any chance the WJHC will go someplace new?

[Jocus]

Any chance Italy, Germany, China or Japan will host the tournament anytime soon?

I think it would be a great thing for the sport. It doesn't do much for the sport to host it in Canada, they don't attract much fans by playing in Canada since most Canadians are already fans.

So, why not bring it to countries that are just building their program to showcase the world's upcoming stars.

Click to read more...

 

[flip588]

Canada doesn't attract fans?

Canada attracts more fans than this tournament would anywhere else.

 

[Jocus]

How many new hockey fans will you produce if you hold the tournament in Canada?

You won't inspire kids to start playing hockey by having the tournament in Canada, or at least not to the same degree of showcasing this talent to people who don't know much about hockey.

Its true that millions of people watch the tournament in Canada, but these people are die hard hockey fans, they don't need more convincing that hockey is the best sport in the world.

 

[ZombieMatt]

No, but I think the issue for IIHF is that the tourney generates revenue. Holding it in Canada is a major cash cow for them. Holding it in Japan may not be financially beneficial.

 

[McMatty]

How many new hockey fans will you produce if you hold the tournament in Canada?

You won't inspire kids to start playing hockey by having the tournament in Canada, or at least not to the same degree of showcasing this talent to people who don't know much about hockey.

Its true that millions of people watch the tournament in Canada, but these people are die hard hockey fans, they don't need more convincing that hockey is the best sport in the world.

Ok, you are a hard working Japanese family. You are deciding how to spend your disposable income. You see the Worlds coming to town, but wait, your Japanese team didn't even get invited to the tournament. Why the hell would you pay to go watch that??

 

[Jocus]

Why not make the host team get in automatically. And, give it to host countries that are on the brink of making it.

I agree that the tournament in Canada is a cash cow. So, I still think they should give it to Canada every 3 or 4 years.

However, if they look at their long term situation, it might make sense to give it to a different country. And, I think you might be able to produce the same amount of excitement with the right marketing. If you take France or Italy for example, they don't get to see good, exciting hockey every day, so they might go see it just to see what the big deal is.

If you do not try to build your market share, you will end up losing it since other sports are aggressive.

I think this could help produce more players from new markets and therefore inscrease the level of play in all tournaments and leagues.

 

[HockeyCritter]

Canada doesn't attract fans?

Canada attracts more fans than this tournament would anywhere else.

I think he means new fans . . . and perhaps new players.

 

[arrbez]

let's face it, not one person outside of the usual "hockey nations" has ever seen or heard of any junior players. if they want to inspire growth, you've gotta showcase the big boys. people in Japan might come out to see lemieux, forsberg, kovalchuk...but i really doubt many would show up to see crosby and ovenchicken, no matter how exciting that match up is to hockey fans

 

[RorschachWJK]

let's face it, not one person outside of the usual "hockey nations" has ever seen or heard of any junior players.

Maybe that is exactly the problem.

 

[J17 Vs Proclamation]

let's face it, not one person outside of the usual "hockey nations" has ever seen or heard of any junior players. if they want to inspire growth, you've gotta showcase the big boys. people in Japan might come out to see lemieux, forsberg, kovalchuk...but i really doubt many would show up to see crosby and ovenchicken, no matter how exciting that match up is to hockey fans

Yeah i'm outside a major hockey nation and i've heard of a lot. While i can see the benefits of holding it in Canada because of revenue i it simply isn't going help the growth of hockey. Once every 3 years i'd put the Wj in small kockey nation. If hockey grows it has gotta start becoming even more global. I mean the only big hockey parts are North America, Russia, Czech Republic and Slovakia (still doesn't have hellavu lot of players) and northern europe (Sweden and Finland). To me that isn't big enough. Maybe Japan wouldn't flock to see AO and Giddy Sid but if they see more hockey slowly it will be more popular and therefore more players and hockey becomes more global.

 

[RorschachWJK]

Yeah i'm outside a major hockey nation and i've heard of a lot. While i can see the benefits of holding it in Canada because of revenue i it simply isn't going help the growth of hockey. Once every 3 years i'd put the Wj in small kockey nation. If hockey grows it has gotta start becoming even more global. I mean the only big hockey parts are North America, Russia, Czech Republic and Slovakia (still doesn't have hellavu lot of players) and northern europe (Sweden and Finland). To me that isn't big enough. Maybe Japan wouldn't flock to see AO and Giddy Sid but if they see more hockey slowly it will be more popular and therefore more players and hockey becomes more global.

Couldn't have said it better myself!
(possibly because this aint my native tongue )

 

[Chief]

Money will be the overriding factor and holding the tournament in places where junior hockey doesn't currently garner interest will only have a limited effect, at best. To grow a sport, you would need a recurring presence and that presence has to include the media. Having an event get some coverage because it's taking place in a certain country one time in a decade, is not going to matter. All of those different businesses involved (press, TV, corporate sponsors, etc...) are not going to give the WJC's major coverage just because some hockey people want to grow the sport. It's just not their priority. You need look no further than the US. The home team was playing in the medal round and the game wasn't even televised.

 

[tuckerdomi]

Any chance Italy, Germany, China or Japan will host the tournament anytime soon?

I think it would be a great thing for the sport. It doesn't do much for the sport to host it in Canada, they don't attract much fans by playing in Canada since most Canadians are already fans.

So, why not bring it to countries that are just building their program to showcase the world's upcoming stars.

I beleive the hosts country has to be in the tourney, they wouldnt sell out if the host country wasnt invited... it will be either in canada,u.s,russia, sweden,finland, czech etc

 

[J17 Vs Proclamation]

I beleive the hosts country has to be in the tourney, they wouldnt sell out if the host country wasnt invited... it will be either in canada,u.s,russia, sweden,finland, czech etc

So how about offering the tourney to the team that has just been promoted. I dunno he keeps gettin up and down but i guess it'd be Belarus, Germany, Switzerland, Austria. Just keepin it in the same countries is not going to globalise it. Man i wish it'd be hosted here but it would never happen.

 

[Jocus]

Why not getting an automatic invitation for the host country. Bump it up to 12 teams, if needed.

I think France, Italy and possibly Japan or China could at least compete closely to the usual bottom teams.

I don't think there would be a huge financial difference between most European countries and a non-hockey country. Nobody, except Canada, even comes close to selling out anyways.

 

[Legolas]

An IIHF tournament is a big undertaking...it isn't on par with the Euro Cup in football or anything but it's pretty huge...you can't give it to a country like Japan with no guarantee that it will have a sufficient audience...it would make more sense for there to be exhibition games to raise interest in other countries, similar to what football clubs do when they tour through Japan or the USA, or when they stage international friendlies in neutral countries...assigning an entire tournament to a country that isn't involved in the elite tier is just too risky, unless there's evidence that country supports hockey sufficiently enough to fill arenas...and unfortunately, there's only one country that does that consistently right now.

 

[Epsilon]

it isn't on par with the Euro Cup in football

That's an understatement if I've ever seen one.

 

[dawgbone]

So how about offering the tourney to the team that has just been promoted. I dunno he keeps gettin up and down but i guess it'd be Belarus, Germany, Switzerland, Austria. Just keepin it in the same countries is not going to globalise it. Man i wish it'd be hosted here but it would never happen.

The problem is, the host city is usually decided before the relegation pool is decided... we don't know which teams will come up from the B pool for 2006, but we already know it's in Vancouver.

 

[*Scott*]

Italy's a possibility after the Winter Olympics there next year i guess. Do China and/or Japan even have 2 arenas capable of holding the event, near by each other?

 

[chicpea*]

This may sound weird, but it seems like some people are taking as their premise the notion that "hockey needs to spread around the world." Wtf do I care if Lichtenstein develops an interest or not? I mean, it's not as if they'll start contributing a dozen players to the NHL anyway, and it won't affect the competition level at any major or minor tourneys. I don't mean to sound crass, but I just don't see expansion as some sort of unassailable long-term "goal."

 

[SwisshockeyAcademy]

Talk of Japan , Italy etc is pointless as the system is set up according to relegation and promotion , the host site is determined two years in advance so a Latvia or Belarus, Japan, Italy would have to establish themselves as top flight regulars. Right now Switzerland is in the mix because its Junior program has established itself. The German team used to be a host when only one team was relegated. It is possible we could move to 12 teams but even then Japan and Italy, China will not be given free passes. Those days are gone thankfully ( senior men) and you must earn promotion . Not much point of China hosting the top division and getting hammered 18-0 in most games.

 

[zecke26]

it would be nice if germany could get the WJC anytime soon. i'm pretty sure you could get 8000 people coming to the games if the germany hockey association would promote it right.
when we had the WC here, hockey got a big boom, so it may have the same effect with the WJC. it's worth a try.

 

[Mountain Dude]

How come people don't realize that putting the tournament in new places won't bring more fans to the game. Sports are culturally derived, and unless the sport already has deep roots there, its not going to get very big, which is why hockey will never be popular in the Southern States.

It would be an insult to all hockey nations to put the tournament in China or Japan.

 

[BCCHL inactive]

To host an international tournament, there has to be a host team. The IIHF does not work in the same way as say...FIFA, where the host nation's team gets an automatic berth.

You are asking about countries like Italy, Germany, China or Japan...

Italy: To my knowledge, Italy has never qualified for the top U20 tournament, so they're out.

Germany: I think they have already hosted the U20 a while back, but the Germans need to establish themselves in the top division for a few years before getting a sniff at hosting again...and that won't be anytime soon with Germany going back to Division I for 2006.

China and Japan are both playing in Division II this year. They have to win that, and win Division I just to qualify for the top division. We won't see Japan or China qualifying for the top division within the next 5-10 years. No way either nation should be considered to host the top tournament.


The only nations who should be in consideration as of now are:

Canada
United States
Russia
Finland
Czech Republic
Slovakia
Switzerland
Sweden

 

[chicpea*]

Germany: I think they have already hosted the U20 a while back, but the Germans need to establish themselves in the top division for a few years before getting a sniff at hosting again...and that won't be anytime soon with Germany going back to Division I for 2006.

I thought they had as well. Turns out they hosted twice:

1977 - Banska Bystrica, Czechoslovakia
1978 - Montreal, Canada
1979 - Karlstad, Sweden
1980 - Helsinki, Finland
1981 - West Germany
1982 - Minnesota, United States
1983 - Leningrad, USSR
1984 - Nykoping, Sweden
1985 - Helsinki, Finland
1986 - Hamilton, Canada
1987 - Piestany, Czechoslovakia
1988 - Moscow, Russia
1989 - Anchorage, USA
1990 - Helsinki, Finland
1991 - Saskatoon, Canada
1992 - Fussen, Germany
1993 - Gavle, Sweden
1994 - Ostrava and Fryek-Mistek, Czech Republic
1995 - Red Deer, Canada
1996 - Boston, United States
1997 - Geneva and Morges, Switzerland
1998 - Helsinki, Finland
1999 - Winnipeg, Canada
2000 - Skelleftea, Sweden
2001 - Moscow, Russia
2002 - Pardubice, Czech Republic
2003 - Halifax, Canada
2004 - Helsinki, Finland
2005 - Grand Forks, United States
2006 - Vancouver, Canada

Helsinki seems to be popular as well (5x).