World Cup: Make the 4 nations to 8 nations

[PapaQ]

Slovakia, Germany and Switzerland (less so than the previous two) might lag behind.
It all depends though - do the target audience (North America peoples i presume?) want to watch Germany vs. USA, Canada vs. Slovakia, Sweden vs. Switzerland etc.)

 

[ClydeLee]

I don't get how people don't see the point of issue is the euro leagues and nhl schedules just don't line up.

The nhl has to make it 4 teams because if they did expand, you'd have to have all these players from euro leagues 1 month before their playoffs start. It's not the Olympics, something worth caring for.

So why would they do that? They have a tourney that matters. Every year, Going on right now. Maybe the NHL should shift from august-march like everyone else.

 

[BigBadBoar]

The problem is that European leagues stated explicitly they won't take any break because of this tournament. And there currently are only 4 nations which can comfortably build a roster solely of NHL players.

 

[FinPanda]

Just for fun.. not related to topic but Finnish NHL only team

Rantanen - Barkov - Laine
Hintz - Aho - Granlund
Teräväinen - Haula - Maccelli
Kakko - Lundell - Lehkonen
(Luostarinen, Kapanen, Kiviranta, Tolvanen, Puustinen other potential names)

Lindell - Heiskanen
Määttä - Jokiharju
Ristolainen - Mikkola
Hakanpää - Välimäki
(Vaakanainen)

Saros
Luukkonen
Lankinen
(Kähkönen, Husso)

 

[EK47]

Just for fun.. not related to topic but Finnish NHL only team

Rantanen - Barkov - Laine
Hintz - Aho - Granlund
Teräväinen - Haula - Maccelli
Kakko - Lundell - Lehkonen
(Luostarinen, Kapanen, Kiviranta, Tolvanen, Puustinen other potential names)

Lindell - Heiskanen
Määttä - Jokiharju
Ristolainen - Mikkola
Hakanpää - Välimäki
(Vaakanainen)

Saros
Luukkonen
Lankinen
(Kähkönen, Husso)

I would argue Edge Finland > Sweden, depth Sweden > Finland. These games are gonna be fun!

I would probably run Barkov, Aho, Hintz and let Haula have the fourth line as it increases the depth without loosing any edge IMO.

 

[FinPanda]

I would argue Edge Finland > Sweden, depth Sweden > Finland. Theese games are gonna be fun!

I would probably run Barkov, Aho, Hintz and let Haula have the fourth line as it increases the depth without loosing any edge IMO.

Yeah it was kind of hard to pick 3rd and 4th line lol, we have some good options

 

[EK47]

Yeah it was kind of hard to pick 3rd and 4th line lol, we have some good options

I misspelled these, had to go back and correct it. Will not comment further on this issue as we will drift too far off topic and the posts will be removed
Have a good night!

 

[BMacLeafs]

If Czechia can ice a full team of NHL players and ROC gets allowed back into the sport, add those 2, plust NAU23 and rest of Europe and u will have a great best-on-best tournament. 8 years and counting since the last 1

 

[Old Man Jags]

Just as simple as that, no repercussions, just hop back in huh

You obviously didn’t understand what I meant at all. As long as they have not withdrawn from occupied Ukrainian soil, they cannot come back in. They will never withdraw from the regions they have occupied and declared part of Russia, so…

 

[LTIR]

You obviously didn’t understand what I meant at all. As long as they have not withdrawn from occupied Ukrainian soil, they cannot come back in. They will never withdraw from the regions they have occupied and declared part of Russia, so…

What does this have to do with hockey?
By this invasion logic USA team should not be in this tournament either. Mother of all invaders and arms suppliers.

 

[kabidjan18]

If Czechia can ice a full team of NHL players and ROC gets allowed back into the sport, add those 2, plust NAU23 and rest of Europe and u will have a great best-on-best tournament. 8 years and counting since the last 1

I think the wide consensus was that the two fake teams were not a good idea. The Europe team essentially spoiled the commercial value of the tournament. They knocked out the teams with actual fanbases, and they themselves did not have any fanbase. It would be like Arizona winning the Stanley Cup. And NA23, while being incredibly fun to watch, was extremely detrimental to Team USA, which is one of the largest markets. Players that would have been extremely valuable contributors on Team USA were siphoned off, leading to a disappointing performance by Team USA. So unquestionably, I think bringing back the fake teams would be a horrible idea.

If you absolutely refuse to include Slovakia, Switzerland, Germany, I think it is better to go with 6 teams than to have 2 madeup teams.

 

[Old Man Jags]

What does this have to do with hockey?
By this invasion logic USA team should not be in this tournament either. Mother of all invaders and arms suppliers.

Not true. The list of Russia's proxy wars is endless, for example Syria where they destroyed entire cities (it's just that it's fashionable to hate the US, without actually paying any attention to what others do). Yet Russia was not excluded from anything for Syria, because there is a huge difference to actually incorporating whole chunks of a recently invaded country into yours and trying to make it cease to exist. For similar reasons Yugoslavia / Serbia was excluded from the 1992 Euros. Makes total sense to me.

If Czechia can ice a full team of NHL players and ROC gets allowed back into the sport, add those 2, plust NAU23 and rest of Europe and u will have a great best-on-best tournament. 8 years and counting since the last 1

Not quite best on best though if you fully exclude non-NHL players. Many top Europeans play in Europe while no top Canadians or Americans do. Still would be a fun tournament to watch with reasonably close to best on best action.

 

[Garl]

Funny how some people are trying to be "not like other americans" and fight against american chauvinism and ignorance and they end up spreading american chauvinism and ignorance.

The "all wars are the same trope" is a very good example

 

[weklof]

Well, if I was in charge, I'd increase it to 12 nations. I think all teams can be somewhat competitve

Based on current world rankings (RUS excluded):
Canada
Finland
United States
Sweden
Switzerland
Germany
Czechia
Slovakia
Latvia (Silovs, Blueger etc)
Denmark (Andersen, Ehlers, Bjorkstrnad)
Norway (Zuccarello + prospects like Solberg and Brandsegg-Nygård)
Austria (many upcoming NHLers Rossi, Kasper, Reinbacher etc)

2 groups of 6, top 4 to quarters.

Canada
United States
Czechia
Slovakia
Latvia
Austria

Finland
Sweden
Germany
Switzerland
Denmark
Norway


But of course, I'd didn't have it invite only as in the do. Play the tournament every four years, in between the Olympics. In the year between Olympics and World Cup, hold qualification tournaments like they have for the Olympics



But this will never happen, NHL does not want to grow the game internationally. They want market the NHL so have no desire to work with the IIHF and other leagues around the world

 

[mattihp]

I for one wish Finland wouldn't participate in this gimmick of a tournament.

 

[Edenjung]

Silly rule

Dude, the other leagues have their schedules. They won't stop just because the NHL wants them to stop.
For example the DEL is in the most heated phase before the Playoffs at that time and teams don't want to loose their players because of such nonsense. In addition they would, rightfully so, demand monetary compensation, because they loose money without the gate revenue.
And to end things the leagues don't gain anything, because the games would be in NA and thus no real coverage in their home markets. This does not benefit the national organisations and leagues at all. They loose.
The current system is way better for the other leagues/teams/countries. They play their schedule. Go to the world cup in may and the players join during the olympics.
A bs competition like this does not make sense, maybe only to the NHL. But overall its a gimmick and will mostly be ignored outside NA.

The NHL should just let their players join for olympia. If they want other teams for their cup, then they would have to pay the leagues money. The whole hockey world does not revolve around the NHL and they have to make compromises if they want others to cooperate with them.

 

[Old Man Jags]

If the top euro players ain’t in the nhl, then they’re not the best. At least according to the NHL, who is allowing this to happen.

To be fair, of course the majority of top Euro players are in the NHL and not in Europe. But to put together the strongest team, Europeans teams call up a lot of Europe-based players while choosing to leave plenty of their NHL players at home. So no Euro team can put together their strongest team as they see it on the basis of NHL players alone.

The problem is that European leagues stated explicitly they won't take any break because of this tournament. And there currently are only 4 nations which can comfortably build a roster solely of NHL players.

Fair point.

 

[torero]

I don't know how many it should be ... Russia is still here as well. But not for the time being.

Then, internationalisation of sport has made it attractive as well. And the whole world goes and plays in the best league in the world !! (NHL ... obviously)

Having ice at home naturally in winter is becoming more rare (because of the changing climate) and the creation of inside rinks is multiplying !! ( even in the Arabian states they have ice rinks) ... since it is a spectacular sport ... public traction is gaining. With all the movements adjusting to this (Canadians going abroad ... even excellent players ... to finish a professional life in a more cozy environment ... and hungry foreigners selling their mother to practice in Canada ... )

Long story short ... nations are catching up on other nations with a shrinking of differences. Expect the same than in soccer. Brasil is still Brasil ... but the World cups are much more disputed. So a 4 best nations ... Brasil Italy France and England (for exemple) doesn't hold so much anymore. the lign is much more blured.

 

[GKJ]

To be fair, of course the majority of top Euro players are in the NHL and not in Europe. But to put together the strongest team, Europeans teams call up a lot of Europe-based players while choosing to leave plenty of their NHL players at home. So no Euro team can put together their strongest team as they see it on the basis of NHL players alone.


Fair point.

Then, for the NHL’s purposes, they are not good enough to be in this tournament.

 

[swissdude]

Then, for the NHL’s purposes, they are not good enough to be in this tournament.

ignorance is bliss

 

[Old Man Jags]

Then, for the NHL’s purposes, they are not good enough to be in this tournament.

So the NHL knows better than the national coaches of each team what combination of players makes the strongest team that they coach. OK then.

 

[GKJ]

So the NHL knows better than the national coaches of each team what combination of players makes the strongest team that they coach. OK then.

For an NHL tournament, yes. You want an IIHF tournament, that’s not what this is. This is evidently an arduous process given how long it’s taken, the NHL has no interest servicing European veterans who failed to make one of the roughly 800 roster spots the league has available.

 

[Dofs]

There are Olympics next year anyway, so let NHL do they NHL tournament how they want.

 

[Edenjung]

Oh thats why they do this.
To take away from the winter olympics tournament to have people watch them and not the olympic tournament.
Should have just allowed their players to join instead of behaving like sore losers.

 

[mattihp]

Finland had to call up Aki Berg IIRC when Karalahti was not allowed in 2004. Karalahti was suspended from the NHL when he wasn't offered an option to a very christian substance abuse program.

Quite a long distance in talent between those too guys.

Edit: it was a wildly inconsistant qnd slumping Niinimaa.