They're all exhibition games, right to the end.
That would be a plus if all were national teams.
Bolded parts for the win.
Arguably so.
I look forward to seeing Sweden and Finland merged into one team for the next Bettman Cup. Just think of how competitive it will be! Hard to see how anyone could argue against it.
As I said in another thread in a sarcastic way, following this logic, the best ever tournament would be a best-of-51 series between a Team North America and a Team Rest of the World, played on games going for 5 periods (with period 4 played 4vs4, period 5 played 3vs3), with 6 full lines for each team and mandatory goalie change for each period.
#omgbestonbest #moargoals
That is why an international tournament at nations level should never be organized by the NHL: not only they don't know what international hockey means to nations & their fans, but they don't care about it. The objective is pure $$$ and nothing else, that is why they tend to transform this sport into hockey's version of Stars on Ice.
Then let's replace the Edmonton Oilers and Toronto Maple Leafs with TNA U-24 and Team Europe for the coming NHL season.
Better hockey, right?
Exactly!
Outside of Canada/North America no one even remembers these. The players seem to care and the games are real fun to watch but you cant compare this to the Olympics.
That is exactly the case in Switzerland for sure. I would actually say that the knowledge of the average fans about these tournaments is that they existed, simply. That's pretty much it. And consider that people here are nuts about hockey.
It's more free flowing cause the players don't care.
The olympics MATTER so they are a lot more hesitant and defensive.
It is pre season hockey, after all.
Really?
So say Canada wins a thriller over Sweden in the final. Next year you go to Sweden and start bragging about how awesome that game was, we'll see how you feel when the only reply you get is "Huh?".
If only one country cares about the "world" cup, it's not a world cup. It's a joke.
Yes.
By the way, for curiosity, I searched the TV Guide here to see if there was any of it on. On around 250-300 channels, none of these pre World Cup games are shown.
I found two games, one Saturday, one Sunday of the actual World Cup, but I am not sure if that's a pay per view channel or what. As a matter of fact, I am not sure if it's even a standard channel but instead maybe it's part of some extra package (here they will show you the listing but if you click on it, you get a message to subscribe).
If it was the Olympics, it would have been on all channels.
WC is nothing compared to Olympics. Even in Europe 99% of common folks don't even know that such an event is going on. Talk Asia/Africa we get approximately to 100% Only nation WC matters to is Canadians. An Olympian gold medal is recognized all around the world by most of the population. WC is just an NHL exhibition show for hockey fanatics.
Big time. I would say mostly NORTH AMERICAN hockey fanatics.
This is a worthless exhibition tournament without any national pride, created just to make money. Olympics >> WHC =WHJC > domestic leagues >>>>>>> "world cup"
My same thinking.
As long as they don't win, they'll keep saying it doesn't matter. As a Canadian, I don't really have a bias. Canada/World Cups or OG, it doesn't matter, we win most of them but not all of them so in that sense I'm as objective as can be.
