As of 2023, International hockey is dead

[ViD]

Olympics used to be amateurs only. I think 2006 Torino was the last real Olympics. Sweden beat Finland w/ Forsberg, Sundin, Lidström etc. super stacked. Finland had Aki Berg

2010 was probably the best Olympics. I felt 2014 was kinda underwhelming and boring at times

 

[Albatros]

Olympics used to be amateurs only. I think 2006 Torino was the last real Olympics. Sweden beat Finland w/ Forsberg, Sundin, Lidström etc. super stacked. Finland had Aki Berg

Berg was solid in his stay-at-home role back then. Lydman, Niemi, Kukkonen were more questionable than him.

 

[member 305909]

The 1987 Canada-cup is the most iconic best on best tournament. Most of you guys weren't even born then.

 

[Golden_Jet]

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

Well state sponsored PEDs has hurt Russians image, as well as an invasion.
When those are settled and Russia is back in, it will gain some more lustre.

The 1987 Canada-cup is the most iconic best on best tournament. Most of you guys weren't even born then.

Probably that was the best on best, but best tournament was ‘72.

 

[Albatros]

The 1987 Canada-cup is the most iconic best on best tournament. Most of you guys weren't even born then.

Looking at Sweden vs. Czechoslovakia and trying to convince myself this is "best-on-best".

 

[ffh]

One can only hope.

 

[jj cale]

It is far from dead, this year I finished watching Canada win both the WC and WHC, it isn't dead for Canada and it's fans anyway, feels like business as usual.

 

[member 305909]

Just about every sport has banned Russia. If any sport allowed them before others that sport would become a kind of black swan-sport.

 

[Albatros]

Just about every sport has banned Russia. If any sport allowed them before others that sport would become a kind of black swan-sport.

Active duty Russian Armed Forces athletes took part in the 2023 Judo World Championships and the sport remains in the Olympic program largely unchallenged.

 

[Golden_Jet]

Active duty Russian Armed Forces athletes took part in the 2023 Judo World Championships and the sport remains in the Olympic program largely unchallenged.

One of very few, they’re allowed to do, and as neutral athletes.
At the global level, the World Judo Championships took place in Qatar with the participation of individual neutral athletes with a Russian or Belarusian passport.

 

[member 305909]

That's a black swan-sport then in the eyes of the rest of the world.

 

[x Tame Impala]

Olympics or nothing. The WC’s don’t interest me at all because the stakes aren’t high and the best players don’t participate.

 

[sdf]

Humiliating the Russians at hockey is good for world peace.

Reminds them they ain’t shit when they come up against people who aren’t afraid of them.

The reason why you can humiliate the modern Russian national team is that this country simply does not select and properly develop its really talented children, as it was under the USSR. The reason for this is catastrophic corruption and incompetence in modern junior Russian hockey.

And you actually afraid of Russians, not weak Russians, but like those who played in the 80s and 90s for example. You even banned the involvement of European referees at the Canada Cup because they were too objective

 

[Albatros]

You even banned the involvement of European referees at the Canada Cup because they were too objective

All Canada Cup tournaments included European referees, unlike the World Cup of Hockey.

 

[GettingYourMoms]

Bring Ukraine to the big club instead of Russia, Russia can have their own tournaments with Eritrea, , North Korea, China, Iran, Iwalk and Wadiya, they don't need us.

 

[lilidk]

It's not dead, it's just getting worse without Russia and Belarus, COVID didn't help also . Finland stop producing top notch talent, but there's Slovakia, Germany getting little better
Meanwhile NHL got much better, despite all hate towards Gary Batman.

 

[lilidk]

Bring Ukraine to the big club instead of Russia, Russia can have their own tournaments with Eritrea, , North Korea, China, Iran, Iwalk and Wadiya, they don't need us.

You ether hate Ukraine or hockey.

 

[lilidk]

Too many meh teams in tournaments, have just USA, Canada, Sweden, Finland +4 more teams .

 

[WarriorofTime]

The 1987 Canada-cup is the most iconic best on best tournament. Most of you guys weren't even born then.

A Canada Cup can never compare to an NHL player Olympics, silly to even try and equate the two. The novelty of the '87 Canada Cup is Gretzky and Lemieux playing together, which is neat.

 

[Golden_Jet]

A Canada Cup can never compare to an NHL player Olympics, silly to even try and equate the two. The novelty of the '87 Canada Cup is Gretzky and Lemieux playing together, which is neat.

More NHL players in Canada cup than Olympics, usually.

 

[WarriorofTime]

More NHL players in Canada cup than Olympics, usually.

The last two, yeah, but I don't think very many people were jazzed up about the last two Olympic tournaments. 98-14 and all the best nations had their NHL players, true best on best competition.

 

[jj cale]

I don't think the olympics can compare to the old Canada cups myself.


Better tournaments with more excitement, hard to equate the two when the CC was so much better on average. I've watched them all both CC and NHL Olympics, no contest............Canada Cups hands down.


Easy choice.

 

[Hanji]

I don't think the olympics can compare to the old Canada cups myself.


Better tournaments with more excitement, hard to equate the two when the CC was so much better on average. I've watched them all both CC and NHL Olympics, no contest............Canada Cups hands down.


Easy choice.

The Canada Cups were more entertaining, but globally speaking, nobody cared about them.
It's the Olympics, particularly with NHL participation, that garner mass interest.

 

[jj cale]

The Canada Cups were more entertaining, but globally speaking, nobody cared about them.
It's the Olympics, particularly with NHL participation, that garner mass interest.

The thing is I am simply a hockey fan, the quality and intensity of play matters more to me then mass interest ( and mass interest that lasts only for two weeks or one gold medal game, it's not as if they are actually hockey fans among most of the masses , they tune in only for that and then hockey is forgotten) that actually matters not a whit to me, I struggle to understand why it would matter to anyone, I want high quality hockey and on that front the olympics to this point mostly haven't come close to those classic Canada Cups, they were wild.

Bring em back I say..................the grudge matches and feel of the tournament was far superior to the olympic product we have been given so far.

 

[Albatros]

The thing is I am simply a hockey fan, the quality and intensity of play matters more to me then mass interest ( and mass interest that lasts only for two weeks or one gold medal game, it's not as if they are actually hockey fans among most of the masses , they tune in only for that and then hockey is forgotten) that actually matters not a whit to me, I struggle to understand why it would matter to anyone, I want high quality hockey and on that front the olympics to this point mostly haven't come close to those classic Canada Cups, they were wild.

Bring em back I say..................the grudge matches and feel of the tournament was far superior to the olympic product we have been given so far.

All teams other than Canada and the Soviets won a combined total of 36 games out of 115 with a goal difference of -126 (despite playing mostly against one another).