World Cup Boycott
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kudymen
Hakstok was a fascist clique hiver lickballs.gif
Czech national TV (public, free) stated this February they are going to show all World Cup games, as well as all pre-tournament games of Czech national team and some other teams' pre-tournament games too.
Source: Czech TV press release
Back in Black
All Sports would be great if they were Hockey
Ya, the under 23 teams is too gimmicky for me, but I’ll definitely watch the big boys play!
Proper international games are 9/10 boring as **** to watch. No wonder they're free. Hell they probably need to pay someone to watch.
You see the barn burner of exciting matches today?
U.S.A vs France - oh the excitement.
Norway vs CZE - This will be the closest game of the day.. zzzzzzzzzzz
Den vs Rus - over before it begins
Can vs Ger - Oilers vs Oiler and I couldn't care less other than feel bad for Draisitl.
Can you bet on these games?
What are the odds like?
I'd probably have to lay down $1,000 to make $10 bucks if I went USA,CZE,RUS,CAN.
A whole day of the tournament full of crap no one cares hockey.
Bring on the friggin world cup.. please.
I'll take any of these games over the atrocity of having Canadians and Americans playing against their own country.
Those four games are all interesting to me and I am currently watching USA - France. I won't sacrifice a second for the NHL's Cash Cup though.
I'll take good hockey over the names on the jerseys any day.
If watching players get their ***** handed to them is your thing then fine.
Watching a great competitive game is mine.
That's fine.. they're interesting to you.
You're 0.0000000001% of the hockey fans that give a crap. It's the reason why the NHL put in the format it did. There's not enough countries in a competitive tier with the top 6.
The real crappy part is that Slovakia and the Czech Republic are trending the other way. Germany and Switzerland are trending up but at a snails pace.
I'll wager more watch Team North America play Team Europe then any of these games. I would love to see some global television ratings for this tourney compared to the World Cup.
Something tells me the NHL has it figured out already though.
There's not enough lipstick for the pig that is France vs USA.
Do you realize that disparity is part of international tournaments? All sports have weaker teams – teams which aren't contending for gold – in their respective international championships. I don't understand why should hockey be any different in this regard.
And no, the Czech Republic is not trending down.
Is the NHL all-star game (where the players represent absolutely nothing) your idea of good hockey?
Because that's what the NHL has created with its two joke teams at the world cup.
Then the NHL should have made it a six-term tournament like the old Canada Cups, with a single round-robin followed by Semis and best-of-three final.
Why ruin the event's legitimacy with two garbage teams?
MOD. Just because there are 4 games today which have clear favourite, it doesn't mean the tournament is boring in itself, these games are usually not boring, there are a lot of upsets / surprises on the WHC.
From recent memory, for example... 2010 Czech Republic / Germany, 2012 Slovakia, 2013 Switzerland, 2014 France.
Czech Republic is not trending down. We are stagnating for the last, maybe 10 years.
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BruinLVGA
Just got me a Beretta 92XI Squalo!
Switched from the other discussion in the NHL section to this one, I see... Over there you were getting pretty beat up by the majority of posters...
Same points still apply... Better to watch ANY game than a glorified, extended All Star Game like this World Cup is. The World Cup is just another way of having a pre season for the NHL.
At least at the World Championship, teams got to the tournament on their own performance, rather than by invitation. This makes the World Cup = Spengler Cup for nations & some ridiculous made up teams - team North America vs USA or vs Canada? Are the USA & Canada no longer in North America? Team Europe? Is it a tournament pitting nations against each other or continents? LMFAO! It doesn't make any sense whatsoever. Be serious now...
Also show some respect for fans of those nations you mentioned, they deserve their respective national teams to compete if they performed well enough (and by being at the World Championship, that means they DID exactly do that). When looking at other sports, you don't see folks making fun of Canada for their soccer team for example, do you? People... Most people, that is... respect effort.
This "we are so superior & therefore don't care about others" attitude you are displaying instead, it is not very classy, eh?
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Atrocity? I think some of you are taking this MUCH too personally.
I am of the camp that is not really interested in this World Cup, and yes the Team Euroleftovers and U23 team is the reason why. I have been hoping they pull out of Olympics and have a World Cup that was similar to 96 and 2004 and a true best-on-best. Whether the NHL works with the IIHF or the individual governing bodies of each nation really doesn't concern me. Where the money goes, really doesn't concern me. Whether fans travel across the globe for this really doesn't concern me. Whether they have fan centers really doesn't concern me. Unless games are in the NYC Metro area or Philly, I won't go, but would watch on tv. But, it is a flippin hockey game, if you don't care about it, don't watch. (That is not just aimed at you, Canuckistani).
However, over the past few months I have spoken to many people who are looking forward to the tourney. They think the concept is pretty cool. They see it as the u23 team is like the little brother getting his friends together and trying to beat his older brother and his friends, or the JV trying the beat the Varsity. I've been very surprised, but outside of this board, seems like more people like the idea than not.
Cue someone posting about how EVERYONE they have spoken to thinks it is stupid or how NONE of their friends care about this tourney in 5, 4, 3,....
The problem for me isn't so much that this idiocy of a tournament is being played, it's that it may well replace the Olympics. If the NHL commits to 2018 and 2022 then they can destroy the world cup with whatever idiocy they want. Makes no difference to me.
What I find so offensive is that hockey will no longer have a legitimate best-on-best tournament because Bettman wanted to see Connor McDavid play against his own country, and felt that the hockey world just has to see Kopitar play even if we have to fabricate a team for him.
And given how popular the stupid teams seem to be among casual fans (in particular the fools who will pay money to watch it), we can safely assume that the NHL will keep the same idiocy in place for next time as well.
Bettman has essentially killed off best-on-best hockey. So yeah, I'm mad.
You don't know that, so you might want to step back from the ledge at the moment. They might be doing the gimmick teams with the thought they will still head to the Olympics. I know that is looking bleak now, but if they do pull-out of the Olympics, they can easily change the format for 2020 (or whenever) so we get a true best-on-best. I am with you that it is dumb to do the Team Euro so they can show-off Kopitar. Personally, I think it would be a better story to have him leading Slovenia and trying to beat Canada on his own. If they want to showcase everyone (Chara, Zuccarello, etc) then let every country represented in the NHL enter a team.
My thought is if they do withdraw from the Olympics, then they will have some serious dialogue with the IIHF and/or national governing bodies on doing this. Even if it means having the big-6 (or 7 if you want to count Slovakia) with qualifying tourney say the summer before for the last 1-3 spots. With a qualifying tourney being done at a time when Kopitar can play with Slovenia and when Zuccarrello can play with Norway and Streit can play with Switzerland, etc. Do that late August/early September 2019 for a 2020 tournament and get all the leagues/governing bodies to agree to release players for the qualifiers if there is a conflict.
OR, do a full qualification that includes the big-6/7. Use world rankings or whatever you want to seed/group teams and let them have a tourney to see who moves on.
I may be in the minority here, but I would prefer if the NHL played a shorter season in mirror of the KHL. That way every IIHF World Championship would be a best on best, assuming all the NHL stars actually went. Of course I don't think this would ever happen as the NHL would never tolerate the huge lose in revenue that entails, but I can dream at least.
kp61c
Registered User
so if nhl games are broadcasted then wc games will be too? they started broadcasting nhl games in russia recently, but u need be half crazy to watch them in the dead of night
Zine
Registered User
- Feb 28, 2002
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If the issue is entertainment value, my kid's games are more entertaining than the SC playoffs. Do you guys want to forego the SC playoffs to watch my 10 year old play?
FACT - This World Cup a disaster because few people are gonna be emotionally invested in an 'international tourney' that has a Connor McDavid playing against a weakened team Canada or USA or whoever. Is it entertaining?...possibly. Meaningful?...hardly. Compare that to a Canada VS Switzerland/Germany/Latvia olympic game. I'd bet that most of Canada would be extremely emotionally invested into that game, especially if its elimination round.
FACT - This World Cup a disaster because few people are gonna be emotionally invested in an 'international tourney' that has a Connor McDavid playing against a weakened team Canada or USA or whoever. Is it entertaining?...possibly. Meaningful?...hardly. Compare that to a Canada VS Switzerland/Germany/Latvia olympic game. I'd bet that most of Canada would be extremely emotionally invested into that game, especially if its elimination round.
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snipes
How cold? I’m ice cold.
- Dec 28, 2015
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Realistically who would have been the #7 and #8 team? Slovakia and Switzerland have been atrocious at the WHC.
As gimmicky as the Young Gunz and Team Europe are, at least we are seeing the best players playing in the same tournament. The quality of hockey will be of Olympic calibre or slightly below. The gimmick teams prevent us from calling this a true "best-on-best" tournament though, and that sucks.
I hate that McDavid and Eichel might have to play against their own country (at least the Young Gunz are in the other pool), but there's a chance to see some magic and really good hockey here.
As gimmicky as the Young Gunz and Team Europe are, at least we are seeing the best players playing in the same tournament. The quality of hockey will be of Olympic calibre or slightly below. The gimmick teams prevent us from calling this a true "best-on-best" tournament though, and that sucks.
I hate that McDavid and Eichel might have to play against their own country (at least the Young Gunz are in the other pool), but there's a chance to see some magic and really good hockey here.
Hopefully Finland, Russia and Sweden make short work of an indifferent YoungGunz team so that they don't contaminate the semifinals.
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