WJC must be rescheduled for the summer

[GKJ]

If they didn't re-schedule the World Championships in Switzerland 2020 this hasn't got a snowball's chance in Hell of happening especially with the WC this May coming up in Finland.

They couldn’t do that because there was no basis for a feasible infrastructure at that time until the NHL accomplished that, Hockey Canada then followed suit. As shitty as the world is today, it was worse at that time.

This is less the issue of the IIHF than it is the national federations. People are blaming the IIHF, and they did green light everything back before Omicron spiraled out of control, but it was Hockey Canada’s tournament. They organize it. They were the ones who wanted to run the tournament in two cities without a bubble (I get at this point, with fans that’s the norm now). Now if the IIHF said ‘you have to produce a bubble environment’ and Hockey Canada said no, then what? They cancel the tournament and the IIHF still takes the heat for decisions they don’t have a lot of control over.

 

[Rebels57]

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.

Couldn't agree more with every single word of this.

 

[57special]

Meh...in mid summer, I am about being outdoors, maybe watching a bit of baseball...watching the WJC's would be way down the list. Hockey players, and all athletes, need time off between seasons to rest their bodies and mind. I think it's best to write off this year as a bad, bad job, and move on to 2023.

 

[canuck2010]

You probably said the same thing last year. Lol.

I did, and if those two teams played tomorrow I would still say that Canada, the better team would win. In a one game take all anything can happen. The USA was full value for their effort in the Gold Medal game last year.

 

[canuck2010]

Meh...in mid summer, I am about being outdoors, maybe watching a bit of baseball...watching the WJC's would be way down the list. Hockey players, and all athletes, need time off between seasons to rest their bodies and mind. I think it's best to write off this year as a bad, bad job, and move on to 2023.

I think you're right.

 

[NyQuil]

I did, and if those two teams played tomorrow I would still say that Canada, the better team would win. In a one game take all anything can happen. The USA was full value for their effort in the Gold Medal game last year.

Meh, the only measure is the head-to-head matchup with all the chips on the table and the US proved to be the better team.

 

[snipes]

Meh...in mid summer, I am about being outdoors, maybe watching a bit of baseball...watching the WJC's would be way down the list. Hockey players, and all athletes, need time off between seasons to rest their bodies and mind. I think it's best to write off this year as a bad, bad job, and move on to 2023.

Yeah, that’s the shitty thing. I go hiking pretty much every weekend with my family in the summer. I’d likely just end up PVRing many of the games if they were on the weekend.

 

[wetcoast]

Yeah, that’s the shitty thing. I go hiking pretty much every weekend with my family in the summer. I’d likely just end up PVRing many of the games if they were on the weekend.

I'm sure the IIHF and Hockey Canada will take this into consideration. Well probably not.

I think they will seriously try to reschedule it both for monetary reasons and just for the sake of trying to go back to normal but they will have to deal with Covid and be ahead of the curve with the situation as it is and be fluid.

 

[trick9]

Yeah, it's not happening.

 

[Tutu to]

I’d prefer a World Cup this summer.

 

[yzerman]

Play the 2 first week in august

 

[Dr Pepper]

I'm sure the IIHF and Hockey Canada will take this into consideration. Well probably not.

I think they will seriously try to reschedule it both for monetary reasons and just for the sake of trying to go back to normal but they will have to deal with Covid and be ahead of the curve with the situation as it is and be fluid.

Nothing normal about a WJC in the summer.

It's a shame they totally botched the running of this one, but I think it's best to just hold off until next December and they can try again.

Hopefully they don't **** it up.

 

[wetcoast]

Nothing normal about a WJC in the summer.

It's a shame they totally botched the running of this one, but I think it's best to just hold off until next December and they can try again.

Hopefully they don't **** it up.

If you haven't noticed things aren't normal and other leagues are trying to play through this problem as well but it's so easy for the armchair organizers to lay blame after the fact.

 

[Dr Pepper]

If you haven't noticed things aren't normal and other leagues are trying to play through this problem as well but it's so easy for the armchair organizers to lay blame after the fact.

There was plenty of blame being thrown throughout this entire circus, and deservedly so.

You're right, other leagues have managed to cruise along just fine, dealing with cases as they happen - to an extent, anyway. NFL, NBA, NHL all humming along, although the NHL does seem to be limping a wee bit.

For the WJC to just straight up be canceled after a handful of cases though, some of them asymptomatic........I mean it doesn't get much worse than that.

There's "trying to play through this problem", as you put it, and then there's the panic-move bull**** we saw from the IIHF yesterday.

 

[Midnight Judges]

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.

Dude. That's a good idea.

Why didn't they think of that?

 

[wetcoast]

There was plenty of blame being thrown throughout this entire circus, and deservedly so.

You're right, other leagues have managed to cruise along just fine, dealing with cases as they happen - to an extent, anyway. NFL, NBA, NHL all humming along, although the NHL does seem to be limping a wee bit.

For the WJC to just straight up be canceled after a handful of cases though, some of them asymptomatic........I mean it doesn't get much worse than that.

There's "trying to play through this problem", as you put it, and then there's the panic-move bull**** we saw from the IIHF yesterday.

The NHL is hardly humming along and they also have more flexibility than a short tournament.

Was it handled very well, no not really but everyone here is also using hindsight as 20-20 vision.

Also a tournament has more moving parts and less structure than a league like the NHL so to even compare the 2 situations is feeble at best.

I think on a practical level playing in a bubble makes the most sense for this tournament (and other ones for a while) but who is willing to pay for those costs is the question?

Certainly not any of the posters casting blame here.

 

[Kudo Shinichi]

Have the tournament in the summer with the cancelled games made up in a bubble seems like the only possible silver lining. Could make it into a true best-on-best event if they allow the NHLers who are eligible to join.

If they reschedule it to the summer, then the same players who were part of the cancelled wjc will be part of that one. It wouldnt make sense to do otherwise. If one of the players is injured and can't be part of it, then you can bring in whoever, but otherwise it should be the exact same team.

 

[jaro]

Peterka - Stutzle - Reichel
That would be huge ..
Sweden with Raymond ... I hope this tournament will happend on summer

 

[alko]

Dude. That's a good idea.

Why didn't they think of that?

System overload. You cant watch hockey all day in TV for 2 weeks. Its simply too much.

 

[alko]

This idea in summer isnt such bad.

It has the potential to be the best ever WCH in recent years.

There could be NHL players (imagine Canada, Sweden, USA...).
There could be current injured players or players who wanted to play in their league teams instead of WCH.
All this players will be 6 months older and that could be significant level boost for some of them (imagine Michkov and Bedard in 6 months).

 

[wetcoast]

System overload. You cant watch hockey all day in TV for 2 weeks. Its simply too much.

And you call yourself a hockey fan.

Shame.

 

[Kajoo72]

FIFA World Cup 2022 will be played in northern hemisphere winter while ice-hockey WJC in summer. Reminds me the joke about best golfer being a black guy while best rapper a white guy.

 

[evolutionbaby]

It may have been said in here, but during last years tournament, were there many cases of covid?

 

[maacoshark]

Some firings need to happen at the IIHF and Hockey Canada for this level of utter incompetence.

Have the tournament in the summer with the cancelled games made up in a bubble seems like the only possible silver lining. Could make it into a true best-on-best event if they allow the NHLers who are eligible to join.

How was this in anyway incompetence?

 

[heyfolks]

Canada again. What could go wrong.

IF they reschedule it, take it out of Canada. Head back to Canada, after a year in a bubble and now a cancellation and you'll see players drop out. Heck, you may see teams wanting them to focus on other tourneys or training. I really don't see it happening. Give it an asterisk and move on.