WC: 2017 groups named

[FinPanda]

http://www.iihfworlds2017.com/en/news/2017-worlds-groups-named/

Cologne (group A):
Russia
USA
Sweden
Slovakia
Germany
Latvia
Denmark
Italy

Paris (group B):
Canada
Finland
Czech Republic
Switzerland
Belarus
Norway
France
Slovenia

IIHF with their own things..

Click to read more...

 

[JackSlater]

It will be interesting to see whether tournament location really does impact how many Canadian players actually agree to participate. It's been speculated, but this will be the best case study.

 

[Xokkeu]

Damn wanted Paris

 

[1Gold Standard]

It will be interesting to see whether tournament location really does impact how many Canadian players actually agree to participate. It's been speculated, but this will be the best case study.

I'm dying to see how this pans out as well. HC seems to think it will be significant. I have my doubts. me pessimistic? shocker, I know.

 

[AmericanDream]

World Cup, directly followed by season = very little NHL participation again for this one IMO. I cant imagine anyone who played in the world cup, then played the entire year/playoffs is going to want to go into this thing - so hope we have a great crop of college kids ready!

 

[Jolli]

It will be interesting to see whether tournament location really does impact how many Canadian players actually agree to participate. It's been speculated, but this will be the best case study.

I'm not sure I follow. Are you saying that more are willing to participate because it's Paris, which is quite an exotic location for hockey. Or is it the opposite?

And since Montreal won't make the playoffs, maybe HC should just them to represent Canada. I bet they'd feel like they were still playing in Montreal

 

[snipes]

I'm not sure I follow. Are you saying that more are willing to participate because it's Paris, which is quite an exotic location for hockey. Or is it the opposite?

And since Montreal won't make the playoffs, maybe HC should just them to represent Canada. I bet they'd feel like they were still playing in Montreal

More wives and girlfriends will want to go because it's Paris. Hence, more players will agree to play.

 

[GermanNuck]

Russia, USA, Sweden.. 3 tickets for me then.

 

[JackSlater]

World Cup, directly followed by season = very little NHL participation again for this one IMO. I cant imagine anyone who played in the world cup, then played the entire year/playoffs is going to want to go into this thing - so hope we have a great crop of college kids ready!

Yes this is probably the case. It's always easy to be optimistic until loads of refusals come in though.

I'm not sure I follow. Are you saying that more are willing to participate because it's Paris, which is quite an exotic location for hockey. Or is it the opposite?

Yes I'm saying that there is speculation that more players will agree to participate because Paris is perceived as an attractive location. Even Hockey Canada thinks this, according to TSN's announcers. The reality is that this tournament will always be in part viewed as a vacation by the Canadian players, so a more attractive location likely helps somewhat. Add in the influence of wives/girlfriends and it makes some sense. We will see next year.

 

[joe89]

World Cup, directly followed by season = very little NHL participation again for this one IMO. I cant imagine anyone who played in the world cup, then played the entire year/playoffs is going to want to go into this thing - so hope we have a great crop of college kids ready!

Well you have double trouble since your best kids also play on the U23 team. Sweden would be ecstatic if those in the tier below the World Cup team show up, so won't really make a difference.

 

[Uncle Rotter]

So why were Finland and the USA switched? As well as Slovenia and Italy?

 

[1Gold Standard]

Damn wanted Paris

we all knew Canada was getting Paris. vive le Canada libre.

 

[Bruce Granville]

WTF???
Why not Cologne?
Did they switch teams?

 

[team canada fan]

curious putting the best two teams in the same bracket. looks like the round robin will be much like this year....one stiff challenge in the Finns, a couple of moderate challenges in the Czechs and Swiss, and a bunch of other games to fight off jetlag, work out the kinks and send the wives and gf's shopping...

 

[QuietContrarian]

having visited Paris on more than one occassion, I just do not get the appeal. maybe its a female thing.
I love France, especially the alps and Langedoque, but Paris is imo just soooo overrated and unoriginal as a destination. but hey the females always get to make the deciding vote

As for it being an exotic destination, imo Cologne is the more exotic destination based on pure originality.

 

[Sanderson]

curious putting the best two teams in the same bracket. looks like the round robin will be much like this year....one stiff challenge in the Finns, a couple of moderate challenges in the Czechs and Swiss, and a bunch of other games to fight off jetlag, work out the kinks and send the wives and gf's shopping...

They didn't put the two best teams into the same bracket, they put the 1st with the 3rd ranked team and the 2nd with the 4th. Groups are generally based on the world rankings, and Russia is still ahead of Finland in those.

They definately mixed things in a weird way though. Normally you have 1 and 4 in one group and 2 and 3 in the other. Followed by 5+8 and 6+7 added to them. This continues afterwards with 9+12 and 10+11, followed by 13+16 and 14+15.

If you list the two groups next to each other, the teams should meander by ranking, leading to 1+4+5+8+9+12+13+16 and 2+3+6+7+10+11+14+15. It appears they switched 9 and 10 this time around, because 10 is Germany and 14 is France, meaning both hosts would have been in the same group. They also switched 1 and 2 for some reason, leading to Canada being in the French group and Russia being in the German one.

 

[ovikovy817]

The Germany or France switch is logical
But I don't understand stand the Russia/Canada switch. The only thing I can see, that is there are more russians in germany, and Canada will play in a french speaking country.

Both cities are situated 250KM from my location, but the tickets are more expensive in Koln than in Paris. But on the other hand, I have relatives there, so I don't have to book a hotel

 

[habsrule4eva3089]

Paris is the most overrated city in the world lol.

This was the year to attend a Worlds, Saint Petersburg.

Saint P. makes Paris look like not much.

 

[Urbanskog]

This was the year to attend a Worlds, Saint Petersburg.

I disagree. Next year is the year to attend the tournament. No visa required, two large arenas and the attendance will be significantly better. And even if I think that Paris is perhaps the most overrated city in the world, attending a World Championship tournament in Paris is a tempting and truly rare opportunity.

 

[GermanNuck]

Maybe I'll visit both arenas. I work in Cologne so that's a no brainer. And Paris is about 3 hours away if you take the Thalys. You can get your hands on tickets for about 30€, so maybe France-Canada might be an interesting game to watch. (Regarding the atmosphere, not necessarily the outcome of that game )

 

[Inkling]

I know the TSN guys were positively giddy at the thought of the location next year, won't be any issue getting the media over there. Paris is not somewhere you think of for a hockey tournament at this level. Never been there, but have been to Cologne and it's a great city too, so either way it works out for everyone.

 

[team canada fan]

it is ironic.....give me the choice of a trip to St Petersburg or Paris, and its the former every time. Have been to St Petersburg and Russia over 20 times, and Paris twice. By the time I'm done, I hope its 200 to 2...

 

[GermanNuck]

it is ironic.....give me the choice of a trip to St Petersburg or Paris, and its the former every time. Have been to St Petersburg and Russia over 20 times, and Paris twice. By the time I'm done, I hope its 200 to 2...

Come on. Paris is not that bad. It is overrated regarding the things that a tourist might want to see there. But I've been to Paris a few times since I have some French friends there and it's a city that is beautiful and ugly at the same time.

Unlike Berlin, which is ugly all the time.

 

[Conspiracy Theorist]

Requiring visa is a turnoff. Paris has the strictest gun laws in the world and there are no-go areas.

 

[tony d]

Interesting, figured they'd separate the gold and silver medalists.