World Cup

[Altair]

Did you forgot how epic the hockey in Vancouver was?

Nagano was awesome as well.

 

[JaysCyYoung]

I doubt any kids were inspired to play hockey of any kind after the sochi dud.

I don't think you quite comprehend just how important international hockey is for European players. The Worlds is on the level of Stanley Cup for most of them, which a lot of North American fans don't understand.

 

[JaysCyYoung]

Why can't both be run? The Olympics are important to the players. If they play nice with the NHL and do a NA based tourney every 4 years between Olympics I doubt the owners will prevent them from going,

This is the ideal outcome for me as well. I would ideally want both the Olympics and the World Cup alternating every two years (each held every four years and one held two years after the other), with the World Cup run under a proper qualifying format with complete national teams and an agreed-upon ranking system (or use the IIHF World Rankings).

 

[Altair]

This is the ideal outcome for me as well. I would ideally want both the Olympics and the World Cup alternating every two years (each held every four years and one held two years after the other), with the World Cup run under a proper qualifying format with complete national teams and an agreed-upon ranking system (or use the IIHF World Rankings).

I wouldn't mind this as well. Heck, I would sit down and watch a few games as gimmicky as it is.

It's the looming threat of the nhl backing out of olympic participation that's getting to me along with kneecapping emerging hockey nations.

 

[JaysCyYoung]

Sorry, I can't hear you. I have Olympic Gold medals in my ears

Man, seeing Putin have to congratulate Team Canada twice in three years on Russian soil, winning the two most prestigious international events at tournaments he presided over, was epic.

It was hilarious seeing how excited all the Canadian players got when they got to meet him during the medal ceremonies too.

 

[JaysCyYoung]

I'm not sure how much ammunition this tournament has really given them for that. The World Cup's been a treat for Leaf fans that want to watch Matthews and people who are already big hockey fans in general.

But so far, it doesn't look like it's reached much beyond that base. Afternoon games that don't involve the Young Guns or Team Canada have been pretty sparsely attended at the ACC. And I read somewhere that the Canada/US game on Tuesday night had an average audience of 727,000, which I don't think is even as much as your average Blue Jays TV audience.

If Canada does make it to a championship game for this tournament, it'll be interesting to see how much more the ratings will go up.

I posted the figures earlier in this thread, but the peak Canadian audience for the World Cup final against Finland in 2004 was somewhere around 7 million at its highest and 4 million on average.

The Olympic final in Sochi averaged over four times that on average and had about 27 million Canadians viewing at peak.

The Worlds gold medal game, also featuring Canada and Finland, this past year, took place during the workday and averaged about 2.5 million on TSN.

 

[JaysCyYoung]

Including smaller countries into this tournament would have a detrimental effect. Yes, part of the point of this tournament is to move the NHL away from the Olympics, giving the league more control and another revenue stream. But I'd rather watch this kind of hockey than watch Canada thump on Belarus or France. Team North America might be the best idea the NHL has ever had.

Canada barely beat France during the 2015 Worlds when they went on an undefeated 10-0 run. The game was tied pretty late. People automatically assume that the best teams will always blow out the less-talented squads, but that's just not the case.

FIFA and UEFA had the right idea in expanding the tournament pool for the most recent Euros. You would never see the miracle performance that Iceland put on against the world's top teams had they only kept the competition open to the "elite" teams. Look how much this is going to grow football in that nation now. Kids will be named Gylfi, Ragnar, and Jón Daði because of that run.

Years from now, you could potentially get a golden generation of youth that grew up watching the 2016 squad and took up the game because of it. The development dollars can be justified when things like that happen.

 

[hockeylover]

I'm not taking the same position as Habitants87 in terms of attacking people for enjoying the hockey. That striked me as being really petty and dickish. So don't associate my position with that.

I'm just not really excited about the tournament, and I tend to be someone who gets very, very emotionally invested in international events (whether in soccer, hockey, baseball, basketball, rugby, or the sports played in the Olympics).

That doesn't mean you can't enjoy it. The quality of hockey has looked really good to me when I've watched it. But then again, so was the hockey at the Challenge Cup in 1979 and Rendez-Vous 87. I just don't view it as a true measure of international hockey supremacy.

From an entertainment perspective, I've never objected to this tournament one bit.

You're certainly entitled to your opinion and that second paragraph wasn't directed at you clearly.

But yeah when certain individuals are suggesting the format of an international hockey tournament is a cause for "somber reflection" that's when I'd suggest they get a life.

 

[JaysCyYoung]

I don't think the league is isolating itself from smaller countries. It's pretty obvious that hockey isn't going to grow much more in certain markets -- the support, funding, and interest just isn't there. The conceptualization of Team Europe is supposed to manage that gap. Hockey is never going to be a global sport.

I agree with you that the logistics and costs of hockey will keep it primarily relevant only in cold weather developed nations, but that doesn't mean that there aren't a bunch more Roman Josis, Mats Zuccarellos, Leon Draisatls, and Anze Kopitars to be found throughout the European continent with greater investment, growth, and accessibility to the game.

Hockey might not be a global sport, but if you can get it to eventually be the second or third most popular winter sport in places like Switzerland, Norway, Germany, Slovenia, or France, that could go a long way towards ensuring future talent and growth in the programs of those countries.

Hell, the second most recent OHL first overall pick is an Israeli kid who grew up playing inline hockey.

 

[JaysCyYoung]

OK, two scenarios.

Team North America wins the world cup of soccer.

Team Canada qualifies and doesn't advance but plays a team like Germany or Argentina to a 1-2 loss and is generally competitive.

Which one has you more pumped?

Because I don't know about you but **** America.

Other than Canada's 2000 Gold Cup win, the 1986 World Cup opening 1-0 loss to France (and France scored late too) is probably the greatest moment in this nation's soccer history.

 

[JaysCyYoung]

Absolutely. And in that vein, Latvia's a good example to look at. For 53 out of the past 100 years, Latvia has been:

• Invaded by and forcibly absorbed into the Soviet Union.
• Conquered by Nazi Germany.
• Re-conquered by the Soviet Union, merged back into the USSR

And it's only been 25 years so far that they've been an independent country again. Less time than, I think, almost every regular poster on this board has been alive.

So yeah, I'm sure Latvians will eventually be all for losing their own national team in top-level competitions, and instead throwing their rabid fandom behind a team of randomly amalgamated European states.

I'll always remember the Latvian kids losing 16-0 to the Canadian team at the 2009 World Juniors in Saskatchewan and the massive standing ovation their team (and goalie in particular) received from the crowd after the game.

They didn't stop trying or working hard once. They had tears in their eyes when they saw the reaction from the crowd.

That's what hockey's all about. And then you look at the 2-1 nail biter they gave Canada in the quarter-final of the Sochi Olympics and it reminds us why country and a national identity is so important for a lot of people in the world.

Most Canadians don't understand that level of intensity. We've become too soft and removed from that aspect of our consciousness.

 

[CH1]

I don't think it's softness. It's just history. We're a relatively new country and have never been invaded.

Our biggest hostility with a neighbouring country is the softwood lumber dispute with the US

 

[JaysCyYoung]

I don't think it's softness. It's just history. We're a relatively new country and have never been invaded.

Our biggest hostility with a neighbouring country is the softwood lumber dispute with the US

That and we almost got into a shooting war with Spain over Turbot. :lol

 

[CH1]

That and we almost got into a shooting war with Spain over Turbot. :lol

I remember that. Most of Europe was against us, except UK and Ireland I believe.

 

[angelfish]

Just skimming through the thread. Didn't see anyone post about the virtual ads on the boards. I find them quite distracting. Is this going to be a regular thing for games this season?

 

[Altair]

I don't think it's softness. It's just history. We're a relatively new country and have never been invaded.

Our biggest hostility with a neighbouring country is the softwood lumber dispute with the US

We haven't been invaded but we as a country still remember the war of 1812 and burning the white house ( although it was British regulars who did that who had never set foot in canada).

Mandatory military service is required. Should help people remember sacrifice and national pride if they actually have to shed blood sweat and tears for their country and not just themselves.

Maybe then Canadians will realize there are more important things than simply entertainment.

(No, I am not serious)

 

[JohnnyHolmes]

TV ratings is a dumb way to judge this event.

Of course Olympics will have higher ratings. #1 it's in season. Hockey in February will get more viewers than hockey in September.

The Olympics are also multiple events. With whiparound coverage, how can you accurately read who is watching what, and when?

The numbers don't really matter at all. The hockey is top caliber. What some focus group says about it doesn't change anything.

 

[Altair]

TV ratings is a dumb way to judge this event.

Of course Olympics will have higher ratings. #1 it's in season. Hockey in February will get more viewers than hockey in September.

The Olympics are also multiple events. With whiparound coverage, how can you accurately read who is watching what, and when?

The numbers don't really matter at all. The hockey is top caliber. What some focus group says about it doesn't change anything.

Easy. 27 million Canadians watched some part of the final in 2010, and you can bet your last dollar they weren't watching curling or bobsleding before hockey came on.

Viewership is a perfect way to judge events. If people aren't watching they don't care. This is canada. If the olympics had hockey on in the middle of July at 3 in the morning half the country would still find a way to watch it.

 

[JohnnyHolmes]

Well actually, I would bet my bottom dollar that they were watching curling, or short track speed skating or a similarly useless event beforehand. People get Olympic fever.

Using Nielsen ratings is hardly accurate. Ever. In any genre.

So many great shows have been killed because of that ridiculous system.

 

[Altair]

Well actually, I would bet my bottom dollar that they were watching curling, or short track speed skating or a similarly useless event beforehand. People get Olympic fever.

Using Nielsen ratings is hardly accurate. Ever. In any genre.

So many great shows have been killed because of that ridiculous system.

I don't hear people around the water cooler talking short track. But ask any Canadian who scored the game winner of the Canada USA gold medal final and I'm betting you 75 percent of Canadians can name Crosby and where they were that day.

I doubt any 99 percent of Canadians can even name someone on the curling team, bobsled team, short track team, figure skating(individual or team) or even the skiers who won the first golds for Canada on home soil.

But people will recall the golden goal. Because people watched that.