World championship, new layout.

[Nordic*]

Since the WC is not a tournament between the best teams, why not change it up a little.

In the 25 man roster, at least 15 skaters and 2 goalies have to be 24 or younger (turn 24 that year), and of those 17 players, at least 5 have to be 20 years old or younger.

This would force some youth and enthusiasm on the rosters, instead of sleepy 33 year olds who are on the way down-hill.

It would be a mix of players from all "walks of life", which would probably create a more open and offensive hockey.

I mean, Canada is sending their F-team and Sweden perhaps their C or D-team, so it's not like it's the best of the best anyway.

Click to read more...

 

[Wooren]

If you want to watch youth, watch WJC U20 or U18. I don't want to change something that has worked for so many years.

I mean, I love when teams include young players, but they shouldn't be forced to.

 

[Voodoozz]

You know there are WJC's for that ? It's MEN'S world championship lol, i mean it's good to see some young blood but you can't force teams to play only kids at the MEN's tournament, stupid idea.
EDIT: I believe all teams send the best AVAILABLE players, many NHLers are either injured,tired or in SC. I know US doesn't care and sends their college guys to get experience, their decision but others (mostly) take it seriously.

 

[ViD]

It's not Canada's F team

 

[Mortimer Snerd]

Since the WC is not a tournament between the best teams, why not change it up a little.

In the 25 man roster, at least 15 skaters and 2 goalies have to be 24 or younger (turn 24 that year), and of those 17 players, at least 5 have to be 20 years old or younger.

This would force some youth and enthusiasm on the rosters, instead of sleepy 33 year olds who are on the way down-hill.

It would be a mix of players from all "walks of life", which would probably create a more open and offensive hockey.

I mean, Canada is sending their F-team and Sweden perhaps their C or D-team, so it's not like it's the best of the best anyway.

If you want to fix the WC run it later. After the SC would be best but even 2 weeks later would help.

 

[JTD]

It's so hard to find a way to make everything about this tournament ideal. Fun tournament to watch without question, but with how the different leagues are set up, hard to please everybody. The season goes on much longer in North America and then they have contract issues that aren't resolved until July for the most part. Ideally for NHL players, pushing the date back after SC Finals would be ideal but then players in European leagues would have much less time to get ready for their season than those in NA. Will never be perfect. I wish they could hold this until after the season so that North American cities could host this tournament more than once every blue moon but that's gonna happen.

I think a middle ground might be holding this tournament at the beginning of June. Gives free agents a little more time to possibly sign an extension, allows for a far bigger pool of players available and let's guys heal up injuries and still lets European players have enough time to rest up for their season. Not a perfect solution by any means but probably is the best that can be done

 

[moon*]

It's not Canada's F team

You are right goaltending wise it is below the F team and defensively it could be below that as well.

 

[Urbanskog]

What an awful idea. How many junior tournaments do we need?

[MOD]

 

[garbageteam]

It's so hard to find a way to make everything about this tournament ideal. Fun tournament to watch without question, but with how the different leagues are set up, hard to please everybody. The season goes on much longer in North America and then they have contract issues that aren't resolved until July for the most part. Ideally for NHL players, pushing the date back after SC Finals would be ideal but then players in European leagues would have much less time to get ready for their season than those in NA. Will never be perfect. I wish they could hold this until after the season so that North American cities could host this tournament more than once every blue moon but that's gonna happen.

I think a middle ground might be holding this tournament at the beginning of June. Gives free agents a little more time to possibly sign an extension, allows for a far bigger pool of players available and let's guys heal up injuries and still lets European players have enough time to rest up for their season. Not a perfect solution by any means but probably is the best that can be done

Who wants to watch ice hockey in the middle of summer? I personally don't mind the B/C teams coming out - gives other players who might otherwise never get to wear their national jersey a chance. Soccer and basketball teams do that too - FIBA WC and qualifiers is never USA's A team (or even Spain's), and there are tons of B/C team players that cycle through elite soccer teams like Brazil, Germany and Spain for less important tournaments and qualifiers.

I do agree that the timing they used this year (2nd round long over by now before the preliminaries are done) should be strongly considered for all tournaments going forward. It was weird seeing Pleks and Ovie added for one or two games in the semis and finals last year. Should time it so that 2nd round of playoffs are definitely over before the elimination games start.

 

[crabcz]

If you want to fix the WC run it later. After the SC would be best but even 2 weeks later would help.

Sure, players would be extatic and not completely out of practice waiting 2+ months for the SC to be decided so exactly 0 extra players can join their team (who would be moronic enough after such a long season?).

 

[crabcz]

Who wants to watch ice hockey in the middle of summer? I personally don't mind the B/C teams coming out - gives other players who might otherwise never get to wear their national jersey a chance. Soccer and basketball teams do that too - FIBA WC and qualifiers is never USA's A team (or even Spain's), and there are tons of B/C team players that cycle through elite soccer teams like Brazil, Germany and Spain for less important tournaments and qualifiers.

I do agree that the timing they used this year (2nd round long over by now before the preliminaries are done) should be strongly considered for all tournaments going forward. It was weird seeing Pleks and Ovie added for one or two games in the semis and finals last year. Should time it so that 2nd round of playoffs are definitely over before the elimination games start.

All other leagues would have to reschedule their start and end of season so 1 or 2 players can join their team. Even now many players are done weeks before the tournament starts.

 

[Bruce Granville]

What an awful idea. How many junior tournaments do we need?

[MOD]

This.

Sure, players would be extatic and not completely out of practice waiting 2+ months for the SC to be decided so exactly 0 extra players can join their team (who would be moronic enough after such a long season?).

And this.

It is what is. Deal with it.

 

[tony d]

I enjoy this tournament, always have, no need to change something that has worked for so long.

 

[MXD]

The World Championship isn't a best-on-best tournament, but considering Olympics might not be best on best in the future years, and that the World Cup won't be an internationnal tournament before next edition (if at all), making the W.Championships even less of a best-on-best doesn't exactly seem like the way to go.

But individual countries are certainly free to follow such guidelines as an internal rule, in order to give some experience to younger players.

 

[JackSlater]

There is no way to make the World Championship what it should be. In recent years the IIHF has done as good a job as possible to get the best players involved though. Arbitrarily limiting the players who can be selected is just a change that would make some people (Europeans) quite angry and leave other people (North Americans) apathetic.

 

[westc2]

As long as the World Championships happen during the Stanley Cup Playoffs, it will never be a meaningful tournament. The World Cup will never be a meaningful tournament either in it's current format.

 

[Inkling]

As long as it remains popular, sells tickets, gets television revenue, helps support international hockey financially through the IIHF, then no reason to change anything. It is what it is.

Hopefully someday the NHL and IIHF will together figure out a *real* hockey World Cup which can be held every four years, staggered with the Olympics, but the World Championship tournament has history and tradition and judging by the crowds, is very popular with fans in Europe.

 

[PuLaAho]

I would go with four groups. Four teams in each group. One game against each team. Two of the best teams from each group advancing to playoffs. Quarters, semifinals and finals played @ best of three.

Maximum number of games played would be 12 (10 now) for top teams. More meaningful games, more playoffs.

Now you have to play 5-6 "practise matches" against weaker teams before any meaningful games.

 

[BruinLVGA]

Let's run the WC after the NHL season ends. Then the NHL will allow players to participate 3-4 times, then they will procede to sing the blues about no $$$, make their own tournament with made up teams, like they're doing for the World Cup vs OG fiasco.
I see the future and I am not liking it. Let's keep the WC the way they are, shall we?

 

[Pandaman11]

I didn't know where else to post this

As of the upcoming season, the overtime and shootout format will be changed in the IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship for men’s, women’s and junior categories at all levels.

In the preliminary-round the overtime period will be played up to five minutes with three-on-three skaters. If still tied, a shootout with three rounds and if necessary tie-break shots will take place.

In playoff games (except for the gold medal game) the overtime period will be played up to ten minutes with four-on-four skaters. If still tied, a shootout with five rounds and if necessary tie-break shots will take place.

In the gold medal game the overtime period will be played up to 20 minutes with five-on-fiveskaters. If still tied, a shootout with five rounds and if necessary tie-break shots will take place.

 

[GermanNuck]

I actually like seeing some depth at the tournament.
Every now and then there is a Cinderella story, and some unscouted diamond appears. This is what makes the IIHF tournament so interesting. It doesn't have to be Crosby vs. Ovechkin every year.

 

[FuriousSenator]

Since the WC is not a tournament between the best teams, why not change it up a little.

In the 25 man roster, at least 15 skaters and 2 goalies have to be 24 or younger (turn 24 that year), and of those 17 players, at least 5 have to be 20 years old or younger.

This would force some youth and enthusiasm on the rosters, instead of sleepy 33 year olds who are on the way down-hill.

It would be a mix of players from all "walks of life", which would probably create a more open and offensive hockey.

I mean, Canada is sending their F-team and Sweden perhaps their C or D-team, so it's not like it's the best of the best anyway.

Who the bleep cares if it's best on best or not. Noone has their best team at this tournament and the players are still mostly excellent.

For the record, I get a decent thrill out of this tournament and it regularly garners many many millions of viewers

Europeans love it and treat it appropriately as the most important annual international hockey tournament. It's patriotic and has phenomenal storylines every single year - not to mention it has one of my favourite sports elements (promotion and relegation) which injects a truly spellbinding dimension (look at Hungary this year - great story). In fact, I'd go so far as say I'm getting pretty bored of the NHL playoffs after so many seasons of watching in comparison...same old teams, same old matchups. At least at the IIHF WHC I get to see how new teams fare each and every year.

Everybody I know likes the tournament except for stuck up Canadians who snub their nose at it for no good reason other than this misguided notion that things aren't worth a damn in sport unless it's best on best. This is why the only domestic league of any note we have is the CFL and we'd rather support Toronto teams with American players in foreign leagues than the 'lower level' teams in our backyards.

 

[habsrule4eva3089]

North Americans and their view that only best on best matters is very weird to me. Even being from here. Just watch the games, will you not cheer for your country because it's not the best? Every sport in the World has a best on best every 4 years. We don't need one yearly, that ruins the show.

Ooo it doesn't matter?

Then what matters, The Stanley Cup playoffs?

Nobody in Canada is watching those now.
In the US it attracts barely anything above usual which is like what, 1% of their population.

And nobody as hell cares about them in Russia,Finland,Sweden or any Euro Hockey country.

More people across the Hockey world will watch the Worlds, so isn't that more important by this logic.

Enjoy it, it's beautiful Hockey with passionate fans, unlike the mundane boring 9 months of a ''product'' the nhl offers, which is frankly an insult to the game.

 

[BruinLVGA]

Who the bleep cares if it's best on best or not. Noone has their best team at this tournament and the players are still mostly excellent.

For the record, I get a decent thrill out of this tournament and it regularly garners many many millions of viewers

Europeans love it and treat it appropriately as the most important annual international hockey tournament. It's patriotic and has phenomenal storylines every single year - not to mention it has one of my favourite sports elements (promotion and relegation) which injects a truly spellbinding dimension (look at Hungary this year - great story). In fact, I'd go so far as say I'm getting pretty bored of the NHL playoffs after so many seasons of watching in comparison...same old teams, same old matchups. At least at the IIHF WHC I get to see how new teams fare each and every year.

Everybody I know likes the tournament except for stuck up Canadians who snub their nose at it for no good reason other than this misguided notion that things aren't worth a damn in sport unless it's best on best. This is why the only domestic league of any note we have is the CFL and we'd rather support Toronto teams with American players in foreign leagues than the 'lower level' teams in our backyards.

North Americans and their view that only best on best matters is very weird to me. Even being from here. Just watch the games, will you not cheer for your country because it's not the best? Every sport in the World has a best on best every 4 years. We don't need one yearly, that ruins the show.

Ooo it doesn't matter?

Then what matters, The Stanley Cup playoffs?

Nobody in Canada is watching those now.
In the US it attracts barely anything above usual which is like what, 1% of their population.

And nobody as hell cares about them in Russia,Finland,Sweden or any Euro Hockey country.

More people across the Hockey world will watch the Worlds, so isn't that more important by this logic.

Enjoy it, it's beautiful Hockey with passionate fans, unlike the mundane boring 9 months of a ''product'' the nhl offers, which is frankly an insult to the game.

Thank you for restoring my faith in North American fans.

 

[JackSlater]

Everybody I know likes the tournament except for stuck up Canadians who snub their nose at it for no good reason other than this misguided notion that things aren't worth a damn in sport unless it's best on best. This is why the only domestic league of any note we have is the CFL and we'd rather support Toronto teams with American players in foreign leagues than the 'lower level' teams in our backyards.

You must live in a very small enclave of Canada if everyone you know likes the World Championship. It's a good little tournament, I like it myself, but barely anyone I know watches it and really none of them care about the result. As for your point about domestic leagues... there is no reason for anyone to care about if teams in Toronto have American players. Domestic leagues are not international competition.

North Americans and their view that only best on best matters is very weird to me. Even being from here. Just watch the games, will you not cheer for your country because it's not the best? Every sport in the World has a best on best every 4 years. We don't need one yearly, that ruins the show.

Ooo it doesn't matter?

Then what matters, The Stanley Cup playoffs?

Nobody in Canada is watching those now.
In the US it attracts barely anything above usual which is like what, 1% of their population.

And nobody as hell cares about them in Russia,Finland,Sweden or any Euro Hockey country.

More people across the Hockey world will watch the Worlds, so isn't that more important by this logic.

Enjoy it, it's beautiful Hockey with passionate fans, unlike the mundane boring 9 months of a ''product'' the nhl offers, which is frankly an insult to the game.

Why should North Americans care just because Europeans care? That's as stupid as when people say that Europeans have to care about the Stanley Cup because North Americans do. The tournament is what it is. To claim that the level of hockey is higher than that found in the Stanley Cup playoffs is also quite disingenuous.