Do you wish that your nations NHL players don't make it far in the play-offs...

[FiLe]

And you think European media don't cover their OWN leagues the same way? I was talking about coverage of a far-away league, like the NHL from a European perspective.

Yeah. Whenever applicable, every newspiece, in all fields, is written in a manner that the primary audience can relate to it. The best way to relate to a foreign sports league is to do it via familiar players.

The same is not obviously necessary with a domestic league, because the league itself is familiar.

 

[Cowboy Dan]

Chalk me up as another person who doesn't watch or care about the World Championships. What is the point if the best players in the World aren't playing? I've never understood how people don't see that, but to each their own.

As for this, which I was somewhat unaware of...

On the other hand Canadians don't belive us that many hockey fans here don't care about NHL and that BIG 4 (Gretzky, Orr, Howe and Lemieux) are not universaly considered 4 best players ever here

That is just being ignorant to the history of the game. That's like saying I think Jaime Moreno or Landon Donovan are the best soccer players ever because I only watch the MLS.

 

[llwyd]

I know, of all the tournament on the calendar, this is the one I care about least - and by a wide margin. However, I get the impression that European posters don't believe / understand how little Canadians care.

Really? I thought it was the other way round in that many or most Canadians simply can't believe that many or most Europeans both well know that it's not best-on-best and still do care...

Anyway, for my part, I'm usually more interested in which teams won't make the playoffs at all, and have also some interest if some interesting teams will have an early and quick exit in the first round. After that it usually gets quite iffy whether it really helps the team or not to have late arrivals.

 

[WinTheRightGames]

If I had to choose between a Finnish player winning the Stanley Cup and team Finland winning the world championship, I'd choose the world championship 99 times out of 100. I could consider trading the gold for a chance to see Saku Koivu lift the cup.

 

[Theokritos]

Chalk me up as another person who doesn't watch or care about the World Championships. What is the point if the best players in the World aren't playing? I've never understood how people don't see that, but to each their own.

Try to see it from the perspective Europeans see it & have to see it. Imagine the best Canadians and Americans played in a far-away league for clubs that mean little to you. You'd hardly ever get to see Crosby, Stamkos, Weber, Kane, Quick etc in action if you're not an extremely determined fan, staying up all night long and the like. Now fans in that far-away country would obviously follow their superior league more than anything else and consider their championship the most important thing in the world, naturally and reasonably. But you? Wouldn't you prefer an annual occasion to see your beloved players in an international tournament right on your doorstep? Okay, Crosby is not there this year, but Tavares and Bergeron are, together with Doughty. And Team USA comes with Kessel and Suter. Wouldn't this annual tournament mean more to you than the fortunes of the Tokyo Katanas overseas, even though Crosby plays over there in the playoffs?

 

[Here we go Boys]

No, I don't care about the World Championships the Playoffs are what I wait all season for. In the spring my interests go as follows,

Stanley Cup Playoffs

Memorial Cup/WHL playoffs










World Championship

 

[ForumNamePending]

I know, of all the tournament on the calendar, this is the one I care about least - and by a wide margin. However, I get the impression that European posters don't believe / understand how little Canadians care.

I think Europeans, at least ones who post on this board, understand loud and clear how little Canadians care about the WC. How could they not when at every opportunity plenty of Canadian (NA) posters feel the need to not only tell anyone who will listen how little they care about it but also state their befuddlement over the fact that others are interested in it... How can someone value something that I don't value!!!

 

[Cowboy Dan]

Try to see it from the perspective Europeans see it & have to see it. Imagine the best Canadians and Americans played in a far-away league for clubs that mean little to you. You'd hardly ever get to see Crosby, Stamkos, Weber, Kane, Quick etc in action if you're not an extremely determined fan, staying up all night long and the like. Now fans in that far-away country would obviously follow their superior league more than anything else and consider their championship the most important thing in the world, naturally and reasonably. But you? Wouldn't you prefer an annual occasion to see your beloved players in an international tournament right on your doorstep? Okay, Crosby is not there this year, but Tavares and Bergeron are, together with Doughty. And Team USA comes with Kessel and Suter. Wouldn't this annual tournament mean more to you than the fortunes of the Tokyo Katanas overseas, even though Crosby plays over there in the playoffs?

It might mean more to me, but I'd recognize that it is a lower-tier tournament, and that on an international scale it means very little.

To make the soccer comparison again, it's like us North American fans getting excited for something like the Gold Cup, because it's players we get to see more often.

 

[Drake1588]

I think the best way to frame it is that the WHCs are for Europeans, by Europeans, always* held in Europe, and timed to coincide with European league schedules, directly competing with North American pro-level playoff scheduling. It's a European tournament, and I'm only a little surprised they keep up the pretense of calling it a world championship. It's a European championship, and it doesn't really have anything to do with North American hockey, whose countries do send teams, but clearly are just going through the motions when they do so... but you know what? That's alright.

It's not best on best, but it's a chance for European audiences to watch some pretty strong high-level hockey, held in Central European Time. We saw in North America how hard it was to follow the Sochi Olympics in real time and hold a normal job. It's no easier the other way around.

This is their chance once a year to see some national teams hockey, and in that mix is sprinkled some of the home-grown stars who so rarely get to play in front of European audiences.

For North Americans, of course, the fact that it is so rarely held here and there is no allowance for NHL participation because of scheduling means that we write it off, and thus do not have strong feelings about our Canadian and American players, NHL playoff prospects, and WHC participation.

---

* Since 1920, it's been held in North America four times by my reckoning, once by Canada (2008) and three times by the USA (but not since 1962). See below for a full list.

IIHF WHC Host Countries

1920, Belgium
1924, France
1928, Switzerland
1930, France, Germany & Austria
1931, Poland
1932, United States
1933, Czechoslovakia
1934, Italy
1935, Switzerland
1936, Germany
1937, Great Britain
1938, Czechoslovakia
1939, Switzerland
1947, Czechoslovakia
1948, Switzerland
1949, Sweden
1950, Great Britain
1951, France
1952, Norway
1953, Switzerland
1954, Sweden
1955, West Germany
1956, Italy
1957, Soviet Union
1958, Norway
1959, Czechoslovakia
1960, United States
1961, Switzerland
1962, United States
1963, Sweden
1964, Austria
1965, Finland
1966, Yugoslavia
1967, Austria
1968, France
1969, Sweden
1970, Sweden
1971, Switzerland
1972, Czechoslovakia
1973, Soviet Union
1974, Finland
1975, West Germany
1976, Poland
1977, Austria
1978, Czechoslovakia
1979, Soviet Union
1981, Sweden
1982, Finland
1983, West Germany
1985, Czechoslovakia
1986, Soviet Union
1987, Austria
1989, Sweden
1990, Switzerland
1991, Finland
1992, Czechoslovakia
1993, Germany
1994, Italy
1995, Sweden
1996, Austria
1997, Finland
1998, Switzerland
1999, Norway
2000, Russia
2001, Germany
2002, Sweden
2003, Finland
2004, Czech Republic
2005, Austria
2006, Latvia
2007, Russia
2008, Canada
2009, Switzerland
2010, Germany
2011, Slovakia
2012, Finland and Sweden
2013, Sweden and Finland

2014, Belarus
2015, Czech Republic
2016, Russia
2017, Germany & France

 

[Xokkeu]

How can someone value something that I don't value!!!

I constantly wonder the same thing about the Stanley Cup.

 

[Xokkeu]

I think the best way to frame it is that the WHCs are for Europeans, by Europeans, always* held in Europe, and timed to coincide with European league schedules, directly competing with North American pro-level playoff scheduling. It's a European tournament, and I'm only a little surprised they keep up the pretense of calling it a world championship. It's a European championship, and it doesn't really have anything to do with North American hockey, whose countries do send teams, but clearly are just going through the motions when they do so... but you know what? That's alright.

It's not best on best, but it's a chance for European audiences to watch some pretty strong high-level hockey, held in Central European Time. We saw in North America how hard it was to follow the Sochi Olympics in real time and hold a normal job. It's no easier the other way around.

This is their chance once a year to see some national teams hockey, and in that mix is sprinkled some of the home-grown stars who so rarely get to play in front of European audiences.

For North Americans, of course, the fact that it is so rarely held here and there is no allowance for NHL participation because of scheduling means that we write it off, and thus do not have strong feelings about our Canadian and American players, NHL playoff prospects, and WHC participation.

---

* Since 1920, it's been held in North America four times by my reckoning, once by Canada (2008) and three times by the USA (but not since 1962). See below for a full list.

IIHF WHC Host Countries

1920, Belgium
1924, France
1928, Switzerland
1930, France, Germany & Austria
1931, Poland
1932, United States
1933, Czechoslovakia
1934, Italy
1935, Switzerland
1936, Germany
1937, Great Britain
1938, Czechoslovakia
1939, Switzerland
1947, Czechoslovakia
1948, Switzerland
1949, Sweden
1950, Great Britain
1951, France
1952, Norway
1953, Switzerland
1954, Sweden
1955, West Germany
1956, Italy
1957, Soviet Union
1958, Norway
1959, Czechoslovakia
1960, United States
1961, Switzerland
1962, United States
1963, Sweden
1964, Austria
1965, Finland
1966, Yugoslavia
1967, Austria
1968, France
1969, Sweden
1970, Sweden
1971, Switzerland
1972, Czechoslovakia
1973, Soviet Union
1974, Finland
1975, West Germany
1976, Poland
1977, Austria
1978, Czechoslovakia
1979, Soviet Union
1981, Sweden
1982, Finland
1983, West Germany
1985, Czechoslovakia
1986, Soviet Union
1987, Austria
1989, Sweden
1990, Switzerland
1991, Finland
1992, Czechoslovakia
1993, Germany
1994, Italy
1995, Sweden
1996, Austria
1997, Finland
1998, Switzerland
1999, Norway
2000, Russia
2001, Germany
2002, Sweden
2003, Finland
2004, Czech Republic
2005, Austria
2006, Latvia
2007, Russia
2008, Canada
2009, Switzerland
2010, Germany
2011, Slovakia
2012, Finland and Sweden
2013, Sweden and Finland

2014, Belarus
2015, Czech Republic
2016, Russia
2017, Germany & France

Maybe you realized this or not, but it should be clarified that the 1960 and 1932 "World Championships" that the US hosted were the Olympics.

The US only hosted in 1962. Actually an interesting tournament with the USSR boycotting and being the first ever true IIHF World Championship being held in North America.

 

[Theokritos]

It's a European tournament, and I'm only a little surprised they keep up the pretense of calling it a world championship.

Solid post overall. But why surprised? As long as Canada and the USA participate (and they are both medal contenders, Canada is even more than that time and time again) there's no point in calling it European Championship.

 

[Xokkeu]

Solid post overall. But why surprised? As long as Canada and the USA participate (and they are both medal contenders, Canada is even more than that time and time again) there's no point in calling it European Championship.

It's not just that, unlike say, the world cup, all the nations of the world who play hockey, are involved in the World Championships. South Korea and Japan are one division below the top. Australia, Israel, New Zealand, China, Mexico, South Africa, North Korea and the UAE all compete at various levels of the World Championships.

 

[Hammer Time]

I definitely don't. Obviously most Europeans will disagree, but the Stanley Cup is the #1 spring tournament in Canada. Besides, Canada is usually strong enough to put together a competitive team even without its best NHLers.

 

[Dosing]

I don't want detroit to be eliminated for the sake of the WHC. But we can win the WHC without the redwings so empty statement though

 

[Franck]

I don't want detroit to be eliminated for the sake of the WHC. But we can win the WHC without the redwings so empty statement though

I don't think many of the Wings would accept an invite this year anyway. I could see Nyquist going, maybe Kronwall, but not really anyone else.

 

[Coaster]

I'd rather have my favorite Finnish players hoist the Stanley Cup. WC is a worthless tournament, played during the worst possible time, usually for an empty seated arena if the host nation is not playing. And like some people here already pointed out, it's mostly a euro tournament.

I think it's a complete joke how overrated that tournament is here. The highlights video of our 2011 victory has almost 2 million views on Youtube.

 

[WinTheRightGames]

I'd rather have my favorite Finnish players hoist the Stanley Cup. WC is a worthless tournament, played during the worst possible time, usually for an empty seated arena if the host nation is not playing. And like some people here already pointed out, it's mostly a euro tournament.

I think it's a complete joke how overrated that tournament is here. The highlights video of our 2011 victory has almost 2 million views on Youtube.

Why do you care that the majority likes something that you don't?

 

[llwyd]

I think it's a complete joke how overrated that tournament is here. The highlights video of our 2011 victory has almost 2 million views on Youtube.

There just is no objective way to measure these things. Why should I care about the Stanley Cup when I just don't? Much. Obviously there are a couple of players, well, at the moment pretty much only one, who I would see rather win the cup, but otherwise the WHC is just much more interesting. Yeah, it's not the best players there but that's actually a part of the fascination - you never know how the teams will gel (well, Finland will, but otherwise...), and it seems that year by year the some of the lower tier teams are actually inching their way up, and the whole tournament is, well, like fun. So, shoot me.

 

[Urbanskog]

I love how some people here think that the players who play in the World Championship are complete amateurs.

 

[EbencoyE]

Not really. I prefer having a set roster as early as possible and not disrupting chemistry by bringing in new guys. It's not like any big name stars are going to go anyway, so I don't think it would help us much. I'm fine with picking the entire roster from players who don't go to the playoffs at all.

 

[EbencoyE]

It's not just that, unlike say, the world cup, all the nations of the world who play hockey, are involved in the World Championships. South Korea and Japan are one division below the top. Australia, Israel, New Zealand, China, Mexico, South Africa, North Korea and the UAE all compete at various levels of the World Championships.

And Hong Kong this year. (Possibly Mongolia as well? Can't remember if they are playing or not) Chinese Taipei (back-to-back Asian Challenge Cup winners) also have a pretty good team but for some reason never play at the senior worlds, just the juniors.

Kazakhstan, while they often compete in European events, is technically an Asian nation as well.

 

[EbencoyE]

What is the point if the best players in the World aren't playing? I've never understood how people don't see that, but to each their own.

And I can't process why people are incapable of enjoying hockey just because not all of the best players are playing either. I guess they don't enjoy the Stanley Cup since a lot of very good players don't even make the playoffs? *shrug* It's a tournament about depth, not the top talent of every nation, we get that. Why on earth would that stop someone from enjoying the tournament?

 

[Theokritos]

It might mean more to me, but I'd recognize that it is a lower-tier tournament, and that on an international scale it means very little.

To make the soccer comparison again, it's like us North American fans getting excited for something like the Gold Cup, because it's players we get to see more often.

If you truly believe the Gold Cup is on par with the IIHF World Championship in terms of quality level and international relevance, then I don't know what to say.

 

[Mr Kanadensisk]

I would probably take the WC more seriously if the players did, but even loads of Euro players decline to go these days, plus so many empty arenas. I think that even in Europe this tournament has lost a lot of its lustre.