Le Gros Bill
Registered User
- Aug 3, 2005
- 236
- 0
From Sportsnet.ca...
"Until the world junior tournament can reduce the glaring talent gap between competitors, it will remain a second-tier event.
Every year at this time we are bombarded with world junior hype. The annual event is sold as one of the biggest sporting events of the year; and every year I cringe at the thought of the poor teams who are thrown to the wolves to make this a viable project.
Now don't get me wrong, I support any competition where the best players at any age go head-to-head while having the chance to represent their respective countries; but there has to be a way this can be done without embarrassing the also-ran countries and players who belong in a D pool.
My good friend Mark Morrison is just starting to play hockey and is enjoys it immensely. His team is divided into three sets of five players, and rated according to skill level. The top line on his team plays against the top line on the opposing team, and so on and so on. This format keeps the competition relatively even, and allows players to develop their own skills alongside those skating on the same learning curve. Mark is six-years-old. Does it make any difference whether the players are 6 or 16?
The world junior tournament is not the Olympics. It is also not the World Championships or even the Spengler Cup. These are not pros. These are kids, or if you would prefer young men. I like the term adolescents. These teenagers are showcased in the same way as the pros. When they should be having fun and playing hockey for the pure enjoyment of the game, they are being thrown into "battle" and berated if they do not act like "warriors". They are sold as being the best teams in the world, when realistically, half of the invitees can hardly compete. As I write this article, Norway (0-4) has been outscored 26-3. Latvia (0-4) has been outscored 25-8. I wonder if the players on these teams feel like they are among the best in the world? I wonder if they are learning a lot and this experience will help their games and their self-esteem?
To reiterate, I have nothing against healthy competition among countries of equal calibre. But how? To start, the junior spectacle should be hosted in the fall or spring, after or before the grueling schedules these 'adolescents' already have to play away from international duty. It would be better for the players and better for their junior or college teams. But I forgot ... it would not sell.
The delightful John Garrett is a fixture on the Sportsnet hockey panel. Watch for his columns every week on Sportsnet.ca."
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Wonder if he would say the same thing if the games were drawing big numbers on SPORTSNET instead of TSN...
"Until the world junior tournament can reduce the glaring talent gap between competitors, it will remain a second-tier event.
Every year at this time we are bombarded with world junior hype. The annual event is sold as one of the biggest sporting events of the year; and every year I cringe at the thought of the poor teams who are thrown to the wolves to make this a viable project.
Now don't get me wrong, I support any competition where the best players at any age go head-to-head while having the chance to represent their respective countries; but there has to be a way this can be done without embarrassing the also-ran countries and players who belong in a D pool.
My good friend Mark Morrison is just starting to play hockey and is enjoys it immensely. His team is divided into three sets of five players, and rated according to skill level. The top line on his team plays against the top line on the opposing team, and so on and so on. This format keeps the competition relatively even, and allows players to develop their own skills alongside those skating on the same learning curve. Mark is six-years-old. Does it make any difference whether the players are 6 or 16?
The world junior tournament is not the Olympics. It is also not the World Championships or even the Spengler Cup. These are not pros. These are kids, or if you would prefer young men. I like the term adolescents. These teenagers are showcased in the same way as the pros. When they should be having fun and playing hockey for the pure enjoyment of the game, they are being thrown into "battle" and berated if they do not act like "warriors". They are sold as being the best teams in the world, when realistically, half of the invitees can hardly compete. As I write this article, Norway (0-4) has been outscored 26-3. Latvia (0-4) has been outscored 25-8. I wonder if the players on these teams feel like they are among the best in the world? I wonder if they are learning a lot and this experience will help their games and their self-esteem?
To reiterate, I have nothing against healthy competition among countries of equal calibre. But how? To start, the junior spectacle should be hosted in the fall or spring, after or before the grueling schedules these 'adolescents' already have to play away from international duty. It would be better for the players and better for their junior or college teams. But I forgot ... it would not sell.
The delightful John Garrett is a fixture on the Sportsnet hockey panel. Watch for his columns every week on Sportsnet.ca."
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Wonder if he would say the same thing if the games were drawing big numbers on SPORTSNET instead of TSN...
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