WJC: Open Letter To Canadian Hockey Fans

[Frederik95]

I wrote an open letter to all Canadian hockey fans. Just like you, Europeans from smaller hockey nations love the World Juniors. It's an amazing tournament to watch and in its current structure, it helps the entire hockey world. Even if it comes at the price of a blowout from time to time. So to those wanting to stop the blowouts by removing teams from the juniors or recreate Team Europe. Please take a second to read the perspective of someone from a nation that isn't fighting for gold, but something completely different and let me know what you think of it. Dear Canadian Hockey Fans

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[JackSlater]

I've never heard a Canadian say in person that they wanted fewer teams in order to avoid blowouts. You see it online sometimes but people love to complain online. If the number of teams was reduced we'd be hearing about how unfair it is that the weaker teams never have a chance to even play.

 

[Frederik95]

I've never heard a Canadian say in person that they wanted fewer teams in order to avoid blowouts. You see it online sometimes but people love to complain online. If the number of teams was reduced we'd be hearing about how unfair it is that the weaker teams never have a chance to even play.

Im glad to hear that its only the few online that finds ways to complain about everything.

 

[AvatarAang]

I've never heard a Canadian say in person that they wanted fewer teams in order to avoid blowouts. You see it online sometimes but people love to complain online. If the number of teams was reduced we'd be hearing about how unfair it is that the weaker teams never have a chance to even play.

OP just created a narrative so he could have an excuse to write an article and link to it. Obviously the majority of Canadian hockey fans do not feel this way.

 

[Back in Black]

They'd have to call it the CANADA CUP again..........

I wouldn't have a problem with adding a Team Europe to the tournament.

 

[majormajor]

I think there's a way to do the preliminary round so that we avoid having whole days of blowouts while still preserving a chance for the "aspirational" teams to compete with the best.

Have teams play those that are of similar rank, and move up and down the ranking each night depending on who you win or lose to. I tried to develop a simulation and I never did settle on a ranking system I preferred, but the matchmaking rule is pretty simple. Starting from the top of the ranking, teams play the next available team that they haven't played yet. You can also modify it so that you don't get stuck with rematches at the bottom, like I did here.

In this simulation Germany actually does end up getting to play Canada because Germany moved up the ranking and Canada down. But in some years Germany just won't be good enough to earn matchups with top 5 clubs. The Swiss didn't have a very good year in my simulation, they weren't super competitive, so they got stuck playing teams on their level. As you can see, the number of highly competitive games goes up dramatically, and there is still a chance for everyone to go all the way.

CAN

RUS

FIN

SWE

CZE

USA

GER

SUI

SVK

LAT

NOR

DEN

g1

Rus - L

Can - W

Swe - L

Fin - W

USA - L

Cze - W

Sui - W

Ger - L

Lat - W

Svk - L

Den - L

Nor - W

g2

Fin - W

Swe - L

Can - L

Rus - W

Svk - W

Ger - W

USA - L

Den - W

Cze - L

Nor - W

Lat - L

Sui - L

g3

Swe - L

USA - L

Cze - W

Can - W

Fin - L

Rus - W

Svk - W

Lat - L

Ger - L

Sui - W

Den - L

Nor - W

g4

Ger - W

Fin - W

Rus - L

USA - W

Lat - W

Swe - L

Can - L

Nor - W

Den - W

Cze - L

Sui - L

Svk - L

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

Fans that hate blowouts and fans of aspirational clubs can tell me if this helps with some of their concerns.

 

[Frederik95]

OP just created a narrative so he could have an excuse to write an article and link to it. Obviously the majority of Canadian hockey fans do not feel this way.

I wish it was that. It probably is more so like that in Canada but online... yeah i have seen a lot this juniors where people has been bashing the kids due to blowouts. The point of this was to offer a new perspective to the debate of the Juniors from someone in a smaller hockey nation.

 

[Frederik95]

They'd have to call it the CANADA CUP again..........

I wouldn't have a problem with adding a Team Europe to the tournament.

The issue is that even with the added talent. Team Europe would lack a lot in terms of unity, national pride and communication. They would struggle a lot since its a mishmatch of players who hasnt played together ever. 19 out of 20 times i doubt they would make it past the quaters.

 

[Frederik95]

I think there's a way to do the preliminary round so that we avoid having whole days of blowouts while still preserving a chance for the "aspirational" teams to compete with the best.

Have teams play those that are of similar rank, and move up and down the ranking each night depending on who you win or lose to. I tried to develop a simulation and I never did settle on a ranking system I preferred, but the matchmaking rule is pretty simple. Starting from the top of the ranking, teams play the next available team that they haven't played yet. You can also modify it so that you don't get stuck with rematches at the bottom, like I did here.

In this simulation Germany actually does end up getting to play Canada because Germany moved up the ranking and Canada down. But in some years Germany just won't be good enough to earn matchups with top 5 clubs. The Swiss didn't have a very good year in my simulation, they weren't super competitive, so they got stuck playing teams on their level. As you can see, the number of highly competitive games goes up dramatically, and there is still a chance for everyone to go all the way.

CAN

RUS

FIN

SWE

CZE

USA

GER

SUI

SVK

LAT

NOR

DEN

g1

Rus - L

Can - W

Swe - L

Fin - W

USA - L

Cze - W

Sui - W

Ger - L

Lat - W

Svk - L

Den - L

Nor - W

g2

Fin - W

Swe - L

Can - L

Rus - W

Svk - W

Ger - W

USA - L

Den - W

Cze - L

Nor - W

Lat - L

Sui - L

g3

Swe - L

USA - L

Cze - W

Can - W

Fin - L

Rus - W

Svk - W

Lat - L

Ger - L

Sui - W

Den - L

Nor - W

g4

Ger - W

Fin - W

Rus - L

USA - W

Lat - W

Swe - L

Can - L

Nor - W

Den - W

Cze - L

Sui - L

Svk - L

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

Fans that hate blowouts and fans of aspirational clubs can tell me if this helps with some of their concerns.

Its a better suggestion than most i see, and i dont dislike it. Should it change, this would be how to do it!
My only issue is that the chances of Denmark, Norway and Latvia would have a hard time of ever playing Canada. The blowouts is a part of the growing pains that we really need to advance. We need the messure against the top nations from time to time, to see where we are against the top of the pile and see where we need to develop.

 

[violaswallet]

I think the consensus is that what happened with Germany with playing undermanned should not happen again: that Canada-Germany game with the fourth string goalie was just painful and sad. hopefully we never have this bizarre quarantine situation again.

how do you feel about mercy rules: perhaps not turning the game clock off after say 10 goals or something of that sort

 

[AvatarAang]

I wish it was that. It probably is more so like that in Canada but online... yeah i have seen a lot this juniors where people has been bashing the kids due to blowouts. The point of this was to offer a new perspective to the debate of the Juniors from someone in a smaller hockey nation.

Can you please provide us with examples where lots of people are bashing kids due to blowouts? I’m curious where you got your inspiration to write this article.

 

[majormajor]

Its a better suggestion than most i see, and i dont dislike it. Should it change, this would be how to do it!
My only issue is that the chances of Denmark, Norway and Latvia would have a hard time of ever playing Canada. The blowouts is a part of the growing pains that we really need to advance. We need the messure against the top nations from time to time, to see where we are against the top of the pile and see where we need to develop.

It's certainly unlikely for Norway, unless they have a very good year.

Denmark and Latvia would have a chance. As opposed to being relegated to the second tier, as they are this year, those clubs just have to win one or two key matchups and they would make the quarterfinals of the medal round, where they'll play Canada or whoever else is on top in the 8. In my simulation Latvia actually knocked off the Swiss. If they had beaten the Slovaks or the Czechs they would have made the quarters.

The issue is that even with the added talent. Team Europe would lack a lot in terms of unity, national pride and communication. They would struggle a lot since its a mishmatch of players who hasnt played together ever. 19 out of 20 times i doubt they would make it past the quaters.

I think they'd be better than 1/20 chance of making the semis. One of the best lines of the tournament was Stutzle - Elias - Peterka, you put solid depth around them and they can beat top teams often.

But I agree that there is more honor with national teams, I wouldn't change it.

 

[Frederik95]

I think the consensus is that what happened with Germany with playing undermanned should not happen again: that Canada-Germany game with the fourth string goalie was just painful and sad. hopefully we never have this bizarre quarantine situation again.

how do you feel about mercy rules: perhaps not turning the game clock off after say 10 goals or something of that sort

That game was.... yeah not fun, but also unique. I cant see a situation like that ever happening again. Everything went against Germany in that game.
About a mercy rule, i almost feel that would be more embarrassing for the losing team and it takes away from a game they wanted to saviour and can tell their kids about. For teams like Austria, the kids while not having fun conceding goals is enjoying to play against the best of the best for 60 minutes

 

[Frederik95]

Can you please provide us with examples where lots of people are bashing kids due to blowouts? I’m curious where you got your inspiration to write this article.

Absolutely. Here are a few that i found which was my inspiration to offer a different perspective to the debate:

 

[Frederik95]

It's certainly unlikely for Norway, unless they have a very good year.

Denmark and Latvia would have a chance. As opposed to being relegated to the second tier, as they are this year, those clubs just have to win one or two key matchups and they would make the quarterfinals of the medal round, where they'll play Canada or whoever else is on top in the 8. In my simulation Latvia actually knocked off the Swiss. If they had beaten the Slovaks or the Czechs they would have made the quarters.
True and its by far the best system i have seen. It just have that worry, but i think most system has slight flaws so you have done well there!


I think they'd be better than 1/20 chance of making the semis. One of the best lines of the tournament was Stutzle - Elias - Peterka, you put solid depth around them and they can beat top teams often.

But I agree that there is more honor with national teams, I wouldn't change it.

1 in 20 might have been over doing it, but i still doubt they would be united enough in normal years to make too much noise. At least not enough that it makes sense to take away the joy from the Europeans. For me its not about winning but about growing the sport in other areas. That only really happens when your national team gets exposed to the top of the pile

 

[Inf4mous0ne]

Can you please provide us with examples where lots of people are bashing kids due to blowouts? I’m curious where you got your inspiration to write this article.

I have definitely seen numerous posts on this board and on twitter about teams being removed due to "not being competitive". Whether these posts are representative of general fan sentiments or not, for a lot of international fans where these channels are their only avenue for WJC content, I 100% could see how this narrative could come across.

I personally don't think it's an overarching sentiment, but I do think it's out there, and disagree with it due partly to a lot of the things highlighted in the posted article.

 

[AvatarAang]

Absolutely. Here are a few that i found which was my inspiration to offer a different perspective to the debate:

Okay just as I thought, a bunch of clowns and no one reputable. You found a few bad apples and decided all of Canada needed to be addressed.

To put it in perspective, it would be no different than me reading your article and then addressing all of HFboards to stop generalizing Canadians.

 

[admiralcadillac]

I loved seeing Denmark lead by Ehlers and Bjorkstrand make a splash a couple years back.

The reality is these nations have players worth watching even if on the whole they don't perform. It's about keeping hockey relevant not having yet another grindfest between evenly matched teams.

 

[Bounces R Way]

Hockey is a great sport, always nice to see other non-traditional countries take an interest. I think a German and a Swiss player winning some major NHL awards this year bodes well for the future of international hockey. It also is a hard sport to make more accessible but I'd say overall it's in a decent spot. The NHL absolutely needs to make its players available to the Olympics though.

You'll have to excuse a certain amount of Canadian arrogance. We're not the best in the world at much and hockey is religion here. People tend to take it a little too seriously sometimes.

 

[Deadly Dogma]

what would a potential team europe look like?

 

[majormajor]

Okay just as I thought, a bunch of clowns and no one reputable. You found a few bad apples and decided all of Canada needed to be addressed.

To put it in perspective, it would be no different than me reading your article and then addressing all of HFboards to stop generalizing Canadians.

That's the senior writer of The Hockey News and two prominent regional journalists, voicing widely held sentiments. A lot of people were displeased having whole days of blowouts, myself included. That's why I worked on the solution I posted above. We have a legitimate issue here.

You'll have to excuse a certain amount of Canadian arrogance. We're not the best in the world at much and hockey is religion here. People tend to take it a little too seriously sometimes.

I think it's a combination of passion and boredom. People waited for months and months for this tournament, and then most of the games are nothing but blowouts that are too painful to watch.

 

[End on a Hinote]

An Open Letter to Non-Canadian Hockey Fans:

Stop calling us "classless" for blowout wins, then mock us for "barely winning" two days later. And, if you have to call us classless for winning by several goals, why not call out other teams that do the same instead of just us?

Stop assuming that we all have the same mentality as Don Cherry.

Stop thinking that fans waving the flag and/or cheering their boys is only considered arrogant, obnoxious and classless when Canada does it.

Stop exaggerating our general behavior and putting words in our mouths to make yourselves look like victims.

 

[Odie Cleghorn]

That's the senior writer of The Hockey News and two prominent regional journalists, voicing widely held sentiments. A lot of people were displeased having whole days of blowouts, myself included. That's why I worked on the solution I posted above. We have a legitimate issue here.



I think it's a combination of passion and boredom. People waited for months and months for this tournament, and then most of the games are nothing but blowouts that are too painful to watch.

Damian Cox was always an idiot and now he is not all there.

 

[majormajor]

Damian Cox was always an idiot and now he is not all there.

Okay I'll yield that one.

 

[Frederik95]

Okay just as I thought, a bunch of clowns and no one reputable. You found a few bad apples and decided all of Canada needed to be addressed.

To put it in perspective, it would be no different than me reading your article and then addressing all of HFboards to stop generalizing Canadians.

Within the article, I actually put a few Canadians and by no means do I think all Canadians think that way. I probably in hindsight should have made it clearer that it isn't something all people of Canada. That for me is something I will apologize for not making clear enough.
Heck, most Canadians lovely and I called them the most knowledgeable hockey fans who I respect a lot.
The title was to catch eyes. Most people do that when they write. I will admit that, but it's far from a hate speech or anything to Canada. I love Canada and I cheer for them whenever they aren't facing Denmark.

All this is intending is to add a voice that isn't as... common to the debate to showcase a different angle than those who wish a change for something i dont agree will help hockey.
Is my word absolute, no. If you disagree thats fine, but all i wanted was to offer a perspective that i feel can get lost a bit.