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Posted

Between team NA just missing out and Team USA be so god awful they shouldn't have even been there, how much does ESPN regret picking the World Cup up? The ratings in the US can't be good now right?

Posted

Between team NA just missing out and Team USA be so god awful they shouldn't have even been there, how much does ESPN regret picking the World Cup up? The ratings in the US can't be good now right?

I doubt the ratings were that great anyway.

Posted

Pierre LeBrun is reporting that the North. America Under 23 Team might be one and done and not participate in future WC.

Not surprised. Next time around that team wouldn't be nearly as good anyways

 

I wonder if Team Europe will still be a thing

Posted

Actually based on current criteria Matthews, Eichel and McDavid should still be eligible given that none of them turn 24 until after October 1, 2020.

 

That being said, McDavid did say he would like to play for Team Canada next time around.

Posted

They did say the reason for the gimmick teams was the lack of a qualification process.

I thought that was utter BS, but maybe they will set something along those lines up for the next one.

 

I'd like to see them break Canada into five regional teams and the U.S. into three. Add the top eight European nations and have a real World Cup where half the teams would have a fair chance of beating Ontario.

Posted

Ya, I am definitely in the camp that would like it to return to the regular format going forward, with no Team NA. If you give exemptions to top players, or give players a choice, Team NA will drastically suffer. If you force all the guys 23 and under to play for NA, you'll get cases like McDavid where they are playing on a team they don't want to be on. 

 

As exciting as it was to see them play, it was a little too gimmicky for me. While a Canada/NA final would have been intriguing, there heart of these tournaments is always the national pride that arises from the competition, the real rivalries there, like Canada v USA. What is Team NA really playing for? Canada v NA would lack that raw competitive emotion, I bet. Canada playing themselves (and USA). 

 

Your proposal is interesting, dudacek, but I dislike it for the same reasons. It's supposed to be a world tournament, if Canada is playing against Canada, what is at stake? It's just a collection of pro players playing against each other - representing just a region of Canada (or the States) doesn't seem like enough to me for this type of tournament. 

Posted

Can't speak for every sub-region but I know the BC boys would love to smack Ontario.

I don't think my proposal is realistic, or good marketing. I just think it would make for an interesting, up-for grabs tourney.

Posted

Can't speak for every sub-region but I know the BC boys would love to smack Ontario.

I don't think my proposal is realistic, or good marketing. I just think it would make for an interesting, up-for grabs tourney.

 

True on all counts. 

Posted

Don't count Sweden out

 

Or Russia. Bobrovsky looks good. To beat Canada you need a goalie to stand on their head in spectacular fashion. I guarantee Canada was more worried about Bobrovsky's ability to do this than Gibson's. 

Posted

So they played this tourney on an NHL sized rink, with NHL rules and NHL refs, NHL etcetera.  Seems to me like they forgot about the NHL rules for tie-breakers concerning moving on to the playoffs.  In the spirit of the NHL qualifying process for playoffs, they should have gone strictly by points.  Give the pod winners a spot, and then figure out the other 2 teams regardless of pod.  In the NHL you can have 3 teams from one division and 5 from the other, if total points dictates that.

 

It should be that Team NA made it instead of Team Europe.  Team NA had the same number of points, a better goal differential and more goals.  They should be playing Canada, and Russia and Sweden should go at it again.

Posted (edited)

I was wondering what team USA could have done differently?

 

I think the solution started on the bench. Torts should never return as a Team USA national team. We need a modern coach who coaches modern hockey like DD or Jon Cooper.

The next change needs to be made in management and their player selection philosophy. There should be a bias toward youth and away from guys simply because of experience if the younger player is better. This would have put Leddy and Krug on the team over the Johnson boys. It also would have sent Backes, Kesler, Dubinsky and Abdelkadar packing and put Okposo, Kessel, and probably Galchenyuk, Atkinson or Tyler Johnson on the team. These changes probably wouldn't have created a championship this time, but it would have put a competitive team on the ice.

 

The good news is the next big tourney will be anchored by Eichel, Mathews, Johnny Hockey, Larkin and Saad who sadly anchored TNA and not team USA.

Edited by GASabresIUFAN
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