Is thew World Championships now a loser tournament?

[Big Phil]

Hey I love the tournament personally I was cheering hard for Canada to win. This isnt a knock on the tournament itself but about the vibe it gets from NHL stars. Crosby as a rookie played in it, but its safe to say he'll never play in it again. I believe Gretzky never played in it after 1982 either. Mario either after 1985 and he had ample chances to do so.

So does it have a rep as a tournament that losers/non playoff guys go to? Or up and comers? Is it kind of like being an A-list celebrity and in order to get to that A-list level you have to go to a few B-list parties first. But once you're a Brad Pitt type of guy you dont go to stuff like that anymore.

Just look at the lineups of the rosters. Heatley went before the days when he was getting 50 goals. Shane Doan goes but he's not a superstar and he cant even remember when the last time he was in the playoffs. Ryan Smyth will go no matter what but on some teams he's not even a 1st line left winger and most of his career has consisted of not going any further than the 1st round.

So is the Worlds kind of like that? Is it like being a kid and having yur mom walk you to school but once you hit a certain age your old enough and you'd feel embarrassed if you walked with her again?

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[Fan of The Game]

Personally I think it should be changed into an amateur tournament. I always cheer for Canada. BUt I really don't care cause the playoffs were going on. lol

 

[Reilly*]

It's been a loser tournament ever since NHL players could start playing in it.

 

[NyQuil]

Now that there's more parity in the league, it can be pretty neat to see some of the rosters they put together.

(wrong forum BTW)

 

[Hennessy]

Well, it's not going to get grade A talent, no. But I wouldn't go so far as to label it a loser tournament. Teams still have some pretty talented skaters on the ice for the WC. Just because some guys might be busy in the NHL playoffs or most of the superstars might choose to sit it out doesn't mean it's full of 4th liners and minor league guys. You'll see younger up-and-coming stars, skill players from the European leagues and guys who perhaps wouldn't make the team for the Olympics due to the competiton but are hardly terrible. What I'm saying is that even though the rosters might not be as stacked as they are for the Olympics, it is still world-class hockey.

 

[ShaneDoan]

Finnish love World Championships but we know there is not always best players. So olympic silver-medal and World Cup silver stays clearly Finland`s best results in history.

 

[octopi]

We all know is the playoff losers, but I enjoy the tournament, and the players always seem to bring their top games.

Of course, since teams are comprised of guys whose teams get knocked out of the playoffs, teams often vary greatly year to year. For instance, Sweden, who last year was stacked with top notch NHLers from the Wings and Canucks, this year did without(Thank you, god)

 

[therealdeal]

I think you'll start to see more of Canada's A-list players start to go after this year. Hockey Canada was pretty pissed off at all the players that declined, there is a lot of talk of not inviting players to the Olympics if they refuse to participate in the WC now, so hopefully Canada's talent level will pick up in the future.

 

[Oilslick941611]

I think you'll start to see more of Canada's A-list players start to go after this year. Hockey Canada was pretty pissed off at all the players that declined, there is a lot of talk of not inviting players to the Olympics if they refuse to participate in the WC now, so hopefully Canada's talent level will pick up in the future.

thats good, and needed. besides Canada's A-list aging (turin 06) this is a great chance to let the ne generation take over. the generation that's winning every tournament in sight

 

[Faktisti*]

this loser tournament- term is new for me. i think that there comes all the available best players to that tournament

 

[Mr Kanadensisk]

I think you'll start to see more of Canada's A-list players start to go after this year. Hockey Canada was pretty pissed off at all the players that declined, there is a lot of talk of not inviting players to the Olympics if they refuse to participate in the WC now, so hopefully Canada's talent level will pick up in the future.

Yes, our performance at the World Championships this year was pretty disappointing......

Rest assured, they will pick the best team possible for 2010, I don't think W.C. attendance will factor into. Maybe for fringe players like Smyth and Doan it might make a difference, but not for the majority of the team.

 

[tony d]

I like the tournament, but think it suffers from bad timing as it is scheduled the same time as the NHL playoffs.

 

[therealdeal]

Yes, our performance at the World Championships this year was pretty disappointing......

Rest assured, they will pick the best team possible for 2010, I don't think W.C. attendance will factor into. Maybe for fringe players like Smyth and Doan it might make a difference, but not for the majority of the team.

Canada can field 3 A teams, its always been said that it can. Because Hockey Canada does care about this tournament, it will start to tell its players that if you are not in the playoffs, and not seriously injured, participation is mandatory if you wish to be considered for the Olympic/World Cup teams in the future. Take Horton for example, he declined this year because it was a contract year and didn't want to risk injury, in 3 years he could be good enough to play, but Hockey Canada can say no thanks, if you aren't interested in helping us, you don't deserve to be there.

 

[Faktisti*]

russia can also field 2 A teams

 

[Mr Kanadensisk]

Canada can field 3 A teams, its always been said that it can. Because Hockey Canada does care about this tournament, it will start to tell its players that if you are not in the playoffs, and not seriously injured, participation is mandatory if you wish to be considered for the Olympic/World Cup teams in the future. Take Horton for example, he declined this year because it was a contract year and didn't want to risk injury, in 3 years he could be good enough to play, but Hockey Canada can say no thanks, if you aren't interested in helping us, you don't deserve to be there.

Might I remind you that our A++ team has lost two out of the last three Olympic tournaments. They will put together the best team possible, they care about the Olympics a million times more than the Wolrd Championships. My god, they even took Bertuzzi to Turin.

They most I could see them doing is offering something like the 8th D spot, or 3rd goalie position to someone who plays at the W.C.'s. Just like the Europeans name one or two tolken players from their domestic leagues.

 

[Mr Kanadensisk]

russia can also field 2 A teams

The Swede's, Finns and Czech's have more depth than the Russians.

 

[therealdeal]

Might I remind you that our A++ team has lost two out of the last three Olympic tournaments. They will put together the best team possible, they care about the Olympics a million times more than the Wolrd Championships. My god, they even took Bertuzzi to Turin.

They most I could see them doing is offering something like the 8th D spot, or 3rd goalie position to someone who plays at the W.C.'s. Just like the Europeans name one or two tolken players from their domestic leagues.

Exactly, a team of all superstars probably won't win the Gold most times, its a team game, which is why Canada can turn down 50% of its stars and still have a great team. If you look at the team that lost it last year, they were loaded with talent but couldn't buy a goal, it had nothing to do with a talent shortage.

 

[Big Phil]

Do you honestly think Lecavalier, Crosby and Iginla wont be in Vancouver in 2010 just because they turned down the Worlds? No. Crosby had the foot problem but other players flat out didnt want to play. Its and up and coming tournament along with one where superstars dont want to go anymore.

For example, Jason Allison could have gone in 2001 since Boston was a no show in the playoffs (big shocker). But he didnt and then he wasnt added to Salt Lake in '02. Borderline guys need to go. Crosby, Nieds, Brodeur dont need to go. Canada would be dumb to take that approach of not taking proven superstars out of spite.

 

[Faktisti*]

The Swede's, Finns and Czech's have more depth than the Russians.

note if u talk about offense. russians just dont know how to play as a team, eventhought last worlds were awesome for them

 

[Mr Kanadensisk]

Exactly, a team of all superstars probably won't win the Gold most times, its a team game, which is why Canada can turn down 50% of its stars and still have a great team. If you look at the team that lost it last year, they were loaded with talent but couldn't buy a goal, it had nothing to do with a talent shortage.

Now that I agree with. Putting the best team together is much harder than just selecting a Canadian All-Star team. Star players that are used to playing big minutes in the NHL often have a hard time adjusting to third or fourth line roles. They might even be better to select the best group of 1st line players, the best group of 2nd liners from the NHL, and so on. The problem is that you risk insulting the star players who are left off the team, and they may not want to play for Canada in the future.

Regardless, I don't think W.C. participation will factor much in the Olympic team selection.

 

[Ola]

Hey I love the tournament personally I was cheering hard for Canada to win. This isnt a knock on the tournament itself but about the vibe it gets from NHL stars. Crosby as a rookie played in it, but its safe to say he'll never play in it again. I believe Gretzky never played in it after 1982 either. Mario either after 1985 and he had ample chances to do so.

So does it have a rep as a tournament that losers/non playoff guys go to? Or up and comers? Is it kind of like being an A-list celebrity and in order to get to that A-list level you have to go to a few B-list parties first. But once you're a Brad Pitt type of guy you dont go to stuff like that anymore.

Just look at the lineups of the rosters. Heatley went before the days when he was getting 50 goals. Shane Doan goes but he's not a superstar and he cant even remember when the last time he was in the playoffs. Ryan Smyth will go no matter what but on some teams he's not even a 1st line left winger and most of his career has consisted of not going any further than the 1st round.

So is the Worlds kind of like that? Is it like being a kid and having yur mom walk you to school but once you hit a certain age your old enough and you'd feel embarrassed if you walked with her again?

Don't get me wrong, I am not upset or anything, but I really think "loser tournament" is a brain dead headline for the WCH's.

You got it all wrong, as much as you possibly could actually.

The WCH's aren't for the players. Its a showcast of the game.

The players play for free. I don't think anyone looses more then 8 hrs of sleep if they screw up.

As a fan, I like the WCH's. Always allot of profiles and interesting lines ect.

 

[Faktisti*]

Don't get me wrong, I am not upset or anything, but I really think "loser tournament" is a brain dead headline for the WCH's.

You got it all wrong, as much as you possibly could actually.

The WCH's aren't for the players. Its a showcast of the game.

The players play for free. I don't think anyone looses more then 8 hrs of sleep if they screw up.

As a fan, I like the WCH's. Always allot of profiles and interesting lines ect.

do u really think that they play that tournament for money or do u think its allways the main point? they play for their country and its the biggest thing what u can win in your whole hockey career for many players. winning the WC'S is just HUGE thing for players and for the country, eventhought not for canada