WJC: New Year's Eve Hockey is Ruined

[YMCMBYOLO]

USA/Canada happening on Box Day instead of New Year's Eve


@TSN

Canada will meet USA this Boxing Day to kick off the #WorldJuniors in Helsinki. 2016 schedule: http://*******/1BZBNht

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[Flaming Satan]

Ouch, always look forward to the New Year's Eve matchup, sort of a tradition for me. Not sure it'll be the same, over all thoughts? US gymnast

 

[ResilientBeast]

Personally don't care all that much

 

[Inkling]

Would be worse if it was going to be taking place in the evening in North America timezones, but since it's in Helsinki it will be morning or early afternoon here. Don't see it as a really big deal. Watching the games at night at NYE get togethers or bars was fun. Boxing Day is another good day to sit around and watch hockey.

 

[habsrule4eva3089]

That's a real shame, since the 2000 World Juniors, Canada has played USA 7 times on this date, it's a staple that should be accommodated for this tourney.

 

[leafsfuture]

Would be worse if it was going to be taking place in the evening in North America timezones, but since it's in Helsinki it will be morning or early afternoon here. Don't see it as a really big deal. Watching the games at night at NYE get togethers or bars was fun. Boxing Day is another good day to sit around and watch hockey.

This.

When its not in North America, there isnt the same buzz. Now though, Helskinka gets something to immedietely pull people in

 

[Rob]

Works out well for me. I don't work on Boxing Day but I have to work during the day on the 31st.

 

[Tyler Biggs*]

I like the New Years game idea better when they play them then

 

[1Gold Standard]

Not a big deal. The Canada v USA NYE game is almost always an instant classic, but if they could schedule it on any other day, I'd prefer it opening day. Sweden v Canada will be a good one. I just hope Bennett and Fabbri are on the team, otherwise, TC doesn't stand much of a chance in Helsinki.

 

[Canuckistani]

Doesn't matter.

The NYE games are only really a major event when played in North America.

It started in Winnipeg in 1999 (USA 5-2), then in Vancouver 2006 (CAN 3-2), Ottawa 2009 (CAN 7-4), Saskatoon 2010 (CAN 5-4), Edmonton 2012 (CAN 3-2) and Montreal 2015 (CAN 5-3). Each game saw huge crowds and an electric atmosphere.

Contrast this with the Canada-USA NYE games held in Sweden in 2000 and 2014. Good games, but the crowd was indifferent and the same hype just wasn't there.

 

[FiLe]

The idea obviously is to create as big party as possible for the Swedish fans crossing over across the Baltic Sea.

Interestingly, Finland's NYE matchup is the Czech Rep instead of Russia, which would be a much more marketable rivalry.

Also, should I say something about the sense of entitlement displayed in this thread? Better not, since I've no idea how straight-faced the complaint here is.

 

[Caeldan]

CAN/USA on NYE does feel like a staple but I mean we had CAN/RUS in 2013, CAN/SWE in 2011...

Granted I believe it was usually because USA was not in CAN's group, but I suppose if we can't have a NYE game at least the Boxing Day game is where it should be.

 

[Tyler Biggs*]

The New Years Eve game of Canada vs. USA has been one of the most celebrated Canadian hockey traditions. I just don't quite understand why this must change. It's still going to be one hell of a tournament but rescheduling this game will take away some of the historic value of this great hockey rivalry.

 

[1Gold Standard]

The New Years Eve game of Canada vs. USA has been one of the most celebrated Canadian hockey traditions. I just don't quite understand why this must change. It's still going to be one hell of a tournament but rescheduling this game will take away some of the historic value of this great hockey rivalry.

An overreaction on your part. And in my best Robert De Niro impersonation, "a little bit". Since Sweden and Finland are in opposite groups, local organizers should be more accommodating to Team Sweden and the Swedish contingent (fans, who will probably outnumber Canadians in Helsinki) more than Team Canada and Canadian fans. When we host, Hockey Canada gets to put its fingerprints all over the schedule to come up with the best and most optimal schedule for Team Canada, both from a hockey and marketing perspective. i.e. the early start time of the final TC preliminary game against the US and playing the 1/4 final in Toronto. That was done to accommodate Team Canada in Canada.

 

[Evil Doctor]

The New Years Eve game of Canada vs. USA has been one of the most celebrated Canadian hockey traditions. I just don't quite understand why this must change. It's still going to be one hell of a tournament but rescheduling this game will take away some of the historic value of this great hockey rivalry.

You do realize that the tournament schedule is always based on the previous year's results. For there to be a NYE game, Canada/USA have to finish either 1-4 or 2-3 the previous year (plus I think there are a few other permutations that require both teams to finish much lower, but it's not really worth exploring.)

Anyway, if you want to have a NYE Canada/USA game, tell the Americans not to suck so much...

 

[Stats01]

You do realize that the tournament schedule is always based on the previous year's results. For there to be a NYE game, Canada/USA have to finish either 1-4 or 2-3 the previous year (plus I think there are a few other permutations that require both teams to finish much lower, but it's not really worth exploring.)

Anyway, if you want to have a NYE Canada/USA game, tell the Americans not to suck so much...

that's not always the case. I'm pretty sure the IIHF has made some exceptions in regards to Canada/USA in previous years. Just think about how many times this game has been played..now are we sure the US/Canada have finished 1st or 4th every time. I doubt it. There is no special treatment of this game because the tournament is in Europe. I will bet in 2017 regardless of where they finish the NYE game will be back on.

 

[ES]

In the most recent tournament it wouldn't have been Canada-USA on NYE if they had just arranged 1st/2nd seed game for the final day of group stage - it would have been Finland against Canada.

Similarly Finland has made arrangements, normally it's 4th and 5th seed having to play round robin in five days (bye on either 26th or 31st) but now Finland has games on both those days.

 

[Canada4Gold]

You do realize that the tournament schedule is always based on the previous year's results. For there to be a NYE game, Canada/USA have to finish either 1-4 or 2-3 the previous year (plus I think there are a few other permutations that require both teams to finish much lower, but it's not really worth exploring.)

Anyway, if you want to have a NYE Canada/USA game, tell the Americans not to suck so much...

while that's not true, the host country can pick the schedule that's the default format with the 1/2 playing the 5/6 on Boxing Day also in that default format. Since Finland probably doesn't care about a Canada/USA game they just used this default. Had the game been in Canada or the US the more than likely would have switched it up.

 

[Pilky01]

Meh. Can/USA on NYE isn't nearly the "tradition" some here seem to think it is...maybe if youre 12 years old.

For me "tradition" was watching Canada play at 8 in the morning....and that "tradition" is a rarity now with every other tournament being played in Canada.

 

[EbencoyE]

That's a real shame, since the 2000 World Juniors, Canada has played USA 7 times on this date, it's a staple that should be accommodated for this tourney.

Altering tournament formats just so two teams can play each other on a certain day is completely stupid. Really not sure why this is such a big deal.

 

[Scotty B]

that's not always the case. I'm pretty sure the IIHF has made some exceptions in regards to Canada/USA in previous years. Just think about how many times this game has been played..now are we sure the US/Canada have finished 1st or 4th every time. I doubt it. There is no special treatment of this game because the tournament is in Europe. I will bet in 2017 regardless of where they finish the NYE game will be back on.

If memory serves , one year ( according to Hoyle ) we were supposed to play Svk on NYE, but HC lobbied to have it changed to USA vs Canada and IIHF brass, to their credit, agreed. If Yanks are in our pool, and if game is in NA, they should, if need be, rearrange the sched to accommodate Hockey Canada/ USA Hockey...

If games are overseas, whatever works best for European hosts should be first choice...OBVIOUSLY

***
Edit: I was just thinking of the rare aberration when USA was in our pool , when games were in NA, and when we were scheduled to play a lesser light/ lesser historical rival on NYE...Russia / Canada would be just as good. Sweden / Canada would be almost as good...Anybody else...yeah, reword the sched SVP as per the above example

 

[kaiser matias]

That's a real shame, since the 2000 World Juniors, Canada has played USA 7 times on this date, it's a staple that should be accommodated for this tourney.

Seeing how that means the Canada-US game has happened less than half the time on New Years Eve, it doesn't seem as set a date as many here are making it out to be. If anything it is more likely to not happen than to actually take place.

 

[kaiser matias]

that's not always the case. I'm pretty sure the IIHF has made some exceptions in regards to Canada/USA in previous years. Just think about how many times this game has been played..now are we sure the US/Canada have finished 1st or 4th every time. I doubt it. There is no special treatment of this game because the tournament is in Europe. I will bet in 2017 regardless of where they finish the NYE game will be back on.

If you are trying to suggest that the IIHF has altered the schedule just to have Canada and the US play each other, then no, that has not happened. It is indeed because of the placing of both teams that they are in the same group, which considering the way the groups are made, is not that difficult to do.

 

[Scotty B]

If you are trying to suggest that the IIHF has altered the schedule just to have Canada and the US play each other, then no, that has not happened. It is indeed because of the placing of both teams that they are in the same group, which considering the way the groups are made, is not that difficult to do.

It has happened. Normally, one had the top two teams in the pool play each other on NYE. And when USA + CAN are in the same pool, that would normally mean a NYE showdown btwn the 2 arch rivals. But one year, we were slated to play SVK, even though Yanks were in our pool. They DID change the schedule to accommodate HC, their fans, advertisers, yadda, yadda...

 

[UsernameWasTaken]

Meh. Can/USA on NYE isn't nearly the "tradition" some here seem to think it is...maybe if youre 12 years old.

For me "tradition" was watching Canada play at 8 in the morning....and that "tradition" is a rarity now with every other tournament being played in Canada.

Agreed. I'm fine with the scheduling change. If anything, I prefer it to Canada playing meaningless initial games.

Also, it's fair that the host country arranges the schedule to its own needs. Canada does the same...and I'm sure will when the tournie's in TO/MTL again.