Four Nations Cup

responsible for one of the greatest moments in 3000 years of sports history, but whatevs
Yeah. It's viewed as one of the greatest moments because of how incredibly unlikely it was.

If you were to ask me to pick how to build a roster between the options of the team that won in 1980 or the team that won in 1964, 1968, 1972, 1976, 1984, 1988, and 1992, I know which method I'm taking.

If you want to put this team:
1739215802203.png


up against this team:
1739215866063.png


I am again quite sure which way I am going
 
Lucas Raymond on the 3rd line with Eriksson-Ek and Bratt.

Rickard Rakell–Mika Zibanejad–William Nylander

Adrian Kempe–Elias Pettersson–Filip Forsberg

Jesper Bratt–Joel Eriksson Ek–Lucas Raymond

Gustav Nyquist–Elias Lindholm–Viktor Arvidsson

Leo Carlsson

That third line looks better than the 1st and 2nd to me.
 
Yeah. It's viewed as one of the greatest moments because of how incredibly unlikely it was.

If you were to ask me to pick how to build a roster between the options of the team that won in 1980 or the team that won in 1964, 1968, 1972, 1976, 1984, 1988, and 1992, I know which method I'm taking.

If you want to put this team:
View attachment 975599

up against this team:
View attachment 975600

I am again quite sure which way I am going
irrelevant comparison to the point i'm making. a more accurate hypothetical would be canada's 4 nations roster vs the 2024 florida panthers. not sure who wins that game but i'd have more confidence in the team that just went through hell together for 106 games rather than a couple of practice sessions
 
Last edited:
irrelevant comparison to the point i'm making. a more accurate hypothetical would be canada's 4 nations roster vs the 2024 florida panthers. not sure who wins that game but i'd have more confidence in the team that just went through hell together for 106 games rather than a couple of practice sessions
Yeah, I almost listed them too. I still go with the team stacked with several of the best players of all time.

(Whether or not they put in the effort for this particular tournament is another question)
 
Another tournament I do not support. What other top level sports sports interrupt their season? Hockey should follow soccer and have an every 4 year "World Cup" event. Have it offset soccer and the Olympics and play the tournament in the OFF SEASON. Candidly, I don't even like this idea, but I am trying to compromise here. I wish a few stars, including Larkin and Raymond, would have declined the invite. Bettman thinks he can recreate the summit series or 1980 Olympics. He can't.
Soccer has countless National team breaks over the course of the season as various qualifiying games are being played.
Lots of other sports interrupt their season for World Championships/Olympics/etc. but they probably don't count for you since they're not as big as baseball and american football who no one outside the US cares about.
 
I could get the argument that American football, nobody cares about outside the US, but baseball?! No way, very international sport, just not many care all that much in Europe.
 
Soccer has countless National team breaks over the course of the season as various qualifiying games are being played.
Lots of other sports interrupt their season for World Championships/Olympics/etc. but they probably don't count for you since they're not as big as baseball and american football who no one outside the US cares about.


Lots? You named soccer. Soccer may have other tournaments but most of those national team events are to do what... qualify for the World Cup. This most widely watched sporting event in the world is played once every 4 years. Imitation is the best form of flattery. Copy this!

A 4 team tournament.... it already lacks credibility because Russia isn't playing. The rivalry has the world juniors (awesome). After that the Olympics?! Another mid season break. I don't like it but OK once every 4 years. The summer World Champshizzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz No one cares. So now a mid-season tournament for ____________________ it makes no sense. Let us ban an entire nation from the tournament but not the players from the LEAGUE..... HUH?! I stand by my take.

I would end participating in the Olympics and have an every 4 year world Cup like event for hockey, just offset it by two years from soccer and do it in the offseason. It would be EPIC.

As for soccer, I am a fan. My very part time vacation house neighbor has played in a number of World Cups and has played on a team that won the Euro Championship 3x. Great guy.
 
Looking forward to the tournament. The players want it, the league and countries participating want it, hardly anyone is opting out because the vast majority of players love representing their country and haven't had many opportunities the last decade. Folks wishing Larkin and Raymond had opted out? Lol, they WANT to play, they accept injury risk as part of the deal of being a pro athlete and at the elite level to represent their country and play with guys they might never otherwise play with. You're not going to watch star players having a rare chance to play together because you don't like the idea of it? Lol. People sit through meaningless NHL games the last quarter of the season year after year, but won't watch the tournament because the games are meaningless? Too funny. The long break is intolerable? For the Wings it's only four more days off between games than last year's ASG break. Teams will be back practising before the tournament is over, on Feb. 18 i think.

More and better international competition is coming, thank goodness, and this is just a little preview. It's not meant to decide anything, its only purpose is to provide money-making sports entertainment (the shame!) which for four countries can also be a useful team selection exercise. Four teams is the max for a manageable tournament at this time of year and it is set up well, no games back-to-back, two days off before the final. Not legit without Russia? Every international competition AFAIK excludes Russia for obvious reasons.

NA fans are conditioned by how their college and pro leagues have traditionally been run, fans in other countries are used to their leagues being infringed by secondary season-long team competitions and windows for international tournament games and friendlies that have no bearing on WC qualification other than world rankings. It's a perk, not a burden, to be good enough to qualify for competitions that can make a regular season more difficult. Good players WANT to join those teams. Almost all the major team sports and now more in NA have events outside the regular season schedule. NHL improvement has been driven by more global participation. The tournament even if it is just a one-shot deal is an interesting way of acknowledging that fact and perhaps being a catalyst for more of it. In non-Olympic years I hope the tournament comes back, with Czechia, Slovaka or possibly Russia if things change among the four teams next time round.
 

Ad

Upcoming events

Ad