World Cup: 2016 World Cup — Team Europe

[Eye of Ra]

Hossa - Kopitar - Zucarello
Vanek - Draisaitl - Tatar
Ehlers - Nielsen - Bødker
Hansen - Eller - Nino

Chara - Sekera
Josi - Streit
Seidenberg - Larsen

Andersen
Greiss
Halak

 

[crobro]

Borna Rendulic should be on the team

 

[HFpapi]

Hossa - Kopitar - Zucarello
Vanek - Draisaitl - Tatar
Ehlers - Nielsen - Bødker
Hansen - Eller - Nino

Chara - Sekera
Josi - Streit
Seidenberg - Larsen

Andersen
Greiss
Halak

looking at this roster, and keeping in mind Chara and Hossa have lost a few steps.... damn, maybe Denmark and Switzerland rather than the Slovaks should have been the two alternate teams

 

[Faterson]

They could have used the upcoming World Championships in Moscow rankings to determine who gets the invite to a real World Cup, instead of this fake travesty.

 

[Keram]

looking at this roster, and keeping in mind Chara and Hossa have lost a few steps.... damn, maybe Denmark and Switzerland rather than the Slovaks should have been the two alternate teams

Very sad but true indeed. : Generally we should make better best on best team than Denmark with Europe players. Swiss are ahead of us though. Very frustrating for slovak fans. What a great hockey nation we was back in early 00´s Imo there was big 7 to some extent from 00 to 06 or 07. If not we were clearly closer to Finland than Swiss.

 

[xxxx]

Very sad but true indeed. : Generally we should make better best on best team than Denmark with Europe players. Swiss are ahead of us though. Very frustrating for slovak fans. What a great hockey nation we was back in early 00´s Imo there was big 7 to some extent from 00 to 06 or 07. If not we were clearly closer to Finland than Swiss.

Slovakia was absolutely in top-seven. They won their group at the 2006 olympics. They beat everyone in their group, including Russia, USA and Sweden. That says it all.

 

[FiLe]

They won their group at the 2006 olympics. They beat everyone in their group, including Russia, USA and Sweden.

That game though...

 

[Keram]

That game though...

Yeah I remember...However we beat Russia and USA fair and square. No upsets there. And we were medal contender.

 

[kabidjan18]

Interesting that Marian Hossa is on many top line projections here. Over on team NA young ones a kid named Robby Fabbri just got turned down for not having enough points, only 28. Hossa this season has an interesting number of points, 28.

 

[HFpapi]

Very sad but true indeed. : Generally we should make better best on best team than Denmark with Europe players. Swiss are ahead of us though. Very frustrating for slovak fans. What a great hockey nation we was back in early 00´s Imo there was big 7 to some extent from 00 to 06 or 07. If not we were clearly closer to Finland than Swiss.

As a Canadian born in '89 who really started getting into watching hockey in the early 2000's, I can say that international hockey was a much better place when the Czechs and Slovaks were right up there with Can, USA, Swe, Fin, and Russia as medal threats.

It looked to me like Finland was declining a few years back but then had a huge burst of young talent, hopefully the Czechs and especially Slovaks can bounce back as well. If Denmark and Switzerland continue on their trajectory, International hockey will be lots of fun

 

[Faterson]

It looked to me like Finland was declining a few years back but then had a huge burst of young talent, hopefully the Czechs and especially Slovaks can bounce back as well. If Denmark and Switzerland continue on their trajectory, International hockey will be lots of fun

Except that Finland, Denmark and Switzerland are among Europe's wealthiest countries, and Slovakia and Czech Rep among the poorest. And you have a part of the answer right there... You need to be somewhat of a masochist as a parent to support your kid as a potential future pro athlete in this economy. Lately, Slovakia's football, including our junior teams, has been on a remarkable rise, not least because it's so much cheaper to play football than to play hockey.

 

[FiLe]

I hope I don't sound overly harsh, but it almost looks as if Slovakia was not much of a hockey country to begin with. What comes to their success in the early 2000s, it mostly seems to be thanks to players who began their junior careers in the somewhat-totalitarian Czechoslovakian hockey system in the 80s and fell on their side after the iron curtain fell and the country split. And no, I don't mean it was random. Those players were unquestionably ethnic Slovaks, they just were given better foundations by the common system.

Now that those players are for large part retired and they're fully dependent on breeding their own, the decline has set in. Sure, they still produce some top talent (and none of us would complain if they'd produce more), but I believe the answer to their relative strength some 15 years ago is right up there.

 

[GaboriklessWild]

and slovakia and czech rep among the poorest.

wtf??!

 

[kabidjan18]

wtf??!

Ikr, middle of the road has become last in the pack.

 

[gwh]

Czech is going to look like Germany in 10 years if this keeps up. 2% unemployment guarantees that the wages skyrocket.

 

[Keram]

I hope I don't sound overly harsh, but it almost looks as if Slovakia was not much of a hockey country to begin with. What comes to their success in the early 2000s, it mostly seems to be thanks to players who began their junior careers in the somewhat-totalitarian Czechoslovakian hockey system in the 80s and fell on their side after the iron curtain fell and the country split. And no, I don't mean it was random. Those players were unquestionably ethnic Slovaks, they just were given better foundations by the common system.

Now that those players are for large part retired and they're fully dependent on breeding their own, the decline has set in. Sure, they still produce some top talent (and none of us would complain if they'd produce more), but I believe the answer to their relative strength some 15 years ago is right up there.

Yeah indipendent Slovakia under democratic system produced similar players to Denmark maybe Swiss. I don´t mean I want socialism back but there were grown better players both for Czechs and especially Slovaks. I think Czechoslovak hockey hit its peak in early 00´s when countries were independent already. Generations of 70s on both sides was great. Both hockey programs suffered from split but Slovaks much more IMO. I think Czech are bouncing back actually. We dont. Maybe we hit our rock bottom but we has not bounce back yet.

 

[Conspiracy Theorist]

I think that IIHF is supporting this tournament in exchange for the NHL participating in the Olympics. NHL will be ok with olympic participation because the World Cup will make them enough money to recoup the revenue losses caused by taking a break for the Olympics.

I seriously hope this is the case. I can't get enough of the Olympic hockey and World Cup, they are the highlights of a year.

 

[CouverNucks]

Think there's a chance Sven Baertschi gets consideration here?

 

[xxxx]

I think that IIHF is supporting this tournament in exchange for the NHL participating in the Olympics. NHL will be ok with olympic participation because the World Cup will make them enough money to recoup the revenue losses caused by taking a break for the Olympics.

That is a really good point. It makes a lot of sense.

 

[oilerbear]

First: I feel insulted as a Slovak hockey fan.
Second: The Slovak ice-hockey association should officialy prostest this tournament or something like that.
Third and mostly: I do believe, nonono, I do know, that the most of eligible slovak players - probably all of them - will boycott this tournament. Suddenly they start to be injured, families, whatever.

Book it.

it is world cup!

not Nations cup.

You have the old school soccer mentality.

The winnable depth in Hockey is structured properly for Nation participation depth.

look at the winnable depth in Soccer.
World cup Finals:
2014 GER-ARG
2010 SPN-NET
2006 ITL-FRA
2002 BRZ-GER
1998 FRA-BRZ
1994 BRZ-ITL
1990 GER-ARG
1986 ARG-GER
1982 ITL-GER
1978 ARG-NET
1974 GER-NET
1970 BRZ-ITL

The reality is lesser countries like England are not in the class of the elite group of 6
Germany 8 of last 16 finals 50%
Brasil 6 of last 16 finals 37.5%
Italy 4 of Last 16 finals 25%
Argentina 4 of last 16 Finals 25.%
Netherlands 3 of last 16 finals 18.8%
France 2 of 16 12.5%
27 of last 32 finalists 84.4%

you see the the odd blip (unusual high talent for cup) team.
Since 1954 blip teams have won 2 of 16 World cups.
England 1966
Spain 2010

Hockey did what soccer knows but refuses to Admit!

 

[Elvs]

it is world cup!

not Nations cup.

The world consists of nations.

 

[FiLe]

it is world cup!

not Nations cup.

By this logic, if it's called the National Hockey League, shouldn't players in it be restricted to a single nation...?

Such a silly league, given how it actually runs in the area of two nations and has players that represent more than 15 of them.

 

[westc2]

it is world cup!

not Nations cup.

You have the old school soccer mentality.

The winnable depth in Hockey is structured properly for Nation participation depth.

look at the winnable depth in Soccer.
World cup Finals:
2014 GER-ARG
2010 SPN-NET
2006 ITL-FRA
2002 BRZ-GER
1998 FRA-BRZ
1994 BRZ-ITL
1990 GER-ARG
1986 ARG-GER
1982 ITL-GER
1978 ARG-NET
1974 GER-NET
1970 BRZ-ITL

The reality is lesser countries like England are not in the class of the elite group of 6
Germany 8 of last 16 finals 50%
Brasil 6 of last 16 finals 37.5%
Italy 4 of Last 16 finals 25%
Argentina 4 of last 16 Finals 25.%
Netherlands 3 of last 16 finals 18.8%
France 2 of 16 12.5%
27 of last 32 finalists 84.4%

you see the the odd blip (unusual high talent for cup) team.
Since 1954 blip teams have won 2 of 16 World cups.
England 1966
Spain 2010

Hockey did what soccer knows but refuses to Admit!

Who cares if the same teams are making to the finals...that's no reason to exclude other countries from the tournament. How are they going to get better? Include them so young players in those countries will watch the games and be motivated to become elite hockey players for their country in the future.

The Hockey World Cup should be at least 16 teams, even if only 6 of the teams have a real chance of winning any time soon. The format can be set up so it all works out.

 

[Philadelphia Ducks]

no brainer on those goalie picks

 

[orangecrush8]

Oh my

That jersey looks like one of those dumb home/away fan jerseys.