Actually someone did, many have. Obviously the Winter Olympics offer ice hockey every four years and professional players have been a part of the Olympics for nearly three decades (NHL players since 1998). Also, the IIHF (International Ice Hockey Federation) hosts the World Ice Hockey Championships each spring in an olympic style tournament. So why did the NHL feel it necessary to make up their own tournament?... Money and a bargaining chip.
Since the NHL is putting this tournament together, they are making all the money. That did not happen with the IIHF tournaments. The NHL and NHLPA are expected to split approximately $100 million generated by the World Cup of Hockey. That is a lot of cash for a two week tournament. Maybe even more valuable to the NHL than the money is this tournament gives them a realistic bargaining tool to keep NHL players from participating in the Winter Olympics. The NHL hates that they are forced to take a two-week break in the middle of their season every four years. They see it as their best players leave them to represent the IIHF, risk injury and make them no money. If the Winter Olympics happened in July, the NHL would care a lot less. Now when it is time to negotiate the next collective bargaining agreement, NHL executives will argue NHL players have no reason to play in the Olympics because they have the opportunity to represent their country in the glorious World Cup of Hockey.
This is all a great idea in concept. The NHL makes money, the players make money, fans still get a great international tournament. One problem, this is the NHL's brainchild. As any NHL fan can tell you, what the NHL does best is ruin something great. So of course they managed to do it again.
The NHL in its infinite wisdom could not even pick the teams right. It is an eight team tournament. All you have to do is pick eight countries with competitive hockey teams and divide them into two groups. Hell, the Olympics manage to find 12 competitive hockey countries every four years. The NHL somehow could only choose six countries worthy of having a team compete. A six team tournament sounds terrible and short (less $$$ for the NHL), so the NHL executives decide to just makeup two teams. They create Team North America, even though teams Canada and USA are already in the tournament. Team North America obviously has to have some special qualification. It is decided that they will be assembled of all the best players from Canada and USA 23 years of age or younger. I am assuming kids from Mexico could try out, but did not make it. The next fictional team created by the NHL is Team Europe. This team is comprised of all the best European players that do not come from Sweden, Finland or the Czech Republic. Those three countries were deemed worthy of having their own team. So instead of inviting Slovakia, Norway or Switzerland who all qualify for the Olympics every four years and compete very well, the NHL just made up "JV" teams for the "real" teams to beat up on. I do not know how the players on Team Europe can proudly put on their uniform. Who are they playing for? Their continent? The whole idea is actually offensive.
The schedule may even make less sense than the teams. The tournament needed to take place during the NHL offseason. So anytime from mid-June to October. What was wrong with July or August? This tournament starts September 17th and goes until October 1st. Pushing back the NHL season a week later than normal. That may not sound like a big problem, but keep in mind the NHL season was already running into the middle of June. No one wants to put on their hockey jersey and go to a game when it is 90 degrees outside. If anything they should have been working to move the season up two weeks. The NHL season begins October 12th this year. The bigger issue is the effect this has on the players. The World Cup of Hockey is taking place during what should be each team's training camp and preseason. Now the best players are not present at their NHL club's practices. Not to mention the coaches taking part in the World Cup are not at training camps either. An even bigger issue are injuries and fatigue. For years the NHL has argued fear over losing one of their best players to injury at the Winter Olympics. Now they are putting them at the same risk right before the season starts. What is preventing Aaron Ekblad (Team North America) from taking a run at Steven Stamkos (Team Canada)? The NHL cannot suspend him for doing it and if he breaks Stamkos leg that makes the Panthers road to a division title that much easier. If the NHL was at all concerned with player safety or fatigue this tournament would begin in late July.
One of my biggest problems with this tournament is the rulebook. It is an international tournament, it should be played by international rules, not the butchered NHL rulebook. I am not concerned with the size of the ice surface. It has been proven that tournaments played on the larger international ice are no more high scoring than the NHL ice. My problem is with the NHL rulebook and officiating of it. If you want this to be a fast paced, high scoring type of tournament then the referees have to be quick to call penalties. Do not let defenseman get away with clutching and grabbing. Anything that is close to a penalty, is a penalty. That is how you force players let each other skate and open up the ice. That creates more scoring and speed. However, you and I both know this will not happen. It will be the same NHL officials calling games the same way. It will be "good old Canadian hockey". You know, the kind that keeps the NHL a garage league.
The format does not even make sense. There are two groups of four, which is fine, but there is no rhyme or reason as to who ended up in each group. Group A: Canada, USA, Czech Rep. and Europe. Group B: Russia, North America, Sweden, Finland. Obviously the NHL is trying to script a Canada vs Russia finale. It seems to me that an all Euro group and a North America plus Russia group make more sense. At least that way you would be guaranteed a USA vs Russia and Canada vs Russia game during group play. Also, the Euro group would have some more rivalries to it. During group play each team plays the other teams in their group, then the top two teams from each group advance to the semifinals.
The semis are the winner of Group A versus Group B runner-up and Group B winner versus Group A runner-up in a single game, winner advances, decisive matchup. One game to decide who moves on to the finals is fine with me. That is how most tournaments are. However, the finals are a best of three series. Why? How can you change the format of your tournament in the middle of the playoffs? The NHL did this so they could get more games on television. Hoping for some combination of Canada, Russia and USA in the finals. Let's play devil's advocate for a second. If none of those three super teams makes the finals, will anyone besides hardcore hockey fans tune in to ESPN in the states or CBC in Canada to watch? No. This is a very realistic outcome. Russia and the United States are traditionally bad in international hockey. Also, Sweden and Finland took home the silver and bronze medals respectively in the last Winter Olympics. Nobody wants to see three consecutive games of Sweden vs Finland in primetime on ESPN. Not even the five people rooting for Team Europe care to watch that.
Do not take this to mean I will not be watching every game that I can. I am looking forward to it. I love international hockey. I have always enjoyed rooting for a flag more than a logo. There is actual national pride in your team doing well in an international tournament. The World Cup of Hockey does feature the best talent in the world. It will be interesting to see how these unique teams matchup. The most interesting thing to me is always the matchups between players that are normally teammates. Crosby vs Malkin, Hedman vs Stamkos, Ovechkin vs Backstrom are some of the highlights. Every hockey fan can watch and enjoy this tournament, but it is hard to ignore everything that is wrong with it.
This whole tournament only goes to shine a brighter light on what is wrong with the National Hockey League. They have no idea what they are doing. They are presented with a problem: NHL players participating in the Olympics. Their solution is to create a similar tournament that causes all of the same issues and is executed half as well. The World Cup of Hockey is an appetizer to what will be a great NHL season. It is like going to Outback Steakhouse for a bloomin' onion, but they forgot to deep fry it.
For all of the general information on the World Cup of Hockey, visit their official website: www.wch2016.com
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