Olympics: NHL participation in the 2022 Olympics
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... Also, even in North America, interest is so weak in the World Cup that they can't seem to drum up the energy to organize and carry it out. There were eight (8) years between the first (1996) and second (2004) tournaments, and twelve years after the second until the third (2016). I don't know if Canadian and Americans have any real interest in cutting their summer short to play a World Cup, but I can assure you that the European players have no interest at all! Because the NHL owners cut the cord on the Olympics in Beijing, they might be a little less resistant to a World Cup in August 2022, but most likely, I think the World Cup is dead, and it will have a very small funeral.
Rob
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JackSlater
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What makes me sad is that Canada spent all that money getting Kuznetsov suspended for four years by the IIHF, and now it will be for nothing. Was much smarter to invest in getting Backstrom suspended for just the gold medal game in the 2014 Olympics. Ah well.
I feel the same way about the World Hockey Championship every Spring. It is a good exhibition tournament, where the Referees are European citizens and residents. These European officials also officiate much differently than NHL Referees at times. It is not a Best on Best tournament. People in Canada and the US do not have much interest in it, but Europeans consider the World Hockey Championship their Stanley Cup. European nations have more stacked rosters due to the importance the tournament holds for them; while Canada's top players, along with Team USA decline to go, since the tournament does not mean the same to them compared to the European players.
It was great to see Canada win with their "C Team" this year, but to be honest many Canadians only started paying attention to the tournament, when the team advanced to the Semis. I predicted Canada would be eliminated in the QF with the roster they assembled on paper. Glad they proved me wrong, but I feel the same way about the World Hockey Championship, like you do about the World Cup. I am proposing a World Cup as a solution, since now we all have to wait until 2026 to see a Best on Best. The World Cup (despite its possible flaws) has more merit than a World Hockey Championship, as a Best on Best tournament. A shame that we lost a chance in 2018, to see a Best on Best tournament. Skipping the 2022 Olympics makes sense, due to the Pandemic. Now looking back, it is unfortunate both sides could not have figured out a way to make it work in 2018. Sucks for everyone we have to wait until 2026 now.
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They don't need to use Canadian mega-money to purchase suspensions from the IOC. They can just direct their Canadian citizen referees to keep Kuznetsov and Backstrom in the penalty box for 3 periods. It's less messy that way!
And the culprit is the same as the one who has just destroyed yet another Olympic tournament: the NHL.
Yeah, riiiight... So it's not the regional league (the only one in the world not comfortable with the international scheduling) that is to blame – but the entire planet is supposed to bow down in front of the regional league and its almighty dollars. Riiiight...
vorky
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I will quote a few statements from the Barcelona Hockey Forum which took place in 2012.
Donald Fehr: “Say you play the Olympics in Year One, and Year Three you have a World Cup. Maybe in the other year you do a club championship across the Atlantic, and in the other year you do a special event. This year, for instance, is the 40th anniversary of the Canada-Russia series which has no equal in those countries. It’s like the Ryder Cup in golf, which was just made up, and went on to have enormous success. You are trying to build something the fans can identify with, associate with a club or team or country.”
Dmitri Kurbatov believes February should always be the break for Olympic Winter Games and also for World Championships that should only be held in non-Olympic years. But to make this successful from the sporting view it would need an NHL break every year.
Donald Fehr: “Say you play the Olympics in Year One, and Year Three you have a World Cup. Maybe in the other year you do a club championship across the Atlantic, and in the other year you do a special event. This year, for instance, is the 40th anniversary of the Canada-Russia series which has no equal in those countries. It’s like the Ryder Cup in golf, which was just made up, and went on to have enormous success. You are trying to build something the fans can identify with, associate with a club or team or country.”
Dmitri Kurbatov believes February should always be the break for Olympic Winter Games and also for World Championships that should only be held in non-Olympic years. But to make this successful from the sporting view it would need an NHL break every year.
JackSlater
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You're finally catching on. We saved our oil sands and seal hunt money in 2002, 2010, and 2014. Usually the prime minister has a microphone linked directly to an earphone placed in the referee's ear. In 2010 Harper was overheard to tell Guelph, Ontario's Bill McCreary that "Parise is killing us - lock him up!" and that's exactly what happened.
Yeah, riiiight... So it's not the regional league (the only one in the world not comfortable with the international scheduling) that is to blame – but the entire planet is supposed to bow down in front of the regional league and its almighty dollars. Riiiight...
The IIHF banning professional players for decades despite running what was called a world championship did more damage to the tournament than whatever the NHL apparently did. But yes I know the common refrain - the NHL should have accommodated the IIHF, which took an antagonistic stance toward it, just to give legitimacy to the IIHF world championship that its players and fans didn't particularly care about.
I did not know that! Thanks for providing information documenting the complicity of the prime minister in sabotaging the Olympics. As for McCreary, I assumed that he was already in prison, so this is all a fascinating revelation.
It seems extremely unlikely to me that you will ever see the NHL sniffing around the Olympic Games again. As a business enterprise, 100% of its decision-making is based on acquiring money, and the NHL is long past the point where net financial losses incurred by stopping the season and migrating overseas for 3 weeks is offset by publicity and image-building that puts money in their bank accounts. If they ever benefitted from the Olympics, NHL team owners have now made their case that the Olympics are a huge financial loss! The NHL has expanded to every tropical beach town and burning desert community in North America, and will soon have 40 or more teams. They are long past the "emerging enterprise" stage.
Hats off to a not at all subtle demeaning of the Russian team at the World Championships in 2021, a demeaning that is wholly justified by the pathetic Russian performance. However, I have to note that for a C team, several Canadian team members are having very good years in the NHL. I agree with your point, though. Europeans could care less about the Stanley Cup, and North Americans even less about the WC. North American hockey has always been about business enterprise, whereas European hockey has traditionally focused on national pride. It is a different way of looking at things.
Because it is so inherently unfair and imbalanced, and totally loaded against them, Europeans, by and large, have no interest in a World Cup. They view it as a staged effort to permit Canadians to wallow in self-glorification. A happy outcome is almost guaranteed! But there is so little interest in a World Cup in North America itself, that it is hard to imagine it living on. NHL owners might feel a little guilty for pulling the plug on the Olympics in 2022, so you might see a more cooperative approach to scheduling a tournament for August of next year. I am skeptical though.
Rabid Ranger
2 is better than one
To me, the World Championships suffer from poor timing more than anything else. It's right when the NHL playoffs (after a long NHL season) are ramping up. So, the players on teams that qualify are obviously out and then you have a bunch of other guys who are worn out (physically and emotionally). I bet if it was delayed by even a month or so you would see better Canadian and American representation, especially if it's in a desirable city.
In what aspect has World Cup been loaded, unfair, staged and so on against Europeans? The problem with the 2016 World Cup was the gimmick teams. Otherwise there was nothing unfair. Abandon this gimmick teams idea, bring just real national teams in, and you have a great tournament.
Should I just give up on seeing a best-on-best hockey tournament ever again? It's been eight years!
I can't put into words just how much I hate the NHL and the scumbags who run it. If they're not pulling out of the Olympics, they're insulting out intelligence with joke teams at the "world cup." They're absolutely ruined international competition.
I can't put into words just how much I hate the NHL and the scumbags who run it. If they're not pulling out of the Olympics, they're insulting out intelligence with joke teams at the "world cup." They're absolutely ruined international competition.
JackSlater
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I'm confident that we'll see NHLers at the 2026 Olympics. The NHL has already agreed to go barring situations as we see this year (cue the conspiracy theories!) and I cannot see the players letting them off the hook when a whole generation of them never had a chance at the Olympics. I wouldn't be surprised to see the NHL pull out again at some point after that. In fact, I would be surprised if the NHL didn't pull out of the Olympics at some point after 2026.
Czechboy
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Since we're finally being honest...
How much did Canada pay to put the TSN camera there?
We haven't had a best-on-best tournament for almost a decade now. All because of the NHL.
Czechboy
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That's the problem.. you are probaly correct.
They will host a bullshit world cup in August and announce it.
What they won't do is announce when the next one is after that. I think you've already pointed out the ridiculous timeline of World Cups - 11 years apart, 8 years apart.lol Whatever it is.
I feel like it's workable... I really do. I actually don't think it'd be hard to figure out.
One thing I'd like back is a Euro Championship. Start it a month earlier when Euro season ends so those players don't have month long training camps before it even begins (and then several get cut anyways once the NHL players come).
Surely the NHL can make a winter break once every 4 years for a World Cup that uses rankings? I'm fine with each and every single one taking place in Canadian towns and border towns like the Jr's. I'm even fine with NHL refs. But consistent and every 4 years in mid season. February.
No gimmick teams but if you have to have one ... Only exception I would allow is Team Canada 2. Isvestia used to have 2 Russias/Soviets. If nothing else, I'd love to read all the complaints about who is missing if neither Team Canada won.lol I'd also enjoy the Team C and D posts before it began.
IIHF would still get their money from their annual tourney. NHL would profit from World Cup instead of ASG every 4 years. Tonnes of Euro's flying to Vegas or wherever to watch the tourney. No one (but me) watches EHT. The Champions League is so bad that I don't even watch it. Every single best on best in hockey is comprimised. It's almost amazing. We can't even get a fair U18.lol Canada wins Hlinka's, US wins U18's. Always at a time when one country can't send players.
But some direction. You quoted 2012 and that problem is still here today. NHL and Olympics doesn't work. World Cup doesn't work. World Championships are my fav tourney but they are not a real world championship (admittedly, if Czechs win one again I will be running down the street naked). Only sport with no solution. Just sucks because it should be real easy to do! And yes, I blame Bettman and the NHL owners. They give no f***s about it. But the IIHF should realize this and adjust to it for the greater good. Make a profit from Euro's, take a smaller cut from World Cup and they are still making the same money. Eg. they conceded on the U20's and they are always in Canada or beside Canada with the odd Euro tourney tossed in.
Czechboy
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I don't mind these things but here are some of the arguments...
Always in Canada in sold out arena's full of Canadians
Canada doesn't have to travel (pretty sure half the teams at the last World Cup were in Europe and then had to fly over to play Canada in Canada - that is one heck of a road trip).
Only Canadian Refs
August is when Euro Leagues are getting going with training camps (the Euro NHL stars are still in Europe for the most part).
Something tells me if the Russians brought back the Isvestia cup and invited all the world's best with these premises:
Canada/US will be in a pool with Swiss and Germany - all these games will be played in Toronto.
Russia/Czechs/Finns and Swedes in Moscow
Once round robin is done... Canada/US (let's assume they win that pool) have to fly to Moscow to a sold out arena full of Russians/Euros and all the refs are Russians from the KHL.
No way in hell would the NHL or Canada agree to this. But that is the World Cup format.lol
There don't need to be gimmick teams at the World Cup. I believe they realized this idea didn't work, fans didn't like it, players themselves didn't like it, and they won't do that again if there is such a tournament taking place.
I also expect the NHL to participate in Milano 2026, if there is no disaster like COVID occurring again. The players are really angry now, they accept the decision because they understand that a strike or something like that would just worsen the relationships between the NHL, IOC, IIHF while saving nothing. But I am almost 100% sure they will really push forward the 2026 participation, and the NHL understands they cannot suppress the players' interest forever. So yes, there will be a real Olympic tournament in 2026 if there is a normal stable situation in the world. But it would be nice to have some cool tournament earlier.
Czechboy
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I wouldn't consider a team Canada B a gimmick team. Rules are simple... don't split up goalies or players. Once Team Canada A (with a taxi squad) is done picking their absolute best roster then Team Canada B GM gets the rest. Lot of Junior tourneys already have Team Canada red, white and black. Isvestia used to send 2 teams.
I'm fine with top 10 by ranking. However, if the idea is to keep NHL owners happy and have more NHL marketable stars well there is 25 more to put on magazine covers and such. Plus, I really would like to see if they could both get to the finals.
I hope so.. it'll be interesting if these Olympics go off without a hitch and the only people that didn't show up were NHLers. I haven't heard of any other athletes declinng invites, have you?
I think everyone needs to get away from NHL and Olympic athletes.. it doesn't work. Need a seperate tournament... for instance in tennis they bought out the Davis and Fed Cup and changed the format. It's a work in progress but it's different and starting to get established.
vorky
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I will not repeat what Kurbatov & Fehr said at the 2012 Barcelona Hockey Forum. I will jut add. Approximatelly, at that time, Russians proposed to reform the Euro Hockey Tour into some kind of European Championship. No support came from Europeans, especially Czechs, Finns & Swedes, so the idea died. As I see it, the hockey officials in leading European countries are not capable of progress. They are just fine with the status quo. Fine, guys like Szemberg are vocal on twitter but that is all he can do. No support from big business. I understand why they dislike Russia but it is very sad that many good ideas (in hockey) coming from Russia have never been supported by Europeans. If the support came, the European club - but not only - hockey would be in much better shape now. You described the Champions Hockey League ... And do you know what is the saddest part of it? Russians & Americans will eventually agree on cooperation (NHL-KHL games) and Europe will be the biggest loser.
