Jussi
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IIHF on the other hand helps start national hockey programs by providing coaching and administrative assistance and refereeing.
Some details about the World Cup...
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Macman
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- May 15, 2004
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The NHL has development programs too. Even individual teams but I'm not going to keep supplying links. On top of that there are scores of charities. This "cash grab" does a lot of good, including raising money for old timers who didn't make much when they played.
PurpleMouse
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- Apr 27, 2014
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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?
Well, one big problem with qualifying is when to hold it, because if it's held at the wrong time, then it's far LESS fair than just picking teams. See the Slovakia fiasco with the Olympics in 1998 & 2002.
We can argue semantics but we all know there's absolutely zero chance a country like Italy or France wins a World Cup of hockey. If they pull an upset in qualifying and beat Switzerland, it actually makes the final tournament less interesting, because the odds of Switzerland beating a top team in a World Cup is much higher than France or Italy doing so. Part of the appeal to me about a World Cup is that every game is up for grabs and it's mainly legitimate title threats that are in the tournament.
Of course, you hope that the game grows in the future and such a tournament is bigger, but the progress of those "non-elite" countries over the four years can easily be measured by how many of their players participate in NHL and top European leagues, and how they fare in the world championships when they play against elite countries with a better chance of winning. If you're given reason to believe these countries are competitive enough, then formats and such can change.
Currently, the distribution of talent in the international hockey world is such that you can easily just name 8 teams to a tournament and it doesn't make illegitimate in terms of determining a champion. In the future, things may not be so easy (and I think we'd all hope that to be the case.)
NyQuil
Big F$&*in Q
They should wait until NHL players are disqualified from playing in South Korea in 2018.
At that point, there will be an appetite for a best-on-best tournament.
Right now, it seems redundant 2 years after the Olympics.
At that point, there will be an appetite for a best-on-best tournament.
Right now, it seems redundant 2 years after the Olympics.
Jussi
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IIHF arranges almost 30 tournaments annually. Guess which one facilitates the funds to arrange them?
On topic: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nhl-p...tml?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter
Are they completely nuts?
IIHF arranges almost 30 tournaments annually. Guess which one facilitates the funds to arrange them?
On topic: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nhl-p...tml?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter
The Olympics end Aug. 21. This tournament will be held afterwards in the beginning to middle of September.
No way they run it at the same time as the Olympics as their broadcast partners are also Olympic rights holders.
Jussi
Registered User
IIHF arranges almost 30 tournaments annually. Guess which one facilitates the funds to arrange them?
On topic: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nhl-p...tml?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter
It looks like the Olympics run from August 5-21 so I don't think there will be a direct conflict. The problem with scheduling this thing for late summer in the 2016, 2020, 2024, etc cycle is you are always going to be holding it 2 months after the UEFA Euro tournament and a few weeks after the Olympics. A lot of adverstising and broadcasting budgets and resources are going to be tied up with those two events. If the NHL is really serious about turning this into something that is a big deal (and cash cow) outside of Canada they might want to think about holding it in another cycle.
gretskidoo
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- Nov 26, 2011
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Jussi
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I've said it before (numerous times) but it's exactly due to those other events why there's little chance of raising interest in Europe. E.g. In Finland the national broadcasting corporation YLE has the EURO and Olympics rights for the time being so they sure as hell won't have the money for the hockey World Cup. Since all other channels devote their time covering those events within their rights as well, that basically leaves pay tv as the only option (since a WC isn't among the major sports events that have to be aired on free tv in Finland) and I'm not sure if the NHL would be pleased with such a reduced visibility (not to mention ratings).
I think Summer Olympic year -1 would be the ideal. That way there'd always be one season between the Olympics and the World Cup. And that year wouldn't have so many other major events. Summer Olympic year like 2016 is basically three seasons after and one before the Winter Olympics.
Would be nice but it's very unlikely. NHL owners won't be cool with that when it's possible to hold the event in September.
Macman
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- May 15, 2004
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They might be warmer to the idea knowing they're receiving revenues when they shut down the league for the World Cup, unlike the Olympics. The players would also have a say in scheduling and I suspect they'd rather play in the middle of the season rather than losing some of their summer.
MLB has the WBC
NHL going to bring back the world cup
NBA sends player to the olympics
Soccer world cup becoming more popular in that states
I wonder if the NFL is feeling any pressure?
NHL going to bring back the world cup
NBA sends player to the olympics
Soccer world cup becoming more popular in that states
I wonder if the NFL is feeling any pressure?
cutchemist42
Registered User
In the end though, the NHL/NHLPA's goal is to simply make money off this. If you can get enough Canadians to get into this tourney like the WJHC, that might be fine enough with Americans/Europeans not paying attention. (I feel more sure this tourney gets ignored by America than Europeans, but still feel overall both areas will ignore it)
Jussi
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Macman
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- May 15, 2004
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Jussi
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To do what? It's not like the sport is very big globally, not to mention the insurmountable advantage US would have to all other countries.
jekoh
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- Jun 8, 2004
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It's obviously not "less fair" to put a team at a slight disadvantage than to eliminate it altogether.
What a stupid reasoning. I guess in 2002 they should have made Sweden play the semi-final disirregardless of the actual result on the ice. What kind of uninteresting tournament is that where they allow Belarus to knock out better teams?
They had a European Championship in Germany a few years ago - the tickets to the matches costed fewer than the local bus ticket and included just that.
Upsets can happen in any tournament, but given that there are so few great hockey nations to begin with, any qualifying for the WCH itself should be left to those outside the top 6. Slovakia and Switzerland vs Belarus and Latvia, etc. Baseball does something similar for the WBC.
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