World Cup Boycott

[Conspiracy Theorist]

I'm certainly not going to make any effort to purposely avoid it, but I doubt I will make much effort to really follow it either.

Sometimes on a lazy weekend morning while the IIHF WC is running I will watch a game. While watching I really don't care who wins and I usually find myself thinking it's too bad hockey doesn't have a real World Championship/Cup. I imagine I will feel the same way while watching a WCup game.



IMHO it's hard to blame European fans for feeling that way given how the NHL (and PA) have managed the WCup up to this point. I could be wrong, but I think most European fans would get over who actually runs the tournament if the NHL could prove they are capable of running a WCup that actually resembles a WCup.

-Hold it at regular intervals
-Some type of qualifying system and probably expand the field a bit
-Entire tournament and/or later stages not always held in the same country
-Perhaps earmark some of the revenue/profit back for the national feds to use for player/infrastructure development.

It's too bad... Right now we have the WC that has the structure but not (all) the players and the WCup that has the players but not the structure, and what we are stuck with is a bunch of flawed tournaments.

The olympics are cream of the crop.

 

[BayStreetBully]

Counter argument - why should the NHL continue to send their best players to play in locations that are determined solely by the IOC with no input from any of the sports federations (e.g., IIHF) or the professional leagues that pay the players (e.g., NHL)? The 2022 Winter Olympics bid process really pulled back the curtain on the IOC's rampant corruption and how they select locations based on how many of their exorbitant demands the host city/nation is willing to meet. Losing hockey at future Olympics is something the IOC is accomplishing quite well themselves, and why blame the NHL/NHLPA for looking at other potential options? The NHLPA's involvement should not be over-looked because they players are the ones who will ultimately decide the fate of international best-on-best hockey.

Speaking technically, the IIHF does have say in where the Olympics are held because the president, Rene Fasel, is an IOC member who votes on bidding hosts. Fasel was supportive of Pyeongchang 2018. But that aside, I get what you mean.

I agree that desirability on Olympic hosting is at an all-time low right now (at least since the 80's). I think the Sochi Olympics and their $50 billion price tag was a real detriment to the Olympic movement overall, something I've argued here in the past. But the allure of winning a gold medal outweighs where the Games are held. It will never be realistic to have every WOG in North America, so let's rule that out.

The World Cup allows the NHL to hold a tournament in Toronto or NY whenever it wants, which is a plus for business. I *get* why the NHL isn't thrilled about the Olympics. But I also know the players and the fans love it, because that's the only way of winning an Olympic medal. That's all I care about. Hockey doesn't have its version of the FIFA World Cup. The NHL doesn't have the legitimacy of being a neutral international governing body. The fans won't crowd the streets in passion with his World Cup. So I see the necessity of the Olympics.

If you want to argue business, you have a great argument. I just don't care for it.

 

[QnebO]

Had they called two teams differently, they could've got more of top players from Europe in without gimmick teams. Just name it Soviet Union, so you get Kopitar in, thats what you want I guess? And add best slovaks to czech team and call it Czechos-slovakia. Give Germany a team based on Adolf's times when Swiss was their territory, and as Final team add area of Roman empire. Call it team Italy or Rome for all I care. Thats so big area you must get a good team. At least they would be national teams

 

[habsrule4eva3089]

I only watch International tournaments.

Our sport is global, many different countries, cultures, the International side of this sport is watched around the world. This is just a blatant attempt to try to make money off the international game. Screw the nhl.

 

[OilerPensfan97]

I will watch, but this is NOT a replacement for the Olympics. They have to play both.

 

[JackSlater]

Counter argument - why should the NHL continue to send their best players to play in locations that are determined solely by the IOC with no input from any of the sports federations (e.g., IIHF) or the professional leagues that pay the players (e.g., NHL)? The 2022 Winter Olympics bid process really pulled back the curtain on the IOC's rampant corruption and how they select locations based on how many of their exorbitant demands the host city/nation is willing to meet. Losing hockey at future Olympics is something the IOC is accomplishing quite well themselves, and why blame the NHL/NHLPA for looking at other potential options? The NHLPA's involvement should not be over-looked because they players are the ones who will ultimately decide the fate of international best-on-best hockey.

The Olympics and a World Cup are not mutually exclusive. Since the players want to go, Olympic participation should just be included in bargaining between the PA and the NHL.

 

[QnebO]

Olympic gold is something like stanley cup is. Every athlete that is on top of the world in his sport would love to compete for olympic gold. It can't be just NHL's decision. Olympic gold is not just a random tournament that NHL should be able to block. Modern olympics is about best of the world colliding in the most valuable competition possible. It is "the" games, that will make you legendary and Olympic gold is the kind of win that every one understands, even has 2-3 thousand years old prestige of games being played. You just can't block atheletes going by saying "we want to play regullar season games to get another dime".

 

[OilersFanatics505]

IMHO the structure for this years tournament is great... I know, I know its not best on best but hear me out!

A lot of players on these "man made" teams wouldn't be making the tournament anyways. It gives them a chance to get international exposure with these types of tournaments and when the next World Cup comes around, they can go back to the regular format and now you have players with this type of exposure that wouldn't have had it otherwise.

It also gives the nations extra looks at players for their own Olympic teams.

Have at it.

 

[Barrie22]

Olympic gold is something like stanley cup is. Every athlete that is on top of the world in his sport would love to compete for olympic gold. It can't be just NHL's decision. Olympic gold is not just a random tournament that NHL should be able to block. Modern olympics is about best of the world colliding in the most valuable competition possible. It is "the" games, that will make you legendary and Olympic gold is the kind of win that every one understands, even has 2-3 thousand years old prestige of games being played. You just can't block atheletes going by saying "we want to play regullar season games to get another dime".

Olympics are supposed to be about the best amateurs in the sports involved. People making 10 million off contracts does not count as amateurs. But the greed of the olympic committee ruined that idea.

 

[FiLe]

It also gives the nations extra looks at players for their own Olympic teams.

Wait. Like Slovenia wouldn't be wise enough to pick Kopitar if he didn't play for Team Leftovers?

 

[FiLe]

Olympics are supposed to be about the best amateurs in the sports involved. People making 10 million off contracts does not count as amateurs. But the greed of the olympic committee ruined that idea.

What ruined that was that some countries were sending athletes who were "technically" amateurs while they were nothing pros in reality.

So you could say the IOC wisened up by lifting the "amateurs only" restriction.

Though again, I have to remind people that each of the Olympic venues are actually organized by their respective global body. And there still are some venues where amateurism is maintained, at least on paper. Like boxing - prizefighters have no business in the Olympic ring.

Yes, the IOC is pretty corrupt, but they still don't deserve all the flack that's thrown their way. A lot of the oddities going on in th Olympics is actually on the various global feds. That hockey is full pro these days is actually on the IIHF, not on the IOC. And that oft-quoted Viktor Ahn nationality debacle is similarly on the ISU, not on the IOC.

That's one thing to like about the World Cup, I guess. Whenever you wish to fling crap, you can aim it at the NHL and know you can't miss.

 

[QnebO]

Olympics are supposed to be about the best amateurs in the sports involved. People making 10 million off contracts does not count as amateurs. But the greed of the olympic committee ruined that idea.

No they arent any more. Look at other sports, like running and field sports or skiing, they are pro athletes. Olympics aren't amateurs anymore, and even more importantly, theyshouldn't be. And therefore the earlier text I wrote stands.

At the times of antic there were no pro sports outside of gladiator slavery, but we shouldn't play with amateurs just to mimic the time, when there was nothing but amateurs. If there was a "pro" in rome, they would've used him in olympics for sho.

 

[Back in Black]

This tournament means a whole lot more to Canadians, because the “WCoH" is the old "Canada Cup” & “Summit Series" which were legendary.

 

[STC]

People boycotting this are the same people who boycotted the all star game because John Scott happened.

 

[cleveland408]

People boycotting this are the same people who boycotted the all star game because John Scott happened.

Great generalizing there

 

[Karma_]

People boycotting this are the same people who boycotted the all star game because John Scott happened.

No, people boycotting this are the people who called attempts to exclude John Scott stupid and disrespectful to the fans.
Similarly to the arbitrary decisions regarding this World Cup format.

 

[Gaps]

Olympics are supposed to be about the best amateurs in the sports involved. People making 10 million off contracts does not count as amateurs. But the greed of the olympic committee ruined that idea.

There's no going back to 'amateur' teams in Olympic hockey, but the IOC has nothing to do with that. They started allowing pro athletes because the makeup of international sports (including hockey) had changed. Pro athletes haven't existed all that long.

These days the NHL isn't the only pro league in the world and even if North American teams only consisted of college players (at best), there's no way European countries wouldn't send pro teams, they'd just be missing their NHLers. Hockey is a global game nowadays whether you like it or not, and international hockey shouldn't revolve around the whims of a few greedy and ignorant American businessmen. The NHL can either choose to participate in growing the game internationally or isolate itself from the international hockey community, but there is no sense in crying after amateur Olympics because that will never happen again even if the NHL no longer participates.

 

[STC]

Great generalizing there

Wasn't that hard to figure it out. People who don't like things that are fun.

 

[kabidjan18]

Wasn't that hard to figure it out. People who don't like things that are fun.

You basically generalized your comment out of relevance. The commenters on international tournaments are often different from the people on NHL forums. I for one didn't even notice the John Scott thread and neither did others who you would smartly label "bitter Europeans." You think you're super clever but all I can give you is that you do have a lot of people laughing at you.

 

[QnebO]

People boycotting this are the same people who boycotted the all star game because John Scott happened.

No. To me John Scott alone made all star worth waching. Actually if Scott was elected to team USA or Canada, it would make this more interesting again.

Wasn't that hard to figure it out. People who don't like things that are fun.

Umm you figured it wrong. That was fun, putting gimmick team in sport World Cup is stupid. There is a clear difference.

 

[DyerMaker66*]

Umm you figured it wrong. That was fun, putting gimmick team in sport World Cup is stupid. There is a clear difference.

Putting a **** player into the all-star game wasn't fun for me.

 

[FiLe]

Had they called two teams differently, they could've got more of top players from Europe in without gimmick teams. Just name it Soviet Union, so you get Kopitar in, thats what you want I guess? And add best slovaks to czech team and call it Czechos-slovakia. Give Germany a team based on Adolf's times when Swiss was their territory, and as Final team add area of Roman empire. Call it team Italy or Rome for all I care. Thats so big area you must get a good team. At least they would be national teams

You fail history forever, but given it was all for , who cares.

 

[SotasicA]

Give Germany a team based on Adolf's times when Swiss was their territory

And wear Hugo Boss inspired sweaters with a swastika as their logo!

 

[ufon68]

More than anything else, we should be complaining about the NHL not allowing its players to compete in proper IIHF tourneys(worlds, olympics[lately, so far so good]), if they do that, and on top of that throw together some exhibition tournament, i have no problem. Them not lending their players to international events(or even having the power to do that) is what i find unacceptable.

Part of the universal appeal of soccer is in its international tourneys, which are always atended by the very best(olympics are a bit weird, but still), the ice hockey is taken seriously by way fewer countries, so we should try extra hard to make it more international. If a country can watch their best players to compete only by staying up till morning hours(if the game is on at all) or once in 4 years if lucky, it's not doing much for spreading the appeal.

 

[JackSlater]

More than anything else, we should be complaining about the NHL not allowing its players to compete in proper IIHF tourneys(worlds, olympics[lately, so far so good]), if they do that, and on top of that throw together some exhibition tournament, i have no problem. Them not lending their players to international events(or even having the power to do that) is what i find unacceptable.

As of right now the NHL allows its players to participate in the Olympics, and hopefully that continues. The NHL also allows its available players to participate in the IIHF World Championship. There is no issue there yet. Daly's suggestion that the World Cup could replace the Olympics is a bad sign though.