IIHF announces NHL-European Victoria Cup

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KHODYNKA—May 8, 2007
History was made today when the IIHF announced the first-ever tournament on European soil featuring club teams from the National Hockey League and champions from the European leagues. The Victoria Cup will be competed for on an annual basis beginning September 2008. It will be a three-team competition, two teams from Europe and one from the NHL. The series is the first ever initiative to pit the top teams from North America versus the top teams from Europe.


Link http://live82.ihwc.net/english/article/news/index.ihwc?&artId=2646

Interesting.
 

Moose Lips

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What if a Russian team plays? How's that reconciled wti the absence of TA I wonder... Well, may be it won't be a factor at all

It shouldn't have any bearing on it at all, the transfer agreement is just that, a player transfer agreement, nothing more. It appears that it will be a IIHF brokered tournament similar to the WC's but with professional league teams. Any Russian team would just have to win qualification to compete.

I like the idea a lot, it should do a lot to bridge the differences between the North American and European pro leagues and can only lead to better future relations, competition etc...
 

Moose Lips

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Personally, I am not going to watch a tourney with the September-sleepy NHL teams will be rotating the roster to test the youngsters....

I don't know about that happening, I would imagine the NHL will want to give it's best showing possible. With that I would assume whichever team is representing the league will play to win and ice their best players.

I'd be more interested in having a chance to watch the European clubs on the ice or at least as much as how the NHL team competes against them.
 

Moose Lips

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Hopefully

Yeah, I'm sure we can count on a good showing from the Euro teams.

Personally, I would of rather a 5 team competition, two from NA and 3 from Europe. A 3 team tourney can lose it's attractiveness quickly where it will be essentially one winner and two losers. With 5 teams you can have a round robin of sorts and have a 1st, 2nd and 3rd which I believe would bring better competition to the event. It would add a week of play to the tournament which I couldn't imagine being a great strain since those same teams would normally play pre-season matches anyways.
 

Den

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If they do it, I hope they hold the games in the Euro teams home arenas.

I can imagine the Habs' long faces when they learn the are flying to Omsk. :naughty:
 

Den

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Yeah, I'm sure we can count on a good showing from the Euro teams.

Personally, I would of rather a 5 team competition, two from NA and 3 from Europe. A 3 team tourney can lose it's attractiveness quickly where it will be essentially one winner and two losers. With 5 teams you can have a round robin of sorts and have a 1st, 2nd and 3rd which I believe would bring better competition to the event. It would add a week of play to the tournament which I couldn't imagine being a great strain since those same teams would normally play pre-season matches anyways.

Of course, there's the thing of September being already the regular season for most Euro leagues and all imaginary windows in the reg season taken either by EHT, Continental Cup or ECC.
 

Jussi

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If they do it, I hope they hold the games in the Euro teams home arenas.

I can imagine the Habs' long faces when they learn the are flying to Omsk. :naughty:

Ha! Fat chance of that happening.

It will most likely be at a city with a 10 000 plus seated modern arena, possibly the home arena of the third team.
 

Den

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Ha! Fat chance of that happening.

It will most likely be at a city with a 10 000 plus seated modern arena, possibly the home arena of the third team.

Well, a 10thnder is being finished in Omsk, a city twice larger than Helsinki, so...

But seriously, I would hate to see it happenening somewhere on the neutral ground in Zurich or Cologne.
 

Moose Lips

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Well, a 10thnder is being finished in Omsk, a city twice larger than Helsinki, so...

But seriously, I would hate to see it happenening somewhere on the neutral ground in Zurich or Cologne.

A competition such as this should be played on neutral ice. From the NHL's perspective any Euro team being able to play on home ice would further the advantage to that team over that NHL team, not to mention international rules being applied and it exclusively being held in Europe as it is.

I won't be arrogant to say that these advantages would not make a difference against an NHL team. I am aware there are many very talented teams in Europe and the competition will be close regardless. Slanting it more in favour of the Euro teams doesn't create more of a competitive tournament but lessens it imo.
 

Den

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A competition such as this should be played on neutral ice. From the NHL's perspective any Euro team being able to play on home ice would further the advantage to that team over that NHL team, not to mention international rules being applied and it exclusively being held in Europe as it is.

I won't be arrogant to say that these advantages would not make a difference against an NHL team. I am aware there are many very talented teams in Europe and the competition will be close regardless.

The neutral ice would simply deprive the fans of the show. Not to mention that the arena might not be filled up: think of a Lugano-Farjstad game in St. Petersburg at the ECC with 2 thnd ppl present. Well, with an NHL team may be even a neutral crowd would fill up the arena, that's possible. This is not so much about the bragging rights as far as I am concerned, but rather for the fans.
 

Moose Lips

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The neutral ice would simply deprive the fans of the show. Not to mention that the arena might not be filled up: think of a Lugano-Farjstad game in St. Petersburg at the ECC with 2 thnd ppl present. Well, with an NHL team may be even a neutral crowd would fill up the arena, that's possible. This is not so much about the bragging rights as far as I am concerned, but rather for the fans.

I definitely see your point with this. How could they even decide what neutral ice would truly be? And further agreeing with your point it would be a guaranteed seller for the home team and an excellent way to market the NHL in non familiar areas. I'm thinking now that this isn't so much the tournament itself but more of a goodwill event and a coming together of leagues, bridging the distance and differences a little bit perhaps. Something that can be built upon.

It's unfortunate that it won't be held at all in NA, personally I would love to have the opportunity to watch Euro teams live.
 

hdw

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One good thing with this is that it will increase the importance of the new Champions Hockey League thingy.

Playing a high profile game like this is candy for the team treasurers marketing departments.
 

Muscle Bob

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WpgPens said:
A competition such as this should be played on neutral ice. From the NHL's perspective any Euro team being able to play on home ice would further the advantage to that team over that NHL team, not to mention international rules being applied and it exclusively being held in Europe as it is.
What you talking about ? Teams play for fans, own fans. I dream about watching Metallurg beating some NHL team in Magnitogorsk. If they play somewhere in
Europe for some "hockey fans" like swiss that won't be good. If some NHL team comes to Magnitogorsk, there will be total hockey madness and this is what we want. Next day 7700 people will be able to talk only in whisper.. Damn, I'm writting this and imagining how great it will be...
 

IdiotsPickedMyName*

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I just hope its not the sens they send over. How about Anaheim they're all canadian go show off for us ;)
 

finchster

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Good idea

This seems like a good idea, but it won't mean anything in NA. If it was spread out over the year and the NHL maybe cut a few games from their schedule, something like this would mean more. But I like this idea, as more international exposure is best for hockey
 

hdw

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This seems like a good idea, but it won't mean anything in NA. If it was spread out over the year and the NHL maybe cut a few games from their schedule, something like this would mean more. But I like this idea, as more international exposure is best for hockey

No it won't mean anything in NA, at least the first years (or 10).
But it will mean a lot for hockey in europe, esp outside the big 5.

And it will, in combination with a working euro champions league, mean a lot for european teams.

More talents, better development (when the teams get better finances), more media exposure and in the end, since the cream tends to go there, better hockey in NA.
 

hdw

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If half the NHLers on even Philidelphia suit up, the Euros are going to get their arses kicked.....

Possibly, or maybe even likely, but it remains to be seen, and a lot of people are willing to pay to see it :)
 

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