This is an extremely lame and pathetic statement, which basically serves two purposes: 1) blow the importance of NHL participation in a competition to make it worthy out of all proportions 2)downplay failure of the swedish team to win the tourney .
You are wrong on both counts, young man, 'cause on the one hand,
it's not the names on the roster but the quality, consistence and impressiveness of performance that defines the level of a tournament and on the other, the Swedish team seemed to play a very high quality, team play-based, fast and smart hockey at the Euro Tour stage in Sweden - and it's up to your coaching staff to explain what happened to your national team over that short time period.
I'm really sick and tired of this crap that it's only when the so-called "best of the best" play in a competition that it's worth anything?! I say BS, no f.cking way ever! A substantial part of why hockey is played is for fans to HAVE FUN - it's one of the key purposes of any competition. And from this point of you, the recent WC was a gem - the quality, intensity, passion, skills, speed, mastery was all there to see. Team Russia performance aside, I rate this WC second best in quality over the past five years - right next to the one in Quebec, the final game being a more than fitting cherry on the top
What?????????? I mean, from your point of u, the sole purpose of the SECOND most important competition in the hockey world is to "give prospects great experience" and to "get some swan songs from liked h as beens"????????????? I'm afraid u clearly have some kind of inferiority complex towards the NHL and u need to address it, cause it seems to cloud your vision and clarity of thinking and u don't seem able to see the obvious truth: athletes around the world, competing in differnt sports, do it not for money, but first and foremost, FOR GLORY, FAME,CHANCE TO GO DOWN IN HISTORY and BE REMEMBERED FOREVER. In hockey, world championships are one of the best and most obvious means of achieving that very goal which the best hockey players around the world are anxious to exploit year after year, until that goal is achieved. But even then they keep going at, because the title of world champion is a proud one, among other things, serving to show (at the personal level) that it's not in vain that u went into this sport and that u actually have made the right choices in your life as far as your occupation is concerned and that you do mean somthing professionally, and no less importantly (at a higher level), brings glory to your country and joy and pride to your countrymen.
However, if u seriously believe that hockey is worth watching only once every four years during the Olympics or during the Nhl season, well then I guess u are one of those many who treasure labels not substance and for whom a notebook is a good one only if it's an Apple, a TV screen - if it's a Sony, a handbag - if it's a Louis Vuitton, etc.
As far as I'm concerned it's very sad, 'cause such people can never enjoy life to the full, unless the "right label"
is in place. I say it simply doesn't get more pathetic than that. Never