The "Gimmick" Teams Are The Best Part of WCOH

[PensBandwagonerNo272*]

 

[Xokkeu]

Read the forum, conclusion is all the American HFers are complaining about how boring the tourney is and everyone else likes it

And we are back to you selectively reading

 

[Xokkeu]

You can't get players to care about allstar games though, that's the issue. The 5-on-5 NHL allstar game is virtually unwatchable. 3-on-3 was a lot of fun, but you're still aware the whole time that it's not a real hockey game.

Whether or not you think is tournament carries any importance, the on-ice product has been excellent. The players clearly care, and for that reason it's a success.

As a fan, it would be hard to swallow this format replacing the Olympics. But as an addition to alternate every two years with the Olympics...well it's way better than watching the rookie tournaments this time of year.

Which is why the fake teams diminish the tournament. Players don't care about all star games because they play for nothing.

 

[Shady Machine]

Read the forum, conclusion is all the American HFers are complaining about how boring the tourney is and everyone else likes it

Just one man's opinion, but I'm an American that has enjoyed the tournament. Seeing Team USA grinder hockey fail is part of the enjoyment, but overall the tournament has been better than I expected.

 

[Shady Machine]

Which is why the fake teams diminish the tournament. Players don't care about all star games because they play for nothing.

The tournament is a way for the NHL to showcase their talent in an international tournament and make money doing so. From a fan's perspective, the goal is to be entertained by good hockey. From those perspectives, it's been a success so far.

 

[kabidjan18]

Read the forum, conclusion is all the American HFers are complaining about how boring the tourney is and everyone else likes it

I guess I must have missed the point when HFers began to comprise a significant portion of the market and of that portion a small, petty, and very ignorable few were American...

 

[Xokkeu]

The tournament is a way for the NHL to showcase their talent in an international tournament and make money doing so. From a fan's perspective, the goal is to be entertained by good hockey. From those perspectives, it's been a success so far.

The NHL is making money there's no question about that. However the tournament doesn't seem to showcasing much of itself outside of Canada. Although the fake teams aren't the sole reason for that, I do think it's a factor

 

[llwyd]

I would have preferred Finland to have faced Slovakia instead of that speed machine however entertaining and good...

 

[PensBandwagonerNo272*]

Just one man's opinion, but I'm an American that has enjoyed the tournament. Seeing Team USA grinder hockey fail is part of the enjoyment, but overall the tournament has been better than I expected.

I guess I must have missed the point when HFers began to comprise a significant portion of the market and of that portion a small, petty, and very ignorable few were American...

You're right guys I shouldn't have said all that was generalist and ignorant of me. But what I mean to do is defend the tournament and the high quality hockey it has been providing thus far. A fan of hockey will most times be enjoying this tournament at the moment unless they are unhappy with how their team specifically has preformed.

I will be the first to admit, I thought this tournament in general was going to be lame, gimmicky, and simply a cash grab where the players put in zero effort level. That turned out to be completely false right from the get go with high intensity physical hockey in the pre-tournament games. It's been fun.

 

[PensBandwagonerNo272*]

However the tournament doesn't seem to showcasing much of itself outside of Canada. Although the fake teams aren't the sole reason for that, I do think it's a factor

What does this even mean

 

[Xokkeu]

What does this even mean

Ratings are quite low in the US and Europe and ticket sales seem to either be a case of scalpers really badly misreading the market or corporate ticket buyers who want to give away the tickets.

 

[AD1066]

I will be the first to admit, I thought this tournament in general was going to be lame, gimmicky, and simply a cash grab where the players put in zero effort level. That turned out to be completely false right from the get go with high intensity physical hockey in the pre-tournament games. It's been fun.

Same, and even before last night, I was more interested in the fate of Team NA than I was of the US. Gimmicky or not, it's a joy to see so many future stars sharing the ice together. It will be fun to look back on in 15-20 years, knowing how their careers panned out.

 

[PensBandwagonerNo272*]

Ratings are quite low in the US and Europe and ticket sales seem to either be a case of scalpers really badly misreading the market or corporate ticket buyers who want to give away the tickets.

I see. Well if Team USA was doing any semblance of decent in the tourney I bet there would be better ratings since the hype of the tourney was pretty strong. Even ESPN was talking about it.

Reality is the fact ratings are higher in Canada than anywhere else shouldn't come as a surprise because that's the way it is with the sport of hockey in general.

 

[PsYcNeT]

Read the forum

What like, you and 3 other posters that dominate 70% of the conversation in all of the WCH threads complaining about it?

A vocal minority never represents popular opinion. You're just yelling at clouds.

 

[Xokkeu]

You're just yelling at clouds.

I've never tried that. Sounds like fun!

 

[Shady Machine]

The NHL is making money there's no question about that. However the tournament doesn't seem to showcasing much of itself outside of Canada. Although the fake teams aren't the sole reason for that, I do think it's a factor

How would you change that other than getting rid of the "fake teams"

 

[PensBandwagonerNo272*]

Same, and even before last night, I was more interested in the fate of Team NA than I was of the US. Gimmicky or not, it's a joy to see so many future stars sharing the ice together. It will be fun to look back on in 15-20 years, knowing how their careers panned out.

Yeah. I kind of figured that team would be putting in the effort regardless of the effort level of other teams heading into it because most of the guys on that team still have a lot to prove in terms of reputation and pure value, which of course can/will influence their leverage in future FA contract talks (one would assume anyway).

 

[kabidjan18]

What like, you and 3 other posters that dominate 70% of the conversation in all of the WCH threads complaining about it?

A vocal minority never represents popular opinion. You're just yelling at clouds.

How is the less true for supporters? That's why we have a TV ratings thread. You can look up more relevant numbers there.

 

[Xokkeu]

I see. Well if Team USA was doing any semblance of decent in the tourney I bet there would be better ratings since the hype of the tourney was pretty strong. Even ESPN was talking about it.

Reality is the fact ratings are higher in Canada than anywhere else shouldn't come as a surprise because that's the way it is with the sport of hockey in general.

I'm not sure much can help the tournament in the states. It's just at a bad time for hockey. Most people are wrapped up in football and baseball. Hardcore hockey fans are watching, but it's tough to know how you could break through in this part of the sports calendar.

That's one great thing about the Olympics is its in the deadest part of the us sports calendar. Of course that's also why the NHL owners hate shutting down for it.

 

[Shady Machine]

Ratings are quite low in the US and Europe and ticket sales seem to either be a case of scalpers really badly misreading the market or corporate ticket buyers who want to give away the tickets.

The US team blows, half of the games so far were on ESPN3, and it's hockey in early September. I'm not sure how much money the NHL will make from this tournament, but anyone expecting high US ratings for an event like this, at least before the semis, were expecting too much.

 

[JackSlater]

My idea for the next gimmick is to abolish all the countries all together, go by which league players came from in their development. One each for WHL, OHL and QMJHL, NCAA, KHL, SHL, and FEL. The last team could be for other Europe or other in general. Guys that split time will be assigned to each league they played the most in. Then it's an all gimmick tourney. Really it's a NHL event and they can arrange teams however they want. I get the history behind the tourney with the counties and all but it doesn't have to be a NHL event masquerading as an international tourney. It's can be anything else.

I agree, I would rather the NHL just drop the false pretenses of this being an international tournament. If the goal is as many NHLers as possible and as much parity as possible, just go full gimmick. The other, ideal, solution is all national teams.

I also didn't realize that teams could be eliminated from this tournament after two games (should have read more about the format I guess). That seems a bit too early.

 

[PensBandwagonerNo272*]

I'm not sure much can help the tournament in the states. It's just at a bad time for hockey. Most people are wrapped up in football and baseball. Hardcore hockey fans are watching, but it's tough to know how you could break through in this part of the sports calendar.

That's one great thing about the Olympics is its in the deadest part of the us sports calendar. Of course that's also why the NHL owners hate shutting down for it.

Very true. It's been cutting into my Blue Jays time for sure (but they've been disappointing lately so there's not much to see anyway).

Whether or not the players go to Korea or not I'm not sure how much interest will be there for the tournament given the timezone is literally about opposite of NA. Not sure how they are going to work that. And the next winter games after that are in China...

 

[Xokkeu]

How would you change that other than getting rid of the "fake teams"

Well that's basically alleviate the only concerns I personally have. Maybe make a qualifying tournament for the smaller countries. Obviously commit to actually holding the tournament on a regular four year interval. As for getting better publicity, the time of year isn't great for the US or Europe but I don't think they'll ever change that.


There's a lot to like about it though. The group stage format makes the games meaningful and exciting. Not sure I like the best of 3 but it's unique. I go back and forth on it.

 

[kabidjan18]

How would you change that other than getting rid of the "fake teams"

Opening day should have been the Friday night of or the week before. CFB week 3 is really bad to compete with. CFB week 2 usually is the one week with bad matchups so it's better to compete with, having the USA vs. Europe game Friday night is also an option. They literally slotted the opening match next to the mid-day lineup, really bad idea.

 

[Xokkeu]

The US team blows, half of the games so far were on ESPN3, and it's hockey in early September. I'm not sure how much money the NHL will make from this tournament, but anyone expecting high US ratings for an event like this, at least before the semis, were expecting too much.

They sold out most games (whether actual fans showed up or the ticket died on Stubhub is a different matter). They are getting great ratings in Canada. I think the NHL and NHLPA will be happy with their take home pay.