Pre-Game Talk: 2022 World Junior Hockey Championship

[BlackDogg]

A lot of futurists and experts on conflict predict we either will nuke ourselves into oblivion or humankind will have some sort of epiphany that hypersonic nuclear tipped weapons and the proliferation of nuclear weapons globally are a bad thing and will be banned.

All by 2050.

Most believe we will nuke ourselves into oblivion.

Also don’t buy oceanfront property in Miami unless you know how to swim.

Probably a lot.

He can bite all the medals now straight out of the f***ing box.

I'm surprised we haven't yet.

 

[Whyme]

Here's some fresh comments from the head coach of team Finland (the ones about disappointment for players left out):

- I'm angry because this wasn't a covid problem but the problem was that this championship tournament was lead badly
- We should've had an NHL protocol here so that only covid positive players are put to quarantine instead of the whole team. That's why games had to be cancelled. It should've been that players that are positive have to go aside and the rest can keep playing.
- The morale of the organizators started to get weaker only when team Canada arrived later than the others. When we tried to ask why we didn't get a reply.
- This tournament should've been organized and lead correctly as an event. There should've been the same arrangement as last year when e.g. Germany had several positive cases but they kept playing without those players.
- This tells a lot about the state of IIHF. I'm very disappointed. There are the best players and conditions of the world here. Millions of people are watching a tournament that is highly respected, but this was run badly. When we tried to help we weren't listened. Unbelievable.

https://www.is.fi/jaakiekko/art-2000008508401.html

 

[5 Mins 4 Ftg]

The only issue for me, and probably most people, is timely access to hospitals, surgeries, etc. It’s really the only thing I keep my eye on.

I agree. But in S Africa and England it’s shown not to be a problem. We’re on the downhill climb and we need to be developing Covid recovery centers and getting life back moving. Not locking people down and more restrictions. People are ready to snap. Businesses are failing. Major airlines are operating at near bankrupt conditions propped up by government funding. We’ve mostly vaccinated. Vaccines work.

Time to stop panicking over a variant that is less worrisome than the actual flu in most people.

 

[Heavy Dee]

Let me be clearer. The OEG has not been mentioned in any report for shutting down the tournament. Certainly they were involved in planning but protocols and the decision to shut down is 100% IIHF from what I have read.

Well Nicholson is in lock step with Hockey Canada. If OEG and HC were bleeding cash, there is your answer.

If there were full crowds and open concessions etc where cash was flowing, no way in hell the plug gets pulled.

 

[5 Mins 4 Ftg]

Well Nicholson is in lock step with Hockey Canada. If OEG and HC were bleeding cash, there is your answer.

If there were full crowds and open concessions etc where cash was flowing, no way in hell the plug gets pulled.

Your wrong because the IIHF was following protocols about how quarantine and testing would work. Games are cancelled over a single positive. It could have been a total sell out and games still would have been cancelled due to IIHF testing and quarantine protocols.

 

[Heavy Dee]

Your wrong because the IIHF was following protocols about how quarantine and testing would work. Games are cancelled over a single positive. It could have been a total sell out and games still would have been cancelled due to IIHF testing and quarantine protocols.

If their protocols meant that 4 cases could trigger a cancellation, then everyone on that org committee should be fired.

 

[5 Mins 4 Ftg]

If their protocols meant that 4 cases could trigger a cancellation, then everyone on that org committee should be fired.

I agree and the entire hockey world seems to thing the whole thing was a joke from Day 1. IIHF is a second rate organization and prove it time and time again.

Just think - Bobby Nicks was their number two for eons and now he’s our number one….sigh.

 

[5 Mins 4 Ftg]

 

[Whyme]

It does feel like they actually wanted to cancel the tournament for the first excuse they find.

 

[blueandgoldguy]

If 4 cases was the line in the sand, why did the IIHF go for it?

This seems more than a little ridiculous.

Because they knew it was going to get a whole lot worse with players sharing hotels with the general public as opposed to having a hotel to themselves to properly isolate in between games.

 

[TopShelfGloveSide]

If we keep going off strictly covid numbers and don’t factor in anything else (ie. symptoms or not) we will be locked down / no sports for the next decade. Mind boggling. Covid is going to be a part of life.

 

[5 Mins 4 Ftg]

IIHF. Not OEG shut this thing down. Watch and weep.

 

[5 Mins 4 Ftg]

It does feel like they actually wanted to cancel the tournament for the first excuse they find.

Watch the Bob McKenzie report. IIHF medical team wanted it shut down. On ice officials had “Covid” as well.

 

[McJadeddog]

Yeah, count me among those who doesn't see why the tourney was cancelled. If the IIHF just implements a "NHL-style" COVID policy, all is well, and the tourney continues on. Very dumb decision to scrap games entirely based on a couple case in a team.

 

[BlackDogg]

I just wanted to see if Oskar Maier was really a hot dog ....but no.

 

[5 Mins 4 Ftg]

 

[Biltmore]

Yeah, count me among those who doesn't see why the tourney was cancelled. If the IIHF just implements a "NHL-style" COVID policy, all is well, and the tourney continues on. Very dumb decision to scrap games entirely based on a couple case in a team.

On even 1 case per team! What a joke!

 

[5 Mins 4 Ftg]

 

[Marty McSurly]

Who the f*** organized this thing?

Oh ya, OEG and Hockey Canada.

 

[BlackDogg]

Irony is that the 2021 World Juniors went ahead, knowing less, harsher strains, and no vax.
2022 cancelled (after many games are played and everyone has travelled) and it could be even due to faulty tests for all we know.

 

[Oildrum]

Too bad I can't get my TSN $20 subscription back, what a joke.

 

[Drivesaitl]

Here's some fresh comments from the head coach of team Finland (the ones about disappointment for players left out):

- I'm angry because this wasn't a covid problem but the problem was that this championship tournament was lead badly
- We should've had an NHL protocol here so that only covid positive players are put to quarantine instead of the whole team. That's why games had to be cancelled. It should've been that players that are positive have to go aside and the rest can keep playing.
- The morale of the organizators started to get weaker only when team Canada arrived later than the others. When we tried to ask why we didn't get a reply.
- This tournament should've been organized and lead correctly as an event. There should've been the same arrangement as last year when e.g. Germany had several positive cases but they kept playing without those players.
- This tells a lot about the state of IIHF. I'm very disappointed. There are the best players and conditions of the world here. Millions of people are watching a tournament that is highly respected, but this was run badly. When we tried to help we weren't listened. Unbelievable.

https://www.is.fi/jaakiekko/art-2000008508401.html

I'm glad somebody is officially blaming the IIHF and putting that criticism where it deserves to be laid. More impressive that this comment is coming from a Euro squad.

What would it take for a dozen hockey countries to just supercede the awful IIHC and just put on their own tourneys with their own rules. Is the IIHF good for anything?

 

[Drivesaitl]

Jim must have got a lot of turkey rest over the holidays. he's making some sense.

Anyway I watched the game last night and it was if the Canadian players already knew. They were just trying to have some fun together, play a good game, pile on the shots and goals and get some kind of positive out of this. Maybe goal differential wins the tournament, lol.

The IIHF once again have zero credibility and thats been limited for over 50yrs. Now who pays for all the costs of getting here, making the effort, planefare, hotels etc? Doesn't the gate and TV contracts mitigate some of the costs. Now both of these are gone.

Every attending team should be billing IIHF for all costs at this point if they are not.

 

[Marty McSurly]

IIHF - Bob Nicholson

This guy is the worst at anything he does. The picture perfect embodiment of the Peter principle except he somehow reaches a level of incompetence and then still gets promoted.

 

[Drivesaitl]

Who the f*** organized this thing?

Oh ya, OEG and Hockey Canada.

jebus. Red Deer is large enough that they could have exclusively booked a hotel for the entire duration of the tourney. What kind of two bit operating is this?

How do you not get exclusive hotel, transport, for this? Omicron wave was known for a month. If you don't have a hotel booked exclusively throw money at a hotel to get it done pronto. There is no way different guests AND functions should be occurring at the same hotel.

Its ok though, all the staff were walking around with spray sanitizer in one hand and wearing masks. meanwhile drunk wedding guests were roaming the facility and probably staying in next rooms.

Would basically guarantee that there is room to room transfer of Omicron as well through substandard hvac and filtering.