No matter the sport, international tournaments bring out the best in athletes, coaches and fans. The opportunity to represent your country in a best-on-best tournament allows the world’s best players to rise to the challenge on a massive stage. These tournaments throughout the years have given us some of the best moments in sports history. This month, the NHL will try to bring that back, with the return of the World Cup of Hockey for the first time since 2004.
The pre-season tournament will begin on Sept. 17 and last through Oct. 1. There will be two groups of four teams, Group A and Group B. The teams in the groups will each play one game against each other in a round robin format. The top two finishers from each group will then play in a one-game semifinal, with the top team in Group A playing the second place team in Group B, and vice versa. The winners of the semifinals will then play in a best-of-three championship series. Group A will be made up of Canada, the United States, the Czech Republic and Team Europe, while Group B will feature Finland, Russia, Sweden and Team North America.
What’s that you say? What are Team Europe and Team North America? Six of the eight world cup teams will be traditional country teams, with the other two being “All-Star” type rosters. Team Europe is made up of European players excluding Finland, Russia, Sweden and the Czech Republic, and will feature players from Slovakia, France, Germany, Denmark, Slovenia, Switzerland, Austria and Norway. Team North America will consist of players from the United States and Canada under the age of 23, a “young stars” team, so to speak.
While the NHL has drawn plenty of flak for the inclusion of these two teams, with people calling it a “gimmick,” and saying that it should be two more country teams, it is easy to see what the league is going for here: competitive balance. While those first six teams are made up almost entirely of NHL players, none of the countries that make up team Europe have enough players in hockey’s top league to do so. How much national pride does it really inspire for Canada to beat Norway 9-0? These new teams should at least have a fighting chance, something none of those other countries probably would have had.
As per usual in any international hockey tournament, Canada has to be considered a massive favorite. The 2010 and 2014 Olympic gold medalists boast scoring power up front with the likes of Sidney Crosby (Pittsburgh Penguins), John Tavares (New York Islanders), Steven Stamkos (Tampa Bay Lightning) and Claude Giroux (Philadelphia Flyers), along with two way forwards such as Jonathan Toews (Chicago Blackhawks) and Patrice Bergeron (Boston Bruins). Our northern neighbors are deep on the back end as well, with reigning James Norris Memorial Trophy winner Drew Doughty (Los Angeles Kings) leading the blue liners and 2015 league MVP Carey Price (Montreal Canadiens) in net.
The Americans bring an interesting team to this tournament. They will be led by the usual suspects up front with Patrick Kane (Chicago Blackhawks), Joe Pavelski (San Jose Sharks), Max Pacioretty (Montreal Canadiens) and 2014 Olympic shootout hero T.J. Oshie (Washington Capitals) leading the way. Dustin Byfuglien (Winnipeg Jets), John Carlson (Washington Capitals) and Ryan Suter (Minnesota Wild) will form the backbone on defense, with two-time Stanley Cup winner Jonathan Quick (Los Angeles Kings) starting in net.
Team USA’s brain trust, however has taken some criticism for going with grit and toughness in the selection of forwards Brandon Dubinsky (Columbus Blue Jackets) and Justin Abdelkader (Detroit Red Wings) and defenseman Jack Johnson (Columbus Blue Jackets) over more offensively dynamic players such as forward Phil Kessel, who led the Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins in scoring, Tyler Johnson (Tampa Bay Lightning) and defensemen Kevin Shattenkirk (St. Louis Blues) and Justin Faulk (Carolina Hurricanes).
One potential sleeper team to watch is North America. The team has dynamic players up front in Connor McDavid (Edmonton Oilers), Jack Eichel (Buffalo Sabres), Dylan Larkin (Detroit Red Wings) and Johnny Gaudreau (Calgary Flames). The team has some good young defensemen in Seth Jones (Columbus Blue Jackets) and Shayne Gostisbehere (Philadelphia Flyers) and will be backstopped by Matt Murray, who won 15 games in the playoffs for the Pittsburgh Penguins on their cup run.
For local Canes fans, the teams of interest will be Canada and Finland. Head coach Bill Peters will be an assistant on the Canadian staff, while Finland boasts two Hurricanes newcomers, Teuvo Teravainen, acquired in a trade with the Blackhawks this summer, and Sebastian Aho, the team’s highly touted 2015 second-round pick who was named to this team despite not playing a single professional game in North America will both suit up for the Finns.
Also of interest is that the tournament will be broadcast on ESPN and ESPN2, as the top American sports network has not shown a hockey game of this level since 2004.
The 2016 World Cup of Hockey promises to bring excitement, passion, great memories and, if we’re lucky, a bit of controversy. What should be a great way to kick off this year’s season will also be must-watch television for any hockey fan.
