WJC must be rescheduled for the summer

[William H Bonney]

Canada has the rights for this year’s tournament. It’s all politics and dollar signs.

Also not sure Hockey Canada entirely deserves your vitriol after pulling off last year’s bubble tournament without any serious hiccoughs.

They deserve the scorn from not learning any lessons from their well run 2021 WJC. There was zero reason to not run a fully contained bubble again. Had greed not gotten in the way, the 2022 WJC would be chugging along.

 

[Canada4Gold]

They deserve the scorn from not learning any lessons from their well run 2021 WJC. There was zero reason to not run a fully contained bubble again. Had greed not gotten in the way, the 2022 WJC would be chugging along.

How much advance notice do you need to make a bubble work? Because 3 weeks ago the NHL was running perfectly smoothly with only 4 or 5 games cancelled in November. In that world this would have worked and a bubble likely would have bene overkill. Once Omicron hit yeah a bubble would have been prudent. I'm not sure they had enough time to set it up in time though.

 

[William H Bonney]

How much advance notice do you need to make a bubble work? Because 3 weeks ago the NHL was running perfectly smoothly with only 4 or 5 games cancelled in November. In that world this would have worked and a bubble likely would have bene overkill. Once Omicron hit yeah a bubble would have been prudent. I'm not sure they had enough time to set it up in time though.

Covid has been bad the whole time and new, more easily transmissible variants are coming about all the time. Before omicron it was delta. There was zero upside from running a half-assed bubble; just downside. Omicron is being used as a scapegoat for bad planning.

 

[Antiillafire]

Most of them go to the summer showcase every year anyways. I doubt you would see many players on the current team back away.

The summer showcase… which is what made up of 4 nations?

 

[TheBeastCoast]

The summer showcase… which is what made up of 4 nations?

Yes. Bring the rest of the teams. Unless there is specifically a reason why they wouldn't be able to do that?

 

[habsrule4eva3089]

You don't celebrate Christmas in June.

This tournament and whole meaning and feeling of it is useless in the ugly months of that ugly season called summer.

What a shame this brutal organization happened. International Hockey is suffering so much.

 

[ISensFanI]

Right before the draft would be cool

 

[The Crypto Guy]

It’s dead, just let it rest till next year..

 

[HSF]

They deserve the scorn from not learning any lessons from their well run 2021 WJC. There was zero reason to not run a fully contained bubble again. Had greed not gotten in the way, the 2022 WJC would be chugging along.

isnt it the IIHF that make those decisions?

Why would it be up to Hockey Canada

 

[William H Bonney]

isnt it the IIHF that make those decisions?

Why would it be up to Hockey Canada

The host nation pays for running the tournament and not the IIHF. They make those decisions in concert with the IIHF.

 

[majormajor]

You don't celebrate Christmas in June.

This tournament and whole meaning and feeling of it is useless in the ugly months of that ugly season called summer.

What a shame this brutal organization happened. International Hockey is suffering so much.

You say that now but you'll be on the edge of your seat watching it whenever it happens. It just sucks not to have it right now.

 

[HSF]

The host nation pays for running the tournament and not the IIHF. They make those decisions in concert with the IIHF.

gotcha then its a failure of both sides

though I think the IIHF should have final say on important decisions like that imo . This was not designed as a bubble like last year

 

[wetcoast]

Would it? Everyone would have to keep the same rosters

How would that be enforced exactly?

The whole situation, even if they do continue it in the summer will be a summer full of complaints from this board no doubt.

No easy way out of a really crappy situation here.

I do agree though that the rosters should be frozen and if any new players are added they have to be of age during the actual tournament but teams can keep their current 19 year olds.

I say this without even looking at any teams roster, just seems the fairest way to do it if they resume play in the summer.

 

[SeanConn]

why the hell wasn't it held in a bubble? Omicron emerged well before the start of the tournament... there's not excuse at all!

 

[wetcoast]

Every organizer of this event should never be allowed to touch hockey again.

No bubble? Putting players in hotels with the general public? Cancelling games because vaccinated players test positive for what amounts to a mild cold?

Just a total disgrace all around. Incompetent beyond words.

One of 2 things is going on here, either you are perfect or you switch jobs alot.

Obviously there is alot of hindsight going on but exactly where was all this talk in the beginning of December from all the armchair organizers on HF Boards?

 

[wetcoast]

I'll take it a step further.

IIHF in partnership with the IOC, NHL and NHLPA announced the first ever World Ice Hockey Olympic Summit.

10 teams per tournament.

Men's Olympics
Women's Olympics
Men's U20 IIHF Championship
Women's U20 IIHF Championship

Bring the NHL (as partners) to help grow the game and advertise is.

Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, Hamilton to host all four tournaments simultaneously.

Bronze medal games could take place on the same day at the same venue

Gold medal games the next day same venue...

Women's junior 11 am
Men's junior 2 pm
Women's 5 pm
Mens 8 pm

Give the Women's games as much coverage/hype as the mens games. Perfect opportunity to grow the game through the adversity of this year.

Sure that's great except the IOC and China won't play along here.

 

[Tomas W]

Maybe since everybody is scared to death by the flu these days, and its usually much less flu during summers.

 

[Tomas W]

9 am...1 pm....5pm....9pm? Using iihf rules with shootouts after ot? I think it could work.

All gold medal games on one Saturday would be unreal

As for the Olympics.....exceptional times calls for exceptions. This would be huge for the game and build momentum for the IOC for 2026

There will be some Covid-19 version 2026 too.

 

[wetcoast]

Canada again. What could go wrong.

Exactly what was the IIHF federation thinking, there are zero Covid problems in the states and change of venue was obvious before this tournament even started....

 

[pown]

Agreed. These players have been robbed and so did the fans because of incompetence at the higher level. Reschedule it if you have to. Do it in a southern state where these crazy measures are not in place and just stop testing asymptomatic players and keep them in a bubble hotel. If a player does not want to risk it then he doesnt play, easy solution. IIHF need to get their head out of their ass and so does the canadian government. They are vaccinated and healthy young athletes, it poses no threat to them. Test them at the end of the tourny and if they are infected keep them isolated for 5 days in said hotel

 

[Fixed to Ruin]

I'm not going to lie if somehow this tournament can be played just before the NHL draft that would be amazing.

Imagine the gold medal game being played on a Tuesday or Wednesday and the draft on Friday / Saturday.

Every NHL team would know where they are drafting, All the top prospects showcasing their talents, players draft stocks rising and falling ect.

 

[Yakushev72]

As one who is entirely pro-vaccination and pro-COVID regulations, this is a complete and utter embarrassment for the IIHF. Beyond words. That they could hold the tournament last year pre-vaccines and choose to cancel this one is unacceptable.

The IIHF has to reschedule the WJC for this summer; this isn’t the Olympics but their own goddamn tournament - the only one we have. They can’t just say, “Oops, we f***ed up,” and then move on while continuing to act as the organizing body for international hockey. Reschedule or resign.

Amazing how Canadian posters have shifted blame for the cancellation from Hockey Canada and local Edmonton interests, where it belongs, to the IIHF. When did the IIHF start running hotels in Edmonton. Was it the IIHF that scheduled the wedding party in the lobby of the hotel where Team USA and others were staying. The Edmonton group that bid on the tournament assured everyone that no one would penetrate the bubble. As it turned out, it was a sieve!

 

[Yakushev72]

There will be no World Junior tournament this summer. The next tournament will be in Siberia in December.

 

[Kshahdoo]

With this omicron being highly transmissible but way weaker than other variants, it can work as a natural vaccine. It won't surprise me, if COVID will completely disappear to the summer.

 

[bossram]

They'll definitely consider a summer tournament. Broadcasters and hosts will need to make good on the ad-spend that's already been bought.