WJC: Top team of german speaking region

[HugoSimon]

Players play for their countries, not for some hyrid teams that make them better.

And yet you're following a sport dedicated to non national match ups.

Personally I think the NHL needs to invest in promoting invitation only tournaments.

Mix and match national teams with junior hockey, provincial hockey teams etc.

It's the only way that you're ever gonna see something that gives national teams a chance to ever have a sense of relevance.

The NHL tried the world cup and it's not too far off from the idea. Team Europe was majority german speaking, seems like it was the beginning of something.

After watching the juniors it's become more clear how awesome it is to have an alternative competition to the Stanley Cup. While at the same time how incredibly uneven the sport is.

As a Canadian I'm a big fan of having provincial based teams compete against foreign national teams.

It'd be interesting watching Team Newfoundland play the Belorussians etc.

For American hockey it seems like a no brainer team Arizona versus Japan etc seems like it'd be a real attraction.

 

[HugoSimon]

My apologies. Make that a Nordic team.

Funny you say that Team Czechoslovakia would of been cool as hell at the world cup.

As I've said before Hockey is trapped in the idea you either have national teams or teams that are based on hired guns representing cities.

I truly think it's an absolute detriment to the sport when the either or scenario gets too fixed.

The Spengler Cup is a great example of what could be done for the sport.

How about KHL Russia versus NHL Russia?

Hockey is a source of entertainment first game.

It isn't a traditional sport that has a massive legacy of tradition.

It existed in a handful of regions of the world, the NHL has bet the league on southern expansion, you'd think they'd push the idea this is a new modern sport, not FIFA.

This isn't just fantasy talk, hockey's a business first, a religion second.

 

[WhiskeyYerTheDevils]

This is fun – but no guarantees that it's accurate. I feel confident that the Germans and top prospects are fine but no idea about the Swiss and Austrian players who aren't active in North America. Some might deserve to play over the Germans, especially on D.

Stützle - Rossi - Peterka
Reichel - Elias - Knak
Biasca - Canonica - Fust
Dube - Kasper - Peeters
Alberg, Allenspach
(6 GER, 5 SUI, 3 AUT)

Meier - Seider
Gnyp - Glötzl
Baragano - Zimmermann
Münzenberger, Lindner
(5 GER, 2 SUI, 1 AUT)

Fatton
Wraneschitz
Ancicka
(1 AUT, 1 GER, 1 SUI)

That's a pretty good team, high powered offense. Would probably keep Elias with Stutle and Peterka though, considering how good that line was, and let Rossi run his own line with Reichel and Knak.

Would also probably have Munzenberger in my top 4, really liked his game.

 

[Mr Zappalanche]

And yet you're following a sport dedicated to non national match ups.

Personally I think the NHL needs to invest in promoting invitation only tournaments.

Mix and match national teams with junior hockey, provincial hockey teams etc.

It's the only way that you're ever gonna see something that gives national teams a chance to ever have a sense of relevance.

The NHL tried the world cup and it's not too far off from the idea. Team Europe was majority german speaking, seems like it was the beginning of something.

After watching the juniors it's become more clear how awesome it is to have an alternative competition to the Stanley Cup. While at the same time how incredibly uneven the sport is.

As a Canadian I'm a big fan of having provincial based teams compete against foreign national teams.

It'd be interesting watching Team Newfoundland play the Belorussians etc.

For American hockey it seems like a no brainer team Arizona versus Japan etc seems like it'd be a real attraction.

If you want to do it on a different kind of tournament that is fine although I dont know how would you make that tournament relevant. But you cant change the core concept of already established prestige tournaments where players take a lot of pride to represent their country.

 

[GermanNuck]

It isn't a traditional sport that has a massive legacy of tradition.

First European hockey championship was held in 1910.

First Hockey World Cup was 100 years ago.

First football World Cup (or soccer) was in 1930.

That actually does sound like a little bit of tradition and legacy when it comes to international games.

 

[Bure80]

That would probably be Germany

You really count Schwäbisch,Sächsisch,Bayrisch und Hessisch as German

 

[HugoSimon]

First European hockey championship was held in 1910.

First Hockey World Cup was 100 years ago.

First football World Cup (or soccer) was in 1930.

That actually does sound like a little bit of tradition and legacy when it comes to international games.

I meant in a whole wack of countries.

It isn't a traditional sport that has a massive legacy of tradition.

It existed in a handful of regions of the world, the NHL has bet the league on southern expansion,

My point is the scale of that legacy is quite small. Soccer is global, hockey is a regional sport. The traditional hockey regions are already well established so messing with things isn't such a big deal.

The biggest thing going on in Russia is the relatively new KHL.

In America it's the southern expansion.

There's room for more tournaments.