Team Switzerland must play in World Cup20?

[Namejs]

I'm no defender for the IIHF and am not responsible for what they are doing with their money but I'm pretty sure that Latvian federation also gets their fair share from the television rights of the World Championship. And organizing a tournament for every nation who wants to play icehockey also helps to develop the sport.

Also, getting rid of the NHL-IIHF divide is what could bridge our way to the next level. It's not like the IIHF is actually making a difference in these smaller hockey countries, it's not soccer.

 

[Faterson]

I love my annual World Champs, don't take it away from me.

They should not be played in Olympic years. That's how it used to be decades ago. Two top-level international tourneys per season is overkill. But I do agree we need a top-level international tournament every year – after all, the Stanley Cup is also contested for every year and not every 2 years.

Just switch the World Champs to February, and each league around the world (yes, even the egomaniac NHL) should take a break of 2 weeks every February, instead of silly all-star weekends, so that we can have a top-level international tournament every February, regardless of whether it's the Olympics or the World Champs.

And then, play-off hockey could continue well into May (or even June) in European leagues, too, instead of rushing all the leagues to conclusion just because the World Champs are coming up. Anyway, it's great that World Champs start later and later every year – next year in Slovakia, they will only start on May 10th. (I remember it used to be commonplace for the finals to be played around May 1st.)

 

[Ducks76]

My idea! Canada
Sweden
USA
Finland
Russia
Czech Rep.
Team NHL(The best NHLers from top 6 countries they are not nominate for their country)
Team World(Best NHLers from rest of World + players from europe leagues)

But better idea! Canada
Sweden
USA
Finland
Russia
Czech Rep.
Switzerland
+ Qualifier(Tournament with GER,SVK,DEN,NOR etc.)

 

[jonas2244]

Also, getting rid of the NHL-IIHF divide is what could bridge our way to the next level.

That's right, also won't happen anytime soon though.

 

[Boonk]

My idea! Canada
Sweden
USA
Finland
Russia
Czech Rep.
Team NHL(The best NHLers from top 6 countries they are not nominate for their country)
Team World(Best NHLers from rest of World + players from europe leagues)

But better idea! Canada
Sweden
USA
Finland
Russia
Czech Rep.
Switzerland
+ Qualifier(Tournament with GER,SVK,DEN,NOR etc.)

This is essentially the format of that horrible World Cup tournament. No more made up all-star teams in international events!

Your "better idea" is indeed better and how the World Cup tournament should've been in the first place.

 

[Ducks76]

This is essentially the format of that horrible World Cup tournament. No more made up all-star teams in international events!

Your "better idea" is indeed better and how the World Cup tournament should've been in the first place.

Yes right! But my first idea isn t very good but this kind of tournament are extremly powerful. But my 2nd proposal is more interesting. The tournament would best be held in febuary(The players are in top form) and not in pre-season stage.

 

[Tuoppi]

NHL would never let it happen in february.

 

[torero]

Switzerland is a peculiar case. Swiss hockey wasn't a true full pro sport until the 90s. As I already mentioned in another post, Swiss players were semi pros until then. It is probably something hard to believe for people outside Switzerland or the younger Swiss fans, but top hockey players had part time jobs. In the 80s, the company I was working for, a large banking institution, employed for example Roberto Triulzi (6 times Swiss champion, 109 games with the national team) in the IT department. One day in the intrabank magazine that was published every few months, they did a piece on the elite athletes working for the bank and believe it or not, there were maybe around 10 or so folks (Triulzi was the only hockey guy. And if I may say, I too was one of them 10).

So, it's not a coincidence that Switzerland goes REALLY full pro and starts putting a lot of effort into the youth system and 25 years later they have a sizeable "colony" in the NHL and have two medals in the past 6 editions of the worlds. It was hard work and it paid off. I too think that the Swiss presence in the NHL is on a uptrend.

Switzerland was among the worst places to be as a sportsman.

I would have been professional in K1, but 30 yrs ago (i am 50), i was cheating unemployment to go to some poor tournaments to be a front-runner in K1 that nobody was recognizing.
We, the Swiss team, were ridicule compared to other teams with the means we had and they had.

Today is another world.

Professional in sport is doable. If you are good in something, you have the possibility to train seriously and continue your school as a safety net.
The situation is not as ideal as Canada and hockey with the WHL program, but we are not bad at all and the organization is very good.
(not for nothing that we started having a very decent socker team with like 40 players abroad and still a very average championship )

We Swiss are also smaller than the Scandinavians ... (actually young generations are tall ... so it may not hold that much) ... and the game is becoming faster , the big bodies enforcers are disappearing and small guys are more and more present. That favors our constitution. 6 or 5.11 ft tall guys are ok now a days.
Also NHL teams are opening to the world more and more. Hiring foreigners. Taking their position as best league in the world seriously.

So in some years ... i'd say in 2020 ... we'll have like 20/25 players. Convinced.
+ AHL ...

 

[Ducks76]

NHL would never let it happen in february.

Well,that remains unfortunately eternal wish! !

 

[gwh]

Also, getting rid of the NHL-IIHF divide is what could bridge our way to the next level. It's not like the IIHF is actually making a difference in these smaller hockey countries, it's not soccer.

Lol wut?

All the junior and female hockey is run by IIHF and the national federations under IIHF. Especially in the countries with low resources.

 

[Namejs]

Lol wut?

All the junior and female hockey is run by IIHF and the national federations under IIHF. Especially in the countries with low resources.

Can you name an example of a certain hockey nation improving due to funding from IIHF?

With all due respect, we're not discussing female hockey or curling here.

 

[BruinLVGA]

Switzerland was among the worst places to be as a sportsman.

I would have been professional in K1, but 30 yrs ago (i am 50), i was cheating unemployment to go to some poor tournaments to be a front-runner in K1 that nobody was recognizing.
We, the Swiss team, were ridicule compared to other teams with the means we had and they had.

Today is another world.

Professional in sport is doable. If you are good in something, you have the possibility to train seriously and continue your school as a safety net.
The situation is not as ideal as Canada and hockey with the WHL program, but we are not bad at all and the organization is very good.
(not for nothing that we started having a very decent socker team with like 40 players abroad and still a very average championship )

We Swiss are also smaller than the Scandinavians ... (actually young generations are tall ... so it may not hold that much) ... and the game is becoming faster , the big bodies enforcers are disappearing and small guys are more and more present. That favors our constitution. 6 or 5.11 ft tall guys are ok now a days.
Also NHL teams are opening to the world more and more. Hiring foreigners. Taking their position as best league in the world seriously.

So in some years ... i'd say in 2020 ... we'll have like 20/25 players. Convinced.
+ AHL ...

I am 50 too, by the way (I was born in 1968). The mentality back then was that it wasn't a "real" job to be a professional athlete. It was frowned upon. It's a relatively recent (around 25 years) thing for that mentality to have been abandoned and full professionalism to be embraced.
And look at the success in hockey and in football (soccer): all this is not by chance. It's a direct result of that change in mentality.

For hockey, the game in Switzerland has always been centered on speed and therefore the changes in the NHL since the end of the dead puck era (less physical, but faster and more skilled) are perfectly tailored for our players.
I too think that the number of Swiss players in the NHL will rise. It will be very important for that for Hischier to succeed at a high level, because these days - at least here in Ticino - kids want to emulate Cristiano Ronaldo and Messi. Having a Swiss star player in the NHL that kid can look up to, could do wonders. Nico's success will be crucial for that, I think, in expediting the process of having more Swiss young kids being able to be drafted (if you want, similar to what Mark Streit meant for current generation of Swiss NHLers, but even more so).

 

[mattihp]

Team Switzerland must play in World Cup20?

I hope they aren't forced to play it in. Team Coca-Cola and team Taco Bell would destroy them.

 

[Tuoppi]

Switzerland should also play in EHT but they didn't even take Slovakia when they won the World championships.

 

[gwh]

Can you name an example of a certain hockey nation improving due to funding from IIHF?

With all due respect, we're not discussing female hockey or curling here.

Umm, Canada? 30mil for junior hockey every second year due to WJC.

(And the crowd goes wild... How about getting cursive knowledge of things you rage against?)

 

[Exarz]

As long as they have eight real teams in the tournament, I would be fine with that. Switzerland is a lock in the tournament and since the World Cup is more business orientated, I believe they should go with Germany as the 8th team since it would give them a bigger market (and Germany is debatable the 8th best team anyway).

 

[garbageteam]

That and Switzerland & Germany are ranked 7th and 8th anyway, and given the point differential (over 300 to 9th place Norway) are secure in their position for the next few years.

Switzerland with their increasing talent base are unlikely to put out a string of stinkers in tournaments going forward (and at this rate are likely to very soon threaten Czechs for rank #6, in both official ranking and consistent results) and Slovakia, Norway, Latvia & Denmark would have to place significantly above Germany several years in a row to make up the difference.

Just going by IIHF rankings to pull in the eight teams in the tournament would be much better than whatever the hell it is the NHL did in 2016. Ideally they would do the top six + Switzerland as locks and a short four-team round robin qualifier for the 8th team.

 

[Zippy316]

That and Switzerland & Germany are ranked 7th and 8th anyway, and given the point differential (over 300 to 9th place Norway) are secure in their position for the next few years.

Switzerland with their increasing talent base are unlikely to put out a string of stinkers in tournaments going forward (and at this rate are likely to very soon threaten Czechs for rank #6, in both official ranking and consistent results) and Slovakia, Norway, Latvia & Denmark would have to place significantly above Germany several years in a row to make up the difference.

Just going by IIHF rankings to pull in the eight teams in the tournament would be much better than whatever the hell it is the NHL did in 2016. Ideally they would do the top six + Switzerland as locks and a short four-team round robin qualifier for the 8th team.

With the World Cup being in late August/early September, I would just wonder what team the Swiss and Germans would be able to field compromised of primarily NHL players.

In addition, given the European leagues have started by then (or training camp is underway), I wonder how willing club teams would be to send over their top German or Swiss players for a tournament that means nothing.

Right now, Switzerland had 14 active NHL players according to QuantHockey last year. Germany had 7. It seems like there's been five or six guys from their respective Olympic/WC teams making the jump to NA, but I doubt it would be enough to fill out a competitive roster.

 

[Goodman68]

That and Switzerland & Germany are ranked 7th and 8th anyway, and given the point differential (over 300 to 9th place Norway) are secure in their position for the next few years.

Switzerland with their increasing talent base are unlikely to put out a string of stinkers in tournaments going forward (and at this rate are likely to very soon threaten Czechs for rank #6, in both official ranking and consistent results) and Slovakia, Norway, Latvia & Denmark would have to place significantly above Germany several years in a row to make up the difference.

Just going by IIHF rankings to pull in the eight teams in the tournament would be much better than whatever the hell it is the NHL did in 2016. Ideally they would do the top six + Switzerland as locks and a short four-team round robin qualifier for the 8th team.

Sorry, but Switzerland will not be better than the Czech Republic. No better young players. Now on WCH have the best possible team, otherwise they still have a big problem getting to QF.
With players such as Nečas, Chytil, Zadina, Pastrňák, Kaut, Vrána, Zacha, Hronek, Zbořil, Hájek and others, we will definitely shift in performance higher than we were in the past.

 

[TorstenFrings]

As long as they have eight real teams in the tournament, I would be fine with that. Switzerland is a lock in the tournament and since the World Cup is more business orientated, I believe they should go with Germany as the 8th team since it would give them a bigger market (and Germany is debatable the 8th best team anyway).

Germany is not (in considerable numbers) getting up in the middle of the night to watch NA hockey.
They did it for Olympia, because that shit happens every 4 years AND it was important AND it was hyped out the wazoo by public TV, which already had the rights at no additional cost. Usually (IIHF WC, Olympic qualifiers, etc) you get less Germans than Czechs or Fins (in absolutely numbers, despite the population difference) watching hockey (and that is big ice and prime time!!!) and I am actually not sure the Spengler Cup was even on TV this year.

All of that is to say: I would not expect any short term return on investment for an NHL invitational in Germany. You are probably looking at investing a couple decades at least (like soccer in the US in 94) . Something the IIHF would do, but not the NHL, who runs this as a business.

 

[BruinLVGA]

Sorry, but Switzerland will not be better than the Czech Republic. No better young players. Now on WCH have the best possible team, otherwise they still have a big problem getting to QF.
With players such as Nečas, Chytil, Zadina, Pastrňák, Kaut, Vrána, Zacha, Hronek, Zbořil, Hájek and others, we will definitely shift in performance higher than we were in the past.

- Switzerland didn't have its absolute best team there.
- Switzerland has two silver medals in 5 years, with the last being 1 penalty shot away from gold (by the way, in the same period the Czech have no medals. Zero). I think that they will be just fine in regards to getting to the quarter finals...
- Glad you have inside news about the future. Please point me to where they sell those crystal balls or, if you feel generous, please give me winning numbers for the lottery.

Stay humble and classy, eh...

 

[Wooren]

- Switzerland didn't have its absolute best team there.
- Switzerland has two silver medals in 5 years, with the last being 1 penalty shot away from gold (by the way, in the same period the Czech have no medals. Zero). I think that they will be just fine in regards to getting to the quarter finals...
- Glad you have inside news about the future. Please point me to where they sell those crystal balls or, if you feel generous, please give me winning numbers for the lottery.

Stay humble and classy, eh...

The only top player Switzerland was missing was Hischier. They had by far the "most complete" team from the top 8 nations.
Medals are nice and utlimately the reason why international hockey is even played. But tournaments are a week or two long event. When comparing the overall strenght of nations, you look at the number of players in the NHL, top European leagues, results of the men, U20, U18, U17 squads, number of draft picks.
You don't need crystal ball to see the Czech junior teams beat their Swiss counterparts on regular basis. Whether that translates to the pros remains to be seen, but it's what you base the future on, not a medal from WCH.

 

[Goodman68]

- Switzerland didn't have its absolute best team there.
- Switzerland has two silver medals in 5 years, with the last being 1 penalty shot away from gold (by the way, in the same period the Czech have no medals. Zero). I think that they will be just fine in regards to getting to the quarter finals...
- Glad you have inside news about the future. Please point me to where they sell those crystal balls or, if you feel generous, please give me winning numbers for the lottery.

Stay humble and classy, eh...

Not the best, but almost yes ..
Yes, two medals, and in that case 2x not in QF. If Switzerland were so steadfastly high, it could not have happened.
The Czechs had a lot of bad luck several times, but in QF they were always and without problems.
I think I am humble, if even the one who claims that Switzerland is better will be humble. Do not you think?

 

[TorstenFrings]

Not the best, but almost yes ..
Yes, two medals, and in that case 2x not in QF. If Switzerland were so steadfastly high, it could not have happened.
The Czechs had a lot of bad luck several times, but in QF they were always and without problems.
I think I am humble, if even the one who claims that Switzerland is better will be humble. Do not you think?

The thing is, that IF the NHL even wants to keep hosting an invitational AND to do away with the gimmick teams showcasing NHL talent that would be otherwise disregarded (mostly young Canadians and Kopitar) AND to not host any qualifying routes, then their best move is to stick with the IIHF rankings. Which currently would include the Czech Republic anyway? I am not 100% sure, but I also don't care. Would honestly prefer Germany be left out of this mess as it is.

 

[Goodman68]

The thing is, that IF the NHL even wants to keep hosting an invitational AND to do away with the gimmick teams showcasing NHL talent that would be otherwise disregarded (mostly young Canadians and Kopitar) AND to not host any qualifying routes, then their best move is to stick with the IIHF rankings. Which currently would include the Czech Republic anyway? I am not 100% sure, but I also don't care. Would honestly prefer Germany be left out of this mess as it is.

The Czechs are relatively close to the sixth.
2018 Ranking (May)