As of 2023, International hockey is dead

[Garl]

The one thing that could inject a little juice into international hockey would be a 8 game border clash between the #1 and #2 hockey powers Canada v USA.

A 20 year commitment to an NHL Olympics (should be long enough)

And a legit World Cup. legit = no gimmicks.

The countries that are banished to the wilderness can stay there for all I care. They are not missed and not needed.

Sweden-Finland 8 games would be fun aswell

 

[Lartsaman]

Sweden-Finland 8 games would be fun aswell

What fun would it be to watch Sweden win 7 times out of 8?

 

[Garl]

What fun would it be to watch Sweden win 7 times out of 8?

Beating Finland is always fun))

 

[member 305909]

I'm sure I'm not the only one who watched the Olympic final last year thinking that was going to be the last time for a very long time if not forever that we are seeing Russia playing in an international competition.

All the more fortunate they didn't exit the sport as winners. We'd never hear the end of it.

 

[Czechboy]

I'm sure I'm not the only one who watched the Olympic final last year thinking that was going to be the last time for a very long time if not forever that we are seeing Russia playing in an international competition.

All the more fortunate they didn't exit the sport as winners. We'd never hear the end of it.

In fairness.. not many people watched that game.lol I did but I'm a nerd.

 

[NyQuil]

People overrate the whole "best on best" concept. It is never possible, someone is not in shape, someone injured, someone has personal problems etc.

There's a fundamental difference between individual players being omitted by circumstance and a significant segment of the world's top players being systematically prevented from participating.

It's silly to pretend otherwise.

"Best on best" has never meant the participation of every top player in the world. What it does mean, is that there are no structural impediments to participation.

No one considers men's Olympic soccer to be a big deal and rightly so, no matter what the quality of the football, because of the FIFA-imposed limits on available players.

From a Canadian perspective, increased odds of participation in a best-on-best tournament was always a carrot offered to players who attended a World Championship.

The fact that no serious tournament has been held since 2014 has greatly diminished that incentive and unsurprisingly you’re not seeing the same calibre of player showing up.

 

[Lartsaman]

International hockey is doing well. For the next ten years the world champions will be Canada, Canada, Sweden, Canada and did I mention Canada? Well maybe Czech Republic and Russia will take one each(Russia will be back in 2025 trust me). Finland is going to have a new 16-20 year drought ahead.

 

[Albatros]

No one considers men's Olympic soccer to be a big deal and rightly so, no matter what the quality of the football, because of the FIFA-imposed limits on available players.

 

[Doshell Propivo]

The one thing that could inject a little juice into international hockey would be a 8 game border clash between the #1 and #2 hockey powers Canada v USA.

YES! Maybe even a week-long 3 game series in February replacing the All Star break...

 

[Bakayoko Ono]

2010 Olympics was the peak of international hockey. Incredible and competitive tournament, all around.

 

[MeHateHe]

YES! Maybe even a week-long 3 game series in February replacing the All Star break...

Meh.

The 72 Summit Series was exciting because something was on the line.. What's on the line if Canada and the US play a series? North American bragging rights? I think it's debatable that the US is #2, given that they haven't won anything in forever, and there are a few European countries who might argue they're ahead of or on par with Canada too.

 

[Get North]

From the 2000 superstars such as Ovechkin/Crosby to 2020 and beyond with McDavid/Matthews/Bedard.

The players seem to have less passion than previous generations and are simply satisfied to collect a cheque. I hoped they would push harder for 2026 Olympics since we're less than 3 years away from that.

With Hockey Canada fighting off scandals and Russian-born hockey players banned from international competition, this period of time is certainly a lowlight in international hockey. Canada as a whole has changed significantly in the last 10 years, so has the interest in hockey competition. The media is all politics and zero discussion of entertainment / leisure. The damn country is burning as I type this right now.

I still enjoy the U20, U18/17 competitions, and that's basically the only real competition occuring at an international level.

 

[Doshell Propivo]

Meh.

The 72 Summit Series was exciting because something was on the line.. What's on the line if Canada and the US play a series? North American bragging rights? I think it's debatable that the US is #2, given that they haven't won anything in forever, and there are a few European countries who might argue they're ahead of or on par with Canada too.

I think it could generate some high quality hockey.

 

[WarriorofTime]

Meh.

The 72 Summit Series was exciting because something was on the line.. What's on the line if Canada and the US play a series? North American bragging rights? I think it's debatable that the US is #2, given that they haven't won anything in forever, and there are a few European countries who might argue they're ahead of or on par with Canada too.

There is a pretty intense rivalry at the Junior levels. Hard to replicate that without serious games, but if you create the serious games you could definitely get juices flowing. To sweeten the deal, they could offer a big cash incentive (more than the All Star Game for sure) to the winning team.

 

[Miro4Norris]

I just knew what will be the argument before clicking the post.

No. Actually hockey is better without Fasel/Vladdy/RuZZia mafia

 

[Faterson]

Another thinly veiled propaganda thread... They'll be bitching and moaning and weeping for the next 15 to 30 years while the ban will be rightfully upheld.

 

[WayTooCold]

After the 2014 World Cup w/ funny teams it definitely is. I can't even remember how Finland did 6th / 7th? I think there's like 5 teams cabable winning World Championships/Olympic. Canada wins 50% of golds. Hockey was invented in Canada after all. Then Sweden, Russia, Finland and USA are capable winning the rest of 50% of golds.

So parity sucks. It's a Mickey Mouse sport. To be honest I don't care if Finland never wins a game. Or never plays these ROC teams.
It's just entertainment after all.

 

[Albatros]

Hockey was invented in Canada after all.

Canadians popularized playing with a puck rather than ball and introduced many of the modern rules, but it's not like the whole game was imported from Canada to much of Europe. Rather the Canadian rules influenced existing local rules and later these were standardized by the LIHG (IIHF).

 

[Albatros]

2010 Olympics was the peak of international hockey. Incredible and competitive tournament, all around.

As many games in that tournament were won by four or more goals as by one, not all that exciting.

 

[NyQuil]

Like this guy said:

I don't think it's mental gymnastics to point out that in hockey the Olympics are and remain the most important international tournament, while in football they are not and will not be.

(With the caveat that the prestige drops 1000% when NHLers don’t go)

Neymar was just happy to actually win something internationally and Brazil hosting the Olympics that year served as a distraction from the drubbing they took from Germany in 2014.

 

[Albatros]

Neymar was just happy to actually win something internationally and Brazil hosting the Olympics that year served as a distraction from the drubbing they took from Germany in 2014.

Or, you know, things are not binary. For any top player in soccer there are at least half dozen meaningful competitions. Similarly in hockey the IIHF World Championships will never be the nonplusultra, but for most players winning it still matters a great deal. Or at times even getting a lesser medal, like we saw with Germany and Latvia this year.

 

[alko]

I have come to a conclusion that international hockey became such a niche sport that it is only truly cared about by the hardcore fans in a handful of countries. It’s probably on the same level as international handball nowadays as there’s ZERO exposure and any interest for the casual fans, especially in North America. And there are multiple reasons for it:

- First and foremost: NHL have not sent their players to the last 2 Olympics, making those tournaments absolutely boring and pointless.

- Gimmicky World Cup: a parody of a best on best tournament in 2016 was still interesting for fans, but clearly the made up teams and players out of shape and interest made it underwhelming, NHL cancelled it since then.

- Canada dominance: argue it or not, but Canada established itself as the main hockey power winning most of the tournaments making it less interesting to watch: last WHC is a big proof of that, Canada F rather easily coasted through the tourney and grabbed the gold

- Russia ban: hate it or not, but Russia is a top 3 hockey nation when it comes to number of fans, hockey players and money poured into the sport. Without Russia, any tournament is missing a number of rivalries, many fans, many sponsors

- WHC losing popularity among players: if you compare the rosters of 2019 and 2023 WHC, it’s entirely different tournament, very few NHLers agree to play for their country nowadays and with Russia and Belarus bans they’re replaced with lower level teams that make the tournament even less enticing for the players.

All of this can obviously change if the NHL starts participating in Olympics, Russia is back and WHC regains its popularity, but for now the international hockey is rather dead than alive

Here you see, how it is actually bad to be a fan of Canada or USA.

We, Slovak fans, dont have such issues. We are glad for every win on WCH (WCH U20). Every year we are pumped for next chapter. For next opportunity to scream: Yeaaah, we won!

 

[NyQuil]

Here you see, how it is actually bad to be a fan of Canada or USA.

We, Slovak fans, dont have such issues. We are glad for every win on WCH (WCH U20). Every year we are pumped for next chapter. For next opportunity to scream: Yeaaah, we won!

The guy you are quoting is from Russia.

 

[Czechboy]

The guy you are quoting is from Russia.

Funny thing... I was recently told Vid is from Columbus and not a Russian poster at all. Apparently you must live in Moscow to be a Russian poster.lol.

 

[MeHateHe]

If international hockey is meaningless because there are 60 countries who won't win any championships anytime soon, then global football is even more meaningless because there are about 180 countries who won't win any championship anytime soon.