How can you not be interested in seeing potential hockey superstars? Many of these guys end up being household names in the NHL. Also these players haven't been paid yet so you know they're all giving great efforts unlike what we see in the NHL from some players who regress after signing a contract.
I don't understand how people just ignore this tourney cause it's a bunch of "kids" playing. These aren't ordinary U20 guys. They're the best in the world! The skill does show. I've seen some ridiculous stick handling and shooting from every country.
The people calling the play during the tourney "sloppy" have no idea what they're talking about and probably aren't really watching the games. With little chemistry these teams still put on incredible displays of tic-tac passing, system coordination, and special teams play.
This tournament has everything you'd want to see when watching hockey. The only downside to it is the lack of fights. But I have no interest in fights so it actually adds to the enjoyment for me. There is still a ton of fierce hitting and board play which I like. The plus side to IIHF rules is that the play keeps moving quick because the post-whistle scrums are really short + no touch icing. Playing on big ice this year adds even more to the speed/flow of the game.
At times I do feel like watching a world juniors game is better than watching an NHL game. It's a short tourney and a huge showcase so the teams usually play aggressive. In the NHL I see countless regular season games where teams just sit back and play their "consistent system" game because there's 82 games to make adjustments. With this tourney, some teams completely adjust themselves over an intermission break lol. In the NHL team can sit back when it's tied to force OT. On the other hand, the WJC format is super exciting! Every point matters much more than in the NHL and there are crazy upsets and pressure moments. Each game means a tremendous amount to each team.
Finally to the people who don't watch the tourney cause they don't know the players, watching this tourney is a great way to learn. Stop being ignorant lol.
Best post of the entire thread. Is NBC a Super Bowl hype machine? Is ESPN a World Series hype machine? What about the NBA, World Cup, Olympics etc etc? I love how because TSN decides to cover a hockey tournament that 90% of Canadian hockey fans are interested in, they're a hype machine. 
