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World Cup of Hockey to Return (Feb 2024)

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NyQuil said:
If the rosters are good and there are no gimmick teams, I’ll watch it.

I watched the 2004 World Cup and there were some epic games, like the OT semifinal where Jagr was beasting against Canada and Lecavalier scored the winner, and Finland making the final of a best on best tournament only to lose a relatively close game.

Whether it’s the Olympics or the World Cup doesn’t matter to me. It’s the rosters that count. If it takes place in February when the players are in prime shape, all the better.

In football, no one cares about the Olympics because the World Cup is the signature event.

There’s nothing particularly special about the Olympics when it comes to team sports.
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I agree.

The FIFA world cup is the pinnacle of soccer, by a long shot. The NHL in theory could get there too, where the World Cup of Hockey is the more prestigious event. It will obviously take time (many years) but you have to start somewhere.

I suppose the main difference here is that the NHL is organizing this and not the IIHF (which is essentially the hockey equivalent of FIFA
 
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I like that it it's in February and not right before Training Camp. It's a little annoying when the season gets put on hiatus like that, but it's good that the players are in mid-season form and not "I just got done pounding beers on my boat for the last couple months and am playing my way back into shape" form.

bossram said:
I thought Team Europe and Team NA were pretty hokey at first
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I cut off the rest of your post to interject "and then we were shown that was completely right and having Team Leftoverstan in the final was embarrassing"
 
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The one thing that worries me is that the World Cup could be watered down. Only Canada, USA, Czechia, Sweden, and Finland have enough players under NHL contract to field full teams, unless Russia is allowed to play. Then we would have an even six teams. I think maybe a Team World would be a great way to include the Germans, Swiss, Slovakians, and the other minnow countries instead of allowing inferior teams to compete.

This has the potential to be a game-changer for hockey as a whole. If done right, it could kill any interest in the Olympics or any of the other European tournaments.
 
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BMacLeafs said:
The one thing that worries me is that the World Cup could be watered down. Only Canada, USA, Czechia, Sweden, and Finland have enough players under NHL contract to field full teams, unless Russia is allowed to play. Then we would have an even six teams. I think maybe a Team World would be a great way to include the Germans, Swiss, Slovakians, and the other minnow countries instead of allowing inferior teams to compete.

This has the potential to be a game-changer for hockey as a whole. If done right, it could kill any interest in the Olympics or any of the other European tournaments.
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I thought they mentioned they were going to have a qualifying thing? Presumably they'll have to work something out with the other leagues and IIHF, and those seasons can pause like they do for the Olympics.
 
Halakitlikethat said:
No gimmick teams . I’d rather this than the Olympics. People act like pros played in the Olympics forever , in reality it only happened a handful of times . Canada / World Cup was the tournament for a long time for best on best and that wasn’t “glorified exhibition games “
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The Eagleson Cup was shady.
 
TropicOfNoReturn said:
I agree.

The FIFA world cup is the pinnacle of soccer, by a long shot. The NHL in theory could get there too, where the World Cup of Hockey is the more prestigious event. It will obviously take time (many years) but you have to start somewhere.

I suppose the main difference here is that the NHL is organizing this and not the IIHF (which is essentially the hockey equivalent of FIFA
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I wish the IIHF and NHL would team up. IIHF needs the NHLers and NHL needs the IIHF credibility.

Unlikely I know.
 
The fact thst they want up to 10 teams and a group stage in europe just seems like a desperate way to gain some sort of legitimacy. It's probably as engaging as the old all star game with north america vs. the world...
 
Where they really need the IIHF is to get the non-NHL leagues on board and in order to host qualifying events, where the IIHF really shines. Can't expect Bettman and crew to know what do with Latvia, Denmark and Norway.
 
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WarriorofTime said:
I cut off the rest of your post to interject "and then we were shown that I was completely wrong and having Team Leftoverstan in the final was fun"
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Fixed it for you. Made a few typos.

Always perplexing when someone innocuously says, "X was fun/interesting" and then the brigade of crusty people need to correct you that in fact, you did not have fun, it was not interesting, and no one should have enjoyment of anything unless it meets the exact specifications they decide upon.
 
Jussi said:
So money IS the only thing that matters, not "prestige".
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Yes... and yes. Under the last offer from IOC the olympics was all risk, including the impact on playoff runs, and no reward. There is zero benefit to the league that comes from olympic participation.
At least here that risk with an in season tournament comes with some mitigating reward to help balance the equation.
 
People still crying about gimmick teams in international tournaments even though I posted 2 snips from articles of there being confirmation of no gimmick teams in 2024 World Cup :rolleyes:
 
Every four years is perfect for best on best competitions. The soccer World Cup is outstanding. It's far more important than Olympic soccer. I'm happy to see the return of the hockey World Cup and would be even happier if the NHL announced that they would no longer be participating in the Olympic games.
 
Laphroaig said:
Every four years is perfect for best on best competitions. The soccer World Cup is outstanding. It's far more important than Olympic soccer. I'm happy to see the return of the hockey World Cup and would be even happier if the NHL announced that they would no longer be participating in the Olympic games.
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"best-on-best" soccer is way more frequent than just the World Cup. It happens all the time with various stuff. It's a very different format and mindset, with frequent pauses during the club season
 
TropicOfNoReturn said:
I agree.

The FIFA world cup is the pinnacle of soccer, by a long shot. The NHL in theory could get there too, where the World Cup of Hockey is the more prestigious event. It will obviously take time (many years) but you have to start somewhere.

I suppose the main difference here is that the NHL is organizing this and not the IIHF (which is essentially the hockey equivalent of FIFA
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The other big difference is that soccer is mainstream, and ice hockey is very niche.

Football doesn't need the olympics because as the most popular sport in the world, it's stage is already massive.

The ice hockey stage by comparison is tiny, and so its presence is boosted by the olympic stage.
 
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MuckOG said:
My understanding from earlier reporting is that the NHL does not want the players to play in future Olympics games (for obvious reasons) and the best way to get out of that would be to negotiate with the NHLPA to bring the World Cup back and allow the players to play for their home countries during the summer months rather than take a 2 week break in the middle of the season every 4 years for the winter games.
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I believe its in the CBA. Just like it was in 2006+2010.
 
Can't wait for the slew of teams this time around:

Team Canadian Tire
Team Built Ford Tough
Team Europe Or Whatever The f*** Lol
Team Unassociated Players Of Slavic Descent
Team Third Line Centers And Other Players Who Want To Do Stuff Good Too
The Las Vegas Golden Knights
 
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Cursed Lemon said:
Can't wait for the slew of teams this time around:

Team Canadian Tire
Team Built Ford Tough
Team Europe Or Whatever The f*** Lol
Team Unassociated Players Of Slavic Descent
Team Third Line Centers And Other Players Who Want To Do Stuff Good Too
The Las Vegas Golden Knights
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They already announced no gimmick teams.
 
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