Proposed World Cup Of Hockey Format A Joke

Forget it Slovakia, you’re no longer a country worthy of the hockey world. Even though you won bronze at the World Junior Championships this year, and silver at the 2012 World Championships. Same goes for you Switzerland. You suck. Throw away those 2013 silver medals at the World Championships, they mean nothing.

Oh, and don’t come knocking Germany or Denmark, even though players from your countries were drafted higher than any player from the USA, Finland, Russia, or the Czech Republic in last years NHL draft. As was a Swiss player.

That seems to be the message of the ridiculous World Cup of Hockey format leaked by NHL officials this week. Wait, why the heck is it NHL officials leaking the news and not the IIHF? Simple, because this will be an All-Star spectacle, not an Internationally respected competition.

That point was made clear when the NHL decided to include a European All-Stars team, and a North American Under 23 team, rather than include traditional hockey nations, and burgeoning countries.

Could you imagine if the World Cup of Soccer said, “sorry South America, send us a team of your top players, because you’re not participating this year.” It wouldn’t fly, and I would think the many talented soccer players from that part of the world would be insulted.

For hockey to continue to develop world wide, players from smaller nations need an opportunity to play at elite levels, and tournaments such as this should be that opportunity. Otherwise, the men’s game will step back and feature the elite dominance by a few nations, similar to that which has plagued the women’s game for years.

This event should feature a large pool from across the globe. Perhaps not 32 teams like in soccer, but definitely not 6 countries and 2 video game teams that make hockey a mockery of sport. Not even 8 teams. The World Cup of Hockey in my opinion, should pull 16 deep.

In addition to the privileged nations the unwelcoming NHL chose as worthy, and the snuffed Slovakia and Switzerland that would have made it into the original World Cup of Hockey’s Top 8 format, a top 16 would also include the entrance (based on IIHF rankings) of Latvia, Norway, Belarus, France, Germany, Slovenia, Denmark, and Austria. To me, that sounds awesome.

If the NHL is thinking the All-Star format will be interesting, they’re wrong. Here’s a hint, people hate the NHL all-star game. And wait, the players competing for those countries will have no National pride, and not receive the honour of getting to wear their country’s jersey. Not to mention, should they happen to win a medal, they’ll need a DJ to mashup the variety of anthems as they raise several flags simultaneously…or more likely, they’ll just raise a flag featuring the egotistical NHL logo…an ego that propelled them to believe they could re-write how international competitions in sport are done.

I honestly can’t think of a format I’d like to watch less. It’s ridiculous, and it makes hockey look like a joke, because in fact, it is a joke.

I truly hope the NHL reconsiders this format. You just set the game back a step across the globe by rolling out a sign to young hockey players everywhere saying “not welcomed.”