WC: Which tournament is more important and more interesting?

[Bear12Good]

Which tournament is more important and more interesting? World Championship in Russia and the World Cup in Toronto?
What is the main tournament for you this year?

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[kabidjan18]

Please don't. Please, just don't.

 

[Bear12Good]

Please don't. Please, just don't.

This is a very important question!

 

[Don Corleone]

The answer is obvious, The World Cup.

Since the OP is Russian I think you might feel the The Worlds are more important as they are played in Russia, and that is fine and all but in terms of quality the tournaments are far far apart.

The World Cup will be one of the most competitive tournament in the history of the sport and can be topped by only a another World Cup in the distant future. The Worlds or even Olympics are not comparable. In the Olympics you have a bunch of flat out terrible teams and because of that you get to see wonderful games like Sweden winning 10-1 against Belarus or some crap like that. The Worlds are even worse with not a single country icing a roster that is even remotely close to its best possible lineup. I do give Russia credit though, they have most of their star players attending every year and that is something no other country can say.

I also think that the fact that players will be fresh and not fatigued and bruised from the NHL season grind will only make the hockey better.

 

[tade]

The answer is quite easy for me.

The most important tournaments are the ones where the real national teams (top tier teams) are competing for gold medals. And also the tournaments which are regularly repeated in a given and determined time. That's not something what can be said about World Cup.

1. Olympics
2. World Hockey Championships

World Cup could be very easily there, if the NHL realize that the fantasy teams are stupid, and also if they can maintain some periodicity.

I will probably pay more attention to WHC in Russia... but I will definitely watch a few games from WC and I am very curious to see the final rosters.

 

[SotasicA]

World Cup, and it's not even close. I'd rank WJC ahead of the World Champs, too.

 

[NyQuil]

The most important tournaments are the ones where the real national teams (top tier teams) are competing for gold medals. And also the tournaments which are regularly repeated in a given and determined time. That's not something what can be said about World Cup.

1. Olympics
2. World Hockey Championships

World Cup could be very easily there, if the NHL realize that the fantasy teams are stupid, and also if they can maintain some periodicity.

I will probably pay more attention to WHC in Russia... but I will definitely watch a few games from WC and I am very curious to see the final rosters.

I don't see top tier teams at the World Championships.

That leaves the Olympics.

 

[SotasicA]

Is this just about the addition of Team Europe (and U24)? So would the World Cup somehow be better if it had just the top 6 nations, with no extra assembled teams?

They've had awesome six team Canada Cups in the past.

 

[Tkachuk Norris]

1. World Cup
2. WJC
3. Ivan Hlinka

No other tournament matters to me because they aren't best on best. I could care less if Canada got crushed or demolishes the competition in the World Championship. Like who watches the world champs anyway? There is playoff hockey on.

 

[tade]

I don't see top tier teams at the World Championships.

That leaves the Olympics.

Canada, USA, Russia, Sweden, Finland, Czech republic ... are participating in the World Championships therefore top tier teams are there, and if they can't ice the best possible teams, that's another story and hockey federations don't have impact on it due to NHL play-offs.

For example, even Canada's 4th best team is (or could be) still top tier team in the international hockey. Team Russia filled only with KHLers is still top tier team in the international hockey.

1. World Cup
2. WJC
3. Ivan Hlinka

No other tournament matters to me because they aren't best on best. I could care less if Canada got crushed or demolishes the competition in the World Championship. Like who watches the world champs anyway? There is playoff hockey on.

Millions of people, North America is not the whole world...

 

[FiLe]

The answer to the question is purely subjective and should not be debated. One considers one of these more interesting and important from his/her personal POV, and other considers the other.

Only one of these tournaments, however, has real legitimacy. The other is something that's tacked-on against all the other things hockey we can watch.

 

[sdf]

So players in Erop team have big motivation for this games?

 

[Bear12Good]

1. World Cup
2. WJC
3. Ivan Hlinka

No other tournament matters to me because they aren't best on best. I could care less if Canada got crushed or demolishes the competition in the World Championship. Like who watches the world champs anyway? There is playoff hockey on.

In Russia, the world championship looks practically whole country!
In Russia, the world championship is one of the major sporting events of the year
The whole country is waiting for Ovechkin or Malkin coming to this tournament

 

[Keram]

Obvious answer. For fans from top 6 teams it is world cup. For others it is definitely world championships. Hockey fan will definitely cheer for their nations even if it is not so prestigious tourney. I have no team at world cup so WCH have definitely more meaning to me because I can cheer for my country.

 

[SotasicA]

The whole country is waiting for Ovechkin or Malkin coming to this tournament

Must be nice for Al and Geno to know an entire nation is hoping for them to fail in the playoffs.

And this year was supposed to be Ovie's big chance to finally win the Cup!

 

[1Gold Standard]

In Russia, the world championship looks practically whole country!
In Russia, the world championship is one of the major sporting events of the year
The whole country is waiting for Ovechkin or Malkin coming to this tournament

Malkin will be there. Pittsburgh, if they make the playoffs, will be eliminated early. You'll be wasting your time waiting for Ovechkin this year. At least a 1/2 final appearance for the Caps this year, which will run right about the time 1/4 and 1/2 final WHC games in Moscow. but I'm sure they'll leave a few roster spots open for Caps players to rush back to Europe 3 hours after their team gets eliminated from Playoffs. The thing is, it may be too late by then. Russia may already have played and lost an elimination game in Moscow.

 

[Bear12Good]

Must be nice for Al and Geno to know an entire nation is hoping for them to fail in the playoffs.

And this year was supposed to be Ovie's big chance to finally win the Cup!

All Russia will be hoping that Ovi will lose in the first round of the playoffs and will go at the WC16

 

[Bear12Good]

Malkin will be there. Pittsburgh, if they make the playoffs, will be eliminated early. You'll be wasting your time waiting for Ovechkin this year. At least a 1/2 final appearance for the Caps this year, which will run right about the time 1/4 and 1/2 final WHC games in Moscow.

I think so too
Washington should play in the semifinals

 

[SotasicA]

All Russia will be hoping that Ovi will lose in the first round of the playoffs and will go at the WC16

Well, I for one hope he makes his Russian fans happy

 

[sdf]

In Russia, the world championship looks practically whole country!
In Russia, the world championship is one of the major sporting events of the year
The whole country is waiting for Ovechkin or Malkin coming to this tournament

They re idiots

 

[Don Corleone]

Everyone has their own preference and that is fine.

However if the most important thing for you is simply to what a tournament that has the highest level of competition then the answer is not debatable.

 

[Bear12Good]

They re idiots

They patriots

 

[FiLe]

Obvious answer. For fans from top 6 teams it is world cup. For others it is definitely world championships. Hockey fan will definitely cheer for their nations even if it is not so prestigious tourney. I have no team at world cup so WCH have definitely more meaning to me because I can cheer for my country.

Now, now. My team will be in the World Cup, and I couldn't care less about it. Because of the simple fact that for me, the opposition matters as well. When I watch my team play, I wanna see them play other national teams, not gimmicks.

And yes, while there certainly is a chance to watch them play other NTs too, the games vs. the gimmicks will still determine their position in the final table. Which makes the entire tournament meaningless.

So, gimme the WHC any day. And pray that the NHL doesn't withdraw from the Olympics. (Though even if they do, I'll still watch olympic hockey. The World Cup I won't.)

 

[Bear12Good]

Everyone has their own preference and that is fine.

However if the most important thing for you is simply to what a tournament that has the highest level on of competition then the answer is not debatable.

For Russian NHL players win the world championship is more important than winning the Stanley Cup

 

[tade]

Now, now. My team will be in the World Cup, and I couldn't care less about it. Because of the simple fact that for me, the opposition matters as well. When I watch my team play, I wanna see them play other national teams, not gimmicks.

And yes, while there certainly is a chance to watch them play other NTs too, the games vs. the gimmicks will still determine their position in the final table. Which makes the entire tournament meaningless.

So, gimme the WHC any day. And pray that the NHL doesn't withdraw from the Olympics. (Though even if they do, I'll still watch olympic hockey. The World Cup I won't.)

I have the same exact opinion and feeling about it.