New IIHF Rankings and 2018 Olympic Groups

[FiLe]

For it to be equal you would need the various European leagues shut down and release their players to participate in the World Cup.

Said leagues don't have to shut down, just release the selected players for the duration of the tournament. Which is exactly what some will do.

Incidentally, the NHL could do the same concerning the Olympics. I'm sure there are pros and cons (a big one is that theoretically, one organization ends up releasing close to ten players while another sees only one or two go) and debating them is whole another matter entirely, but it's absolutely not required that the entire league's worth of players sits with their thumbs up their hind sides while the event runs its course.

 

[RandV]

Said leagues don't have to shut down, just release the selected players for the duration of the tournament. Which is exactly what some will do.

Incidentally, the NHL could do the same concerning the Olympics. I'm sure there are pros and cons (a big one is that theoretically, one organization ends up releasing close to ten players while another sees only one or two go) and debating them is whole another matter entirely, but it's absolutely not required that the entire league's worth of players sits with their thumbs up their hind sides while the event runs its course.

I did a quick rough count, the NHL sent 152 players to the 2014 Olympics. KHL is next up with 51, Finland's local leagues in comparison sent 4. There's just simply no comparison here, in the NHL that's an average of 5 players per team. And among that number there's a huge disparity in quality of player, Penguins can send a Crosby to Canada while the Devils send a Brunner to Switzerland. Considering how tight the playoff race in the NHL can get this has serious implications here, and there's millions of dollars at stake with clinching that spot.

So actually I take back what I said, that wouldn't be a fair exchange. The European leagues (with exceptions in the KHL) can accommodate sending players while remaining in operation if they want, but there's no way the NHL can.

 

[kabidjan18]

There's a new player in this and that is the CHL. Forget that the KHL provides 51, and the Finnish league 4, and instead add those figures together. The NHL has made not effort to hide their interest in the European market. European eyes on NHL TV, Europeans buying jerseys etc. The first leg of the CHL group stages are during the WHC if I'm not mistaken. More importantly is the concept that people like cheering for local clubs, and European people are much more familiar and friendly to the idea of a Champions league than they are to the idea of a league that has playoff but no relegation, and where teams are merely chosen and not qualified. The CHL is more marketable in Europe than the NHL and a little joke tournament where most countries get to see one or two of their starts on a team called "European leftovers" is not going to make the NHL more marketable. Instead, playing in the Olympics, a tournament that features other leagues and players from CHL teams, allows the NHL to reassert every 4 years the superiority of it's players on the international stage as a "that's why you should watch our hockey and not your local team." A tournament with only NHL players playing NHL players proves nothing about why I should be pouring money into a league a world away. The NHL dreams ridiculous dreams about the WHC being like the World Cup and crowding out the Olympics but that's simply not feasible and unless they start playing Hockey in Cote D'vioire it will continue to be unfeasible.

 

[hage]

Poor South Korea.

They'll be hoping for the NHL to skip 2018.

I don't think so. It's a once in a lifetime chance to share the ice with hockey's superstars. They'll be telling their grandkids about that. They're gonna loose anyways, even if Canada only sends CHL and college players

 

[Tomas W]

I don't think so. It's a once in a lifetime chance to share the ice with hockey's superstars. They'll be telling their grandkids about that. They're gonna loose anyways, even if Canada only sends CHL and college players

Good point!

 

[InglewoodJack]

Not to mention, in the decent chance that Korea scores a goal against canada (regardless of how awful they are, they're bound to get at least one in? maybe?), imagine being able to be told that you scored a goal on Carey Price, or whatever.

 

[BigT2002]

Korea, you better start learning the fundamentals of hockey now

 

[Iceman]

Corey Perry vs. 5'5" Korean... cool.

 

[Urbanskog]

Corey Perry vs. 5'5" Korean... cool.

There's no player that short on the Korean team. The average height is 181.27 cm.