Ouch...but it's all about Swiss and Slovak players, without them they won't complete this team...
Terrible world cup ideas
- Thread starter Lolonegoal
- Start date
Ouch...but it's all about Swiss and Slovak players, without them they won't complete this team...
tobu
Registered User
Of the Slovak players I only read Halak saying he doesn't really mind. Hossa called it an awful idea.
Too bad for Kopitar, but I hope he won't be seen in this tournament. If the Swiss and Slovaks decline, there won't be a team and that's how it should be. And they are certainly not trying to make the best tournament possible (Kopitar is fooling himself if he thinks that's what they're trying), they're trying to make as much money as possible without any regard for anything or anyone else and it's sickening.
Well I suppose Kopitar has to agree seeing how the whole stupid idea was made with him in mind.
Guess you can't blame the guy for endorsing the only way he himself could be playing in it.
The bad news is that this will probably give Bettman and co renewed vigor in pushing the travesty through, despite the media, fans and majority of other players planned for this team all calling it a bad idea.
The bad news is that this will probably give Bettman and co renewed vigor in pushing the travesty through, despite the media, fans and majority of other players planned for this team all calling it a bad idea.
Man literally every athlete in the world knows pseudoephedrine is ALWAYS a no-fly danger-zone not worth crossing in competition. Its abuse is well-documented in the NHL by enforcers and the like. Backstrom's ban was entirely reasonable.
Well, the motivation for most Slovaks and Swiss to oppose this is pretty much the fact that they'd most likely be in with their proper NTs otherwise.
Which begs a question... could they still put a team together, using, say, Kopitar, Vanek, Zuccarello, Rendulic, whatever Danes and Germans there are, reinforced with possibly those Slovaks and Swiss who don't mind playing for it?
I keep thinking that if there will be a Team Leftovers in the end, no matter the opposition, perhaps the dissenters should join it after all. At the very least, they could minimize the damage that way by completely mailing it in and thus aptly demonstrating why plans like these are not something the suits would like to repeat.
That tournament is ruined the second these ridiculous leftover teams set foot on the ice. Whether they mail it in or not doesn't make a difference. The fewer big-name players they get, the better, because that would make their whole point (making the most money with tickets and merchandise) moot when they'd start having to use non-regular NHL players who most people have never heard of.
The best course of action at this point would be for all European federations to pull out altogether, but apparently the transfer agreement is forcing them to stick with it.
Ultimately, the players have the power to see to it that this dog turd event fails.
Hopefully star players from all teams will either boycott or skip it with "injuries." Or better yet, turn this thing into a laughable all-star game with no checking, no intensity and complete indifference.
Yeah, there's no way to save this clusterfrick of a tournament the moment Team Leftovers will step onto the ice. What I meant is practicing some damage control for possible future events. If we are to compare it to a group that doesn't think it's an issue, having disinterested players Sunday skate in circles around the ice is far better way to ensure this bad joke doesn't see a repeat.
jcbio11
Registered User
If they really go through with the rumoured format, hockey as an international sport is going to take a huge hit in credibility. And it's not like it's very relevant now. I mean imaging explaining to a soccer fan that the World Cup of hockey, which is supposed to be an elite competition with the best hockey players of the world, features team North America U23 and Team Left-Over Europe and 6 other teams. Laughable.
That's why hockey will be always be a second tier spectator sport
That's why hockey will be always be a second tier spectator sport
JackSlater
Registered User
- Apr 27, 2010
- 19,805
- 15,466
I fully understand why they should take issue with it, I just doubt that they will. Hockey Canada and USA hockey have good relationships with the NHL. If it was like 2010 (Crosby, Toews, Doughty not playing) then I expect that Hockey Canada would fight. In 2016 there's a decent chance that no one 23 or under makes team Canada, with MacKinnon and maybe one of the young defencemen being the only people with a shot, and only then in marginal roles.
Disinterested and unknown would be even better. Awful quality of play combined with players who don't sell many jerseys would be ideal.
TheTwelfth
Registered User
What merchandise are the NHL cashing in on during this tournament? I would take offence if NHL wants profits from selling Team Sweden/Canada/USA etc. jerseys without buying them from respective federation. Those jerseys are not part of the NHL trademark.
Are there official IIHF jerseys for Team Euro Leftovers and Team U23 Americanadians too? I'd expect that the NHL can manufacture jerseys/t-shirts/whatever for those teams as much as it wants to and the IIHF has no say.
I doubt star players from the real teams will do that. I know at least Finland has some players who would proudly wear that jersey in a beer league game. Some people are too loyal for their own (and in this case our) good.
TheTwelfth
Registered User
I didn't mention those two team jerseys though, and I think nobody will buy them anyway...
If the average NA hockey fan agrees to pay a significant sum to see this disaster, I wouldn't put it past them to buy a 'cool' Kopitar Team Leftovers jersey. Nobody in their right mind should want to buy that ugly ASG jersey either, but they still do.
Given their own union is a partner in this I doubt we are going to see too many players be publicly critical of the event. To be honest I'm sort of surprised there have already been a few who have come out and panned it. I think most parties, from the players, to the IIHF to the national feds are just going to sit back and smile and hope playing nice now helps to get the NHL onboard for the Olympics later.
Something to keep in mind is it really doesn't mean much if a player says "they don't mind" the format or find it "an interesting idea". I would imagine most players also publicly "don't mind" the all-star game and find it "interesting" but that doesn't mean they really care all that much about it either. It also isn't like they asked Kopitar or Halak to choose between playing for "Team Miscellaneous Euro" in the WCup or their own country in the Olympics (or a legit equivalent) and they picked the former.
I have never really liked the idea of a "World Cup" being a invite only tournament run unilaterally by the NHL (or any other league) so my opinion here is probably biased but I question, even if the NHL eventually does do "the right thing", if credibility is even salvageable. Given how the league has managed the WCup up to this point (eg mothballing it for a decade +), by even floating the rumoured format, they may have already squandered what little international cred this tournament had.
I understand my last paragraph is meaningless because the NHL isn't trying to organize this for the sake of establishing a tournament with international prestige/credibility. The NHL looks at this as an opportunity to bump up revenue and that's fine, but since I'm just a fan without an ownership stake in a NHL team it's also disappointing, especially if "best vs best" Olympics, or a legit equivalent (I think I would prefer something outside of the Olympics but that's a topic for another day), is a thing of the past. I know some people here think that as long as the right players show up it doesn't matter who controls the tournament (the bureaucracy!) but I think the NHL is doing a pretty good job proving otherwise.
With all that said, wasn't this oil spill due to be announced today? What happened?
Something to keep in mind is it really doesn't mean much if a player says "they don't mind" the format or find it "an interesting idea". I would imagine most players also publicly "don't mind" the all-star game and find it "interesting" but that doesn't mean they really care all that much about it either. It also isn't like they asked Kopitar or Halak to choose between playing for "Team Miscellaneous Euro" in the WCup or their own country in the Olympics (or a legit equivalent) and they picked the former.
I have never really liked the idea of a "World Cup" being a invite only tournament run unilaterally by the NHL (or any other league) so my opinion here is probably biased but I question, even if the NHL eventually does do "the right thing", if credibility is even salvageable. Given how the league has managed the WCup up to this point (eg mothballing it for a decade +), by even floating the rumoured format, they may have already squandered what little international cred this tournament had.
I understand my last paragraph is meaningless because the NHL isn't trying to organize this for the sake of establishing a tournament with international prestige/credibility. The NHL looks at this as an opportunity to bump up revenue and that's fine, but since I'm just a fan without an ownership stake in a NHL team it's also disappointing, especially if "best vs best" Olympics, or a legit equivalent (I think I would prefer something outside of the Olympics but that's a topic for another day), is a thing of the past. I know some people here think that as long as the right players show up it doesn't matter who controls the tournament (the bureaucracy!) but I think the NHL is doing a pretty good job proving otherwise.
With all that said, wasn't this oil spill due to be announced today? What happened?
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Tomorrow according to The Hockey News.
Maybe they're still deciding which poor sap has to make the announcement and field the incredulous media questions.
I wonder if there even could be large enough amount of backfire to force these moronic suits to make a full 180 on this. After all, as it was pointed out, it's going to look bad no matter what they do.
In the end, the best I could see 'em reach is some kind of cheap compromise. Let the most insulted party, Slovakia, have a team of their own. While the debate of whether they should still be included among the elite or not is very much ongoing, there's no way one can completely count 'em out yet at any event. They can still ice a squad where about half of the players are NHL regulars.
However, Team Leftovers also stays on the table, only now with little less Slovaks. It will mostly consist of Swiss, German and Danish players + Kopitar, Vanek and Zuccarello. Sucks to be Switzerland, who should by all rights be the 8th country in, but on the other hand they do currently have less than ten full-time NHLers.
Also, there is a very good indicator that the Swiss won't protest as much as the Slovaks. Where does Rene Fasel come from, again?
Yes, any format that will include a mickey mouse team is a big joke, no need to tell me that. But this is about as much middle ground as I could see them realistically reach.
In the end, the best I could see 'em reach is some kind of cheap compromise. Let the most insulted party, Slovakia, have a team of their own. While the debate of whether they should still be included among the elite or not is very much ongoing, there's no way one can completely count 'em out yet at any event. They can still ice a squad where about half of the players are NHL regulars.
However, Team Leftovers also stays on the table, only now with little less Slovaks. It will mostly consist of Swiss, German and Danish players + Kopitar, Vanek and Zuccarello. Sucks to be Switzerland, who should by all rights be the 8th country in, but on the other hand they do currently have less than ten full-time NHLers.
Also, there is a very good indicator that the Swiss won't protest as much as the Slovaks. Where does Rene Fasel come from, again?
Yes, any format that will include a mickey mouse team is a big joke, no need to tell me that. But this is about as much middle ground as I could see them realistically reach.
The NHL is turning the international game into hockey's version of the XFL. Vince McMahon would be proud.
Coming to a store near you, a Team Euro Leftovers Kopitar "He Hate Me' jersey!
Coming to a store near you, a Team Euro Leftovers Kopitar "He Hate Me' jersey!
habsrule4eva3089
Registered User
- Nov 22, 2008
- 4,278
- 1,084
What ever happens, being played on small ice, this will be more entertaining then the previous Olympics and any World Championships as far as actual Hockey goes, Sochi was the worst display in International Hockey history, if the World Cup of Football was all offense, this was nothing but boring defensive Hockey.
This World Cup will be very entertaining to watch at least.
This World Cup will be very entertaining to watch at least.
1Gold Standard
Registered User
- Jun 13, 2012
- 7,986
- 317
Rogers has purchased the broadcast rights to this ******* on a stick, and for those who tune in, will have more of SN's on-air crew bringing you more unwatchable ******* on stick pre and post game.. Enjoy. but I'll be doing something else in September 2016.
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One thing is for sure: the next time the transfer agreement between Euro federations and the NHL is renewed, the Europeans have to pay more attention to what they sign. If they've signed a paper that pretty much ties their hands in this matter, it's because they didn't see the NHL being this obnoxious and stupid. Next time they have to be smarter and make sure this abomination will never happen again and if it does, it will be without a single European federation's support.
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