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Around the NHL 2016-2017

Re: Around the NHL 2015-2016

Not sure if this has been mentioned/discussed, but Jake Muzzin makes the World Cup team over P.K. Subban?
 
Re: Around the NHL 2015-2016

leaffan2005 said:
Not sure if this has been mentioned/discussed, but Jake Muzzin makes the World Cup team over P.K. Subban?
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Doughty's pairing mate. Not that I necessarily agree with the "right fit" argument, but it's hard to argue with our recent international results. Fwiw, it's not really Muzzin over PK, with Muzzin being L & PK being R. It's Doughty, Burns, Pietrangelo, & Weber over Subban.

Muzzin is beating out JBo, Giordano, Rielly, Brodie on the left side.
 
Re: Around the NHL 2015-2016

Let's be honest, does anyone really care about this tournament? They lost all credibility by excluding multiple traditional hockey nations (some with rapidly improving programs) in favour of two gimmick teams.

I cared far more in 2004.

Hell, the past two World Championships, both of which featured excellent Canadian editions and competitive opponents, were more compelling.
 
Re: Around the NHL 2015-2016

Yeah, the tournament is stupid. It just randomly occurs whenever the NHL/PA wants more money. We've been watching the Olympics since 98', who cares? I will not watch this. In 2004' it felt so anticlimactic when Canada won it. Brodeur had to jump up and celebrate because he felt he had to in the final second.
 
Re: Around the NHL 2015-2016

If they simply called it something other than the world Cup it would be less of a joke. An invitation only tournament sanctioned by 1 of the world's leagues and not the international federation should never be called a world Cup.
 
Re: Around the NHL 2015-2016

trujaysfan said:
If they simply called it something other than the world Cup it would be less of a joke. An invitation only tournament sanctioned by 1 of the world's leagues and not the international federation should never be called a world Cup.
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100 percent agreed.

In fact, if you do some reading online, it is blatantly apparent that European hockey fans are going to be tuning this event out entirely. German, Slovak, and Swiss fans especially are highly insulted.

Switzerland in particular is turning out multiple high round picks (including first rounders) every single draft now, and has beaten Canada, the Czechs, Americans, Swedes, and Russians at the senior level before (Olympics/World Championships).

But the NHL decides to exclude them in favour of some bullshit U-23 teams? Offensive doesn't even begin to cover it.
 
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Re: Around the NHL 2015-2016

The U23 portion is simply a cash-grab. They think that makes the tournament more marketable.
 
Re: Around the NHL 2015-2016

I'm surprised they didn't make the games outdoor events -- kill all their golden geese at once.
 
Re: Around the NHL 2015-2016

JackBurton said:
The U23 portion is simply a cash-grab. They think that makes the tournament more marketable.
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By weakening some of the top-tier nations of their best players? Why would they even play hard against their actual countries? If I'm a young guy, I'm not trying to knock out Canada or the States.

It's a strange hybrid format to say the least.
 
Re: Around the NHL 2015-2016

The IIHF and NHL could do a real world Cup with qualifying but fewer nations participating in the qualifying than in soccer. How do you grow the game globally while telling countries that are producing players they can't play in your tournament.

It's so short sighted it's like the idea came from the MLSE sales department.
 
Re: Around the NHL 2015-2016

It's a glorified All-Star tournament. Hope nobody gets hurt.
 
Re: Around the NHL 2015-2016

trujaysfan said:
The IIHF and NHL could do a real world Cup with qualifying but fewer nations participating in the qualifying than in soccer. How do you grow the game globally while telling countries that are producing players they can't play in your tournament.
Click to expand...

The one thing that the Worlds have right is the sixteen team format. It went from the point where Denmark lost 47-0 to Canada back in 1949, to them tying Canada at the Worlds a few years ago. France might only lose by a goal or two now. Hungary qualified for the top level for the first time in 70 years back in 2009. Then this year they won a game for the first time in 77 years. Switzerland won 9 games in a row and captured a silver (only losing to Sweden in the final) back in 2013. Germany was in the bronze medal game while hosting the tournament in 2010. They got almost 70,000 people out to a game in Munich to watch their team, and that's in a nation where hockey ranks behind football, handball, and many alpine sports.

That's how you improve the depth of talent around the world and inspire people to get interested in the game. Not through exclusion.

Ideally you would have what you alluded to in terms of qualifying, and you get different countries from different regions put into a 24 or 32 team qualifying pot, then you whittle it down to the final sixteen teams for the tournament itself.

Canada
Finland
Russia
United States
Czech Republic
Sweden
Switzerland
Slovakia
Germany
Denmark
Belarus
Kazakhstan
Ukraine
Hungary
France
Italy
Norway
Latvia
Austria
Slovenia
Japan
Estonia
South Korea
Great Britain
 
Re: Around the NHL 2015-2016

Well its really not about promoting the game globally. The NHL and PA just want that Olympic money.
 
Re: Around the NHL 2015-2016

I'd rather see the teams picked by celebrities. Team Don Cherry vs Team Bob Mackenzie vs Team Will Ferrell vs Team Mindzeye, etc
 
Re: Around the NHL 2015-2016

Its hockey in Sept so I'll watch it for Leaf reasons: Rielly, Stamkos?, Matthews, Komarov, Zaitsev, etc.
 
Re: Around the NHL 2015-2016

MindzEye said:
Doughty's pairing mate. Not that I necessarily agree with the "right fit" argument, but it's hard to argue with our recent international results. Fwiw, it's not really Muzzin over PK, with Muzzin being L & PK being R. It's Doughty, Burns, Pietrangelo, & Weber over Subban.

Muzzin is beating out JBo, Giordano, Rielly, Brodie on the left side.
Click to expand...

Heh.
 
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