/IIHF. Bettman poured hundreds of millions to establish the NHL in the American South, but his approach to international best-on-best over the past decade has been a debacle. Short-term greed at the expense of the long-term good of the game.

 

[BallardEra]

Have both Crosby and Ovi ever missed the playoffs in the same season?

Crazy that their era as it an end.

Maybe in their rookie seasons.

 

[notDatsyuk]

Talking about Jack Edwards? Yeah he and that broadcast crew are on another level of homer-ism and he personally is going the way of Don Cherry in terms of off the collar commentary.

Jack Edwards makes Don Cherry sound like a reasonable, understated commentator

 

[Tufted Titmouse]

What if instead of a World Cup, we did a "Super 8 League". Every 4 years there would be a small tournament with the top 6 ranked nations, best on best. Two divisions, top 2 teams from each move on to single game elimination in the semis.

1. Canada
2. Finland
3. Sweden
4. USA
5. Something Russian

These would be the regulars I am guessing, not often being relegated out. That would leave the following nations to regularly fight for the bottom 3 spots:

6. Slovakia
7. Czechia
8. Germany
9. Switzerland
10. Norway

Each game would be competitive because you avoid laughers against Kazakhstan, France, etc. However, based on relegation and promotion, you still leave room for growing nations to be a part of the tournament in the future.

There would be an added layer of drama with a potential group of death having 3 elite nations but only 2 spots open to move on.

1. Canada
4. USA
6. Slovakia
8. Germany

2. Finland
3. Sweden
5. Something Russian
7. Czechia

 

[notDatsyuk]

Both Ovechkin and McDavid with dangerous hits, but neither is challenged afterwards, and just a single minor penalty called.

League protecting its big names?

 

[Jojalu]

I mean soccer is popular here, but I can tell you that number one sport in Finland, Sweden,Czechia, Slovakia, Switzerland, Denmark and Norway at least is hockey, not soccer.

Putting on half decent national football team? sure, but legit contender? No way.

Slovakia no. In fact probably a slight exaggeration.

Entertaining for sure but it shouldn’t be considered a World Cup.

I can live with that. It was really just a exhibition hockey tournament. Which was exciting.

 

[ACC1224]

I can live with that. It was really just a exhibition hockey tournament. Which was exciting.

100%
Young guns team should only be made up of players who don't make their respective nations.
I enjoyed it last time but would have preferred McDavid and Matthews to play for their countries.