World Cup: Make the 4 nations to 8 nations

[Eye of Ra]

There is still time to fix this. Fans and media needs to put pressure and start a campaign.

Czechs, Germany, Swiss and Slovaks are good enough.


Germany;

JJ Peterka - Leon Draisaitl - Dominik Kahun
Marc Michaelis - Tim Stützle - Lukas Reichel
Tobias Rieder - Nico Sturm - Wojciech Stachowiak
Leo Pföderl - Marcel Noebels - Yasin Ehliz

Maksymilian Szuber - Moritz Seider
Jonas Müller - Leon Gawanke
Moritz Müller - Kai Wissmann

Philipp Grubauer
Mathias Niederberger


Swiss;

Schmid
Genoni

Josi - Loeffel
Siegenthaler - Kukan
Moser - Glauser

Kurashev - Hischier - Fiala
Meier - Suter - Nino
Andrighetto - Malgin - Thürkauf
Ambühl - Bertschy - Riat


Czechs;

Červenka - Zacha - Pastrňák
Palát - Hertl - Nečas
Kubalík - Chytil - Faksa
Nosek - Kämpf - Lauko

Gudas - Hronek
Kempný - Rutta
Kundratek - Jiracek

Dostal
Vejmelka


Slovakia;

Tatar - Hrivík - Cehlárik
Slafkovský - Ruzica - Pospíšil M.
Pánik - Hudáček - Studenič
Okuliar - Lantoši - Regenda
Keleman, Dano

Marinčin - Nemec
Fehérváry - Cernak
Čerešňák - Koch

Hlavaj, Škorvánek

Click to read more...

 

[Mrb1p]

It should be 9 nations

 

[wmupreds]

As it stands players have to be NHLers so this is a nonstarter unless something changes

 

[Eye of Ra]

It should be 9 nations

Who is nr 9? Latvia?

As it stands players have to be NHLers so this is a nonstarter unless something changes

Silly rule

 

[Old Man Jags]

I get the reasoning for 4 nations and it will be a nice little tournament, but it’s not very conclusive because there are other nations that can win on a good day. The first best-on-best Olympics in Nagano 1998 were won by the Czechs. Everyone thought only the Canadians, Russians or Americans could win it; the Czech beat all three in the knock-out competition.

I get the rationale: overall, those four are the top 4 nations in the world, no question about that, at least over the past 10 years or so. But the four following that quartet are too good to be excluded for a genuine best-on-best. You could legit do this with other sports, for example Floorball, as there are four top nations, then a HUGE drop-off, and then all the others. With ice hockey, I would play 8 nations. And if not 8 than at least 6.

As it stands players have to be NHLers so this is a nonstarter unless something changes

Then it definitely has no right to call itself best on best, if top Euro players are excluded. Many players good enough to be in the NHL play in Europe. Plus, as a matter of playing system, some teams choose many Euros over NHL players - Czechs in 1998 and Finland very often generally. Czechs again this year and others years.

 

[GKJ]

I get the reasoning for 4 nations and it will be a nice little tournament, but it’s not very conclusive because there are other nations that can win on a good day. The first best-on-best Olympics in Nagano 1998 were won by the Czechs. Everyone thought only the Canadians, Russians or Americans could win it; the Czech beat all three in the knock-out competition.

I get the rationale: overall, those four are the top 4 nations in the world, no question about that, at least over the past 10 years or so. But the four following that quartet are too good to be excluded for a genuine best-on-best. You could legit do this with other sports, for example Floorball, as there are four top nations, then a HUGE drop-off, and then all the others. With ice hockey, I would play 8 nations. And if not 8 than at least 6.


Then it definitely has no right to call itself best on best, if top Euro players are excluded. Many players good enough to be in the NHL play in Europe. Plus, as a matter of playing system, some teams choose many Euros over NHL players - Czechs in 1998 and Finland very often generally. Czechs again this year and others years.

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.

 

[beowulf]

Should be a 7 nation army.

 

[Strangle]

It should be 9 nations

We don’t talk about that …. Shhhhhh

Just pretend Russia doesn’t exist

 

[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.

It’s nonsense. Sure, most of the best Euro players are in the NHL but many are not. Plus there is the team system thing, as I said. The Czechs left top NHL players at home in 1998 because certain Euros fit the coach’s system better, and won.

If they bill the tournament as a four nation tournament of a selection of NHL players, great. But don’t for a second start pretending it somehow replaces the World Cup or Canada Cup. Different animal altogether.

We don’t talk about that …. Shhhhhh

Just pretend Russia doesn’t exist

We can solve this one easily. Russia just stops invading its neighbours and they are back in. Simples!

 

[Eye of Ra]

Should be a 7 nation army.

which 7?

 

[beowulf]

which 7?

 

[MrazeksVengeance]

We can solve this one easily. Russia just stops invading its neighbours and they are back in. Simples!

And they’d have to serve a trial period.

 

[Namejs]

A commercially motivated exhibition tournament is just that, it doesn't mean anything.

It's a best-on-best just as much as the champions of the NBA are World Champions in basketball. It's a very insular, North-America-centric take on sports and I couldn't care less about it.

 

[Mrb1p]

It’s nonsense. Sure, most of the best Euro players are in the NHL but many are not. Plus there is the team system thing, as I said. The Czechs left top NHL players at home in 1998 because certain Euros fit the coach’s system better, and won.

If they bill the tournament as a four nation tournament of a selection of NHL players, great. But don’t for a second start pretending it somehow replaces the World Cup or Canada Cup. Different animal altogether.


We can solve this one easily. Russia just stops invading its neighbours and they are back in. Simples!

Gotta only invade by proxy or in the middle east and you good

 

[kabidjan18]

I think they should take a note from the FIFA world cup, which just expanded to 48 teams from 32 teams. The fear is that "oh no what if there will be blowouts."

And? Then there will be blowouts. I don't see the issue.

You grow the sport, grow interest in your league and in your product, by increasing inclusivity and not being exclusive.

Do I have an agenda? Yeah of course, I would love to have a World Cup qualifier tournament, best on best of the mid-majors, that would be a lot of fun. Give us more data points to overanalyze.

And players make prestige, not organizations, so if all the top players are going to the big tournament, and all the top players are going to the quali tournament, than despite his moping now I know @Namejs will be very invested.

As someone who also is pretty invested in the RUS/UKR war, I have some degree of confidence that it will have largely concluded by 2028. I think most projections, even optimistic ones on both sides, suggest that both armies will be running on fumes by EOY 2025.

 

[Czechboy]

It pisses me off... I wont lie. Even with no euros... Czechs are 2 AHL players shy of a full NHL roster... Svozil and Spacek. That's it.

Cervus can stay home and we still have a great forward group. We still have an all NHL roster.. and who knows, maybe 3 of Kral, hovorka, svozil, jiricek and spacek are full time by February. If not.. they are all in AHL.

 

[24 others]

Pity there isn't a well-established, high-profile international tournament that the NHL players, with some scheduling adjustment, could just join.

 

[Garl]

Simpleton political takes are not helpful

 

[Prairie Habs]

A commercially motivated exhibition tournament is just that, it doesn't mean anything.

It's a best-on-best just as much as the champions of the NBA are World Champions in basketball. It's a very insular, North-America-centric take on sports and I couldn't care less about it.

Do you think the Olympics aren't commercially motivated? That its a well meaning non-profit that operates for the betterment of sport and the enjoyment of the masses?

 

[gump116]

It pisses me off... I wont lie. Even with no euros... Czechs are 2 AHL players shy of a full NHL roster... Svozil and Spacek. That's it.

Cervus can stay home and we still have a great forward group. We still have an all NHL roster.. and who knows, maybe 3 of Kral, hovorka, svozil, jiricek and spacek are full time by February. If not.. they are all in AHL.

Agreed. They should extend eligibility to AHL players and just allow any nation to enter that can roster a full team between NHL and AHL players at the start of the year.

 

[Sanf]

I can´t see this an International tournament. It just is this years version of All-Star game. And I have been critical even about Challenge cup and Rendez-Vous in the past.

 

[krutais23]

There is still time to fix this. Fans and media needs to put pressure and start a campaign.

Czechs, Germany, Swiss and Slovaks are good enough.


Germany;

JJ Peterka - Leon Draisaitl - Dominik Kahun
Marc Michaelis - Tim Stützle - Lukas Reichel
Tobias Rieder - Nico Sturm - Wojciech Stachowiak
Leo Pföderl - Marcel Noebels - Yasin Ehliz

Maksymilian Szuber - Moritz Seider
Jonas Müller - Leon Gawanke
Moritz Müller - Kai Wissmann

Philipp Grubauer
Mathias Niederberger


Swiss;

Schmid
Genoni

Josi - Loeffel
Siegenthaler - Kukan
Moser - Glauser

Kurashev - Hischier - Fiala
Meier - Suter - Nino
Andrighetto - Malgin - Thürkauf
Ambühl - Bertschy - Riat


Czechs;

Červenka - Zacha - Pastrňák
Palát - Hertl - Nečas
Kubalík - Chytil - Faksa
Nosek - Kämpf - Lauko

Gudas - Hronek
Kempný - Rutta
Kundratek - Jiracek

Dostal
Vejmelka


Slovakia;

Tatar - Hrivík - Cehlárik
Slafkovský - Ruzica - Pospíšil M.
Pánik - Hudáček - Studenič
Okuliar - Lantoši - Regenda
Keleman, Dano

Marinčin - Nemec
Fehérváry - Cernak
Čerešňák - Koch

Hlavaj, Škorvánek

Nosek could not even make the WC team

 

[krutais23]

It’s nonsense. Sure, most of the best Euro players are in the NHL but many are not. Plus there is the team system thing, as I said. The Czechs left top NHL players at home in 1998 because certain Euros fit the coach’s system better, and won.

If they bill the tournament as a four nation tournament of a selection of NHL players, great. But don’t for a second start pretending it somehow replaces the World Cup or Canada Cup. Different animal altogether.


We can solve this one easily. Russia just stops invading its neighbours and they are back in. Simples!

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

 

[kabidjan18]

And to clarify, as I didn’t read the press release for this, is the NHL only rule just for the 4 nations cup in 2025 or is it actually for the World Cup in 2028?

 

[Albatros]

And to clarify, as I didn’t read the press release for this, is the NHL only rule just for the 4 nations cup in 2025 or is it actually for the World Cup in 2028?

Nothing agreed yet. This is a non-IIHF tournament, and for the 2028 edition to have more than 4 or so teams it would have to be organized together with the IIHF given the lack of NHL players from other countries.