While I don't see any evidence to back your claim that the USA is No. 2, the discussion as a whole shows why the whole concept of a World Cup is incredibly boring. When you consider that the games would be played in front of Canadian fans at Canadian rinks with Canadian refs, while the rest of the World clearly lacks the hockey apparatus to produce high quality players, you could literally publish the outcome of the tournament a month before it happened. It would be a Canadian coronation, and the rest of the teams would just be serving out the time and finishing up the games.
Some of your points here are valid but I don't buy that a tournament like this would be a coronation for Canada at all, several teams could possibly win this but if Canada did win it would be because the other teams were just not good enough to win it and you cannot stop holding tournaments because of that .It is up to the countries involved to improve to the point where they can win world tournaments, not Canada's.
Just because Canada would be the favourite in a best on best tournament in Canada is no reason to stop holding them there, let's face facts, Canada would be the favourite going in a best on best tournament held anywhere, not just Canada.
There is very little imagination or thirst for adventure amongst so many of the European fans . Having a world class tournament on small ice and in the motherland of hockey which provides for a very different and interesting contrast in international hockey styles should be looked on as a great challenge/opportunity/honour amongst European fans.
Sadly, the fear of failure seems to be the main reason they do not want it and cannot see the value in it.
But so many of you think you are beaten before you even begin.
International hockey and dare i say the game of hockey itself will never get out of it's world niche sport status with this kind of exclusionary and unimaginative thinking.We cannot build any global excitement about the game this way.
A regular best on best tournament in Canada using the NHL style and a best on best tournament in Europe using the european style should be worked towards as a means of establishing a new tradition in the global game that will increase tradition and excitement.
The rigidity in hockey fans thinking is keeping this game from growing.We just cannot build a "wimbledon" type historical tradition globally in hockey for several reasons, fans attitude being one of the reasons. In this line of thinking, they would refuse to play wimbledon unless it is moved around from country to country and played on ashphalt and clay in rotating years.
Attitudes and unwillingness to change of the fans and the bottom lines of leagues like the NHL and KHL that prevents them from co-operating and trying new things are holding the game back.
