Some details about the World Cup...
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cutchemist42
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This isn't like other sports where a best-fit has to be made to accommodate the different seasons across different regions of the world. All major hockey nations are starting up around Sept/Oct. No team is in peak playing condition.
The best players might be there, but not at their best. This is an NHL invitational exhibition.
Why so? The fewest will get up at 3 AM to watch hockey anyway, and if it's some kind of a summerly NHL exhibition tournament featuring fantasy national teams I doubt many even want to.
Well, the Winter Olympics are the only event with players peaking. Even the soccer WC must be an exhibition as players aren't anymore at their best after a long season.
Macman
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- May 15, 2004
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Did you get any sense from previous World Cup/Canada Cups that these guys were out of shape or disinterested in playing? The '87 final is widely regarded as the greatest hockey ever played. The good thing about playing in September is that the players are healthy and looking for a springboard into their seasons. The worlds are a joke. Half the players don't want to play or are either injured or too beat up after a long season to go.
cutchemist42
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Like I said though, different countries have different playing seasons. To me, its close to the European season while accommodating the countries that play Summer seasons to not be an exhibition.
This structure just screams Canadian cash grab, with no real benefit to the sport as a whole.
Macman
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- May 15, 2004
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Yeah if only it really "counted," like the WHC.
The players seemed to hit their stride pretty quickly in past CC/WC tournaments (especially with the exhibition schedule) so I don't suspect it'll be a problem this time either.
SanDogBrewin
Righteous bucks!
Because now it's played exclusively in Toronto, possibly without IIHF involvement.
In some ways the Olympics are an ideal best-on-best event in that players are in mid-season form, yet it also means that injuries are far more likely to be a factor.
With a World Cup in September it's the opposite: it will obviously require some time for players to get into playing shape (though the exhibition schedule helps with that), yet fewer players will be absent due to injury.
SanDogBrewin
Righteous bucks!
That wouldn't make sense, to not have the same format as in 2004. I'll wait for more details.
I would really like World Cup coming back. One thing that makes me sad is that I am not sure whether Slovakia would be included. 
cutchemist42
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The money funnels into the hockey federations, which actually help the game continue. It's why soccer is where its at, the World Cup funnels that money back to the countries for further growth of the game. It's why baseball's WBC went with this format, to make sure the money the teams receive have to be funnelled towards baseball development.
As a fan of the sport, I would only want itnernational competitions to held for the health of the sport, which is what every other successful World Cup/Championship, does.
For what it's worth, the IIHF wasn't involved in 2004 either. Also, I stayed up all night and watched the medal round games too.
And I wasn't the only one. I recall I had to get to work at 5am on the night after the final game. I was able to catch a couple of hours of shuteye but obviously wasn't on my prime when I hit work. Luckily, most colleagues looked equally disheveled as well.
Bottom line: If it's international hockey, those places where any kind of international hockey is a big thing are and will be interested. Only thing that could perhaps generate disinterest is blatantly favoring the home team.
I would really like World Cup coming back. One thing that makes me sad is that I am not sure whether Slovakia would be included.
Slovakia will be there for sure. They've struggled lately but are still a top-eight nation.
From previous World Cup's it'll probably be Germany that will get bumped in favour of Switzerland.
cutchemist42
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I would really like World Cup coming back. One thing that makes me sad is that I am not sure whether Slovakia would be included.
Which is why you should not want it back, countries are at the mercy of the NHL's marketing department thinking about which teams will be best for business. No international tournament should be run like that.
The Canada/World Cup has always operated on the premise of having the best national squads present, which is exactly how it should be.
It's not like the NHL is going to figure that it will be better for business if Slovakia is replaced with France or Italy on account of it meaning more people and more potential TV viewers.
Macman
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- May 15, 2004
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So we'll see Italy, China and Brazil playing in Toronto instead of Sweden and Russia because it will sell more tickets within those communities there? Honestly, the excuses get more bizarre.
cutchemist42
Registered User
Then let them settle that on the ice in quali.I just have a sense that Germany will somehow end up in this tournament despite being a weaker program lately, if its close between them and a smaller country.
No fair international "World Cup" should be invite only. Its just a farce if it is. A World Cup should mean the hockey playing nations of the World all had a known path to the tournament.
jekoh
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- Jun 8, 2004
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You seriously don't understand what's wrong with the organizers having the possibility to decide who is in and who isn't instead of having a qualifying process in place to decide the teams?
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