Well, we should also add to the fact that the IIHF didn't make many friends in Canada by not allowing them to send their best players to the WCH for quite some years. The Olympics I understand/understod, as it was the same across all sports, not only hockey, even though the Soviet Union and DDR had found ways to circum navigate the system with all their "military employees" coming out for swimming, skiing, running, basketball, hockey, etc.
Another reason, that I have posted elsewhere, is that Rome wasn't built in one day, so given that the WCH will not ever be the major deal in Canada... just like it's not in Sweden, I can imagine that the WCH would gain a little bit more popularity if people could watch the games in a decent hour. This means of course allowing the USA and Canada the opportunity to host it every four, five years. As of now (and I live in the States), there is plenty of airtime for IIHF hockey (compared to two weeks ago), and if the games were on in the evenings, with Team Canada and/ot Team USA going into the QFs, the odds of having more TV audience would be better. Even if it wouldn't have the same following as the SC play-offs, a small percentage would still be a significant bump considering the large populations here.
I also agree with the idea that the WCH would have to be held in the summer to have a chance of attracting better players, but realistically I don't see how it would happen. The Euro leagues have been down for so long by then and the NHL pros still have to get some R&R after playing 82 games + play-offs. But, to your point, the FIFA World Cup would NEVER happen or have the following it does if they held it in the fall, winter, or spring when all the big leagues in Europe and South America are going full speed ahead.
Most of all, I think people forget that we are still talking about people who are also fathers, sons, brothers, uncles, and regular human beings with a sense of family and community obligations that they have to set aside for the better part of the year becasue it is their job to do so.
The WCH is and will forever be a "goodwill" tournament from the players, and, asking people to neglect their kids, get themsleves into divorces, not do everything they can to make certain that they report back in their best possible shape when work begins again in the fall, and ignore areas of life where they can make a difference (such as in community organizations, hospitals, etc.), is rather thoughtless, IMO.
At any rate, you guys seemed almost harder on the Canadian players than I ever thought you'd be. If anything, I thought Canadians would have better understanding and empathy to why their guys decline than the European fans, who many times have no understanding for why a guy can play in the play-offs, get knocked out, and then decline the national team call becasue of injury. In one scenario, he is working and fullfilling a contract, and injury is no excuse for not coming to work. In the other scenario, he is enjoying competetive recreation.
Anyway, interesting conversation.
