IIHF WC.

[RGBVideo]

denial, angry personal attack, more troll-baiting

well who didn't see that sort of reply coming. quelle surprise, indeed.

The IIHF would hold a European Championship

There already is a Euro Hockey Tour, which in practice is the European Championship. I doubt there'd be a lot of viewership demand for a full-fledged tournament.

until such time that the IOC agreed to move ice hockey to the summer Olympics.

Makes a ****load of sense, considering ice hockey is a summer sport.

Of course international tournament schedules should be changed according to what fits the glorious and almighty NHL teams (instead of the opposite, which seems to work with national leagues of every other part of the world apart from North America).

[Serb]

[Serb]

Russia-Canada 5:2.
Canada, go home! You had no single chance. Well, actually you had a chance, if you had broken our top players, but you failed and got your ass kicked instead. I wish we played so rough against you at Vancouver.

[Serb]

Svenskjдvlar

My condolences. Canada-Denmark finals you said?
But don't worry, guys from my homecity team will crush Svensk and avenge you tommorow.

[Asher]

well who didn't see that sort of reply coming. quelle surprise, indeed.


There already is a Euro Hockey Tour, which in practice is the European Championship. I doubt there'd be a lot of viewership demand for a full-fledged tournament.


Makes a ****load of sense, considering ice hockey is a summer sport.

Of course international tournament schedules should be changed according to what fits the glorious and almighty NHL teams (instead of the opposite, which seems to work with national leagues of every other part of the world apart from North America).

Like it or not, the NHL is hockey in North America. Period. Everything revolves around it.

The ratings for the NHL playoffs are something like 20-30 times higher than the IIHF games. It is not even close.

[Asher]

Russia-Canada 5:2.
Canada, go home! You had no single chance. Well, actually you had a chance, if you had broken our top players, but you failed and got your ass kicked instead. I wish we played so rough against you at Vancouver.

It's so cute that you think it was anything more than a casual scrimmage between a Russian super team and a random collection of washed-up players close to retirement or young kids.

[ColdWizard]

Of course international tournament schedules should be changed according to what fits the glorious and almighty NHL teams (instead of the opposite, which seems to work with national leagues of every other part of the world apart from North America).

Hockey was invented where? The oldest league is where? The best players in the world go play in which league?

[notyoueither]

There already is a Euro Hockey Tour, which in practice is the European Championship. I doubt there'd be a lot of viewership demand for a full-fledged tournament.

There already is an annual tournament, usually held in Europe, that runs while the NHL playoffs are on. Leaving the US and Canada out and calling it a European Championship is not that radical an idea, since that is essentially what it is now.

Makes a ****load of sense, considering ice hockey is a summer sport.

This is what basketball does. The leagues are winter leagues and the pros go to the summer Olympics.

The quality of hockey would be better all around. The Olympics would not be short players because they are banged up from the regular seasons, and the regular seasons would not have to be put on pause while the Olympics are on.

It's win-win.

Of course international tournament schedules should be changed according to what fits the glorious and almighty NHL teams (instead of the opposite, which seems to work with national leagues of every other part of the world apart from North America).

This is the attitude from Europeans that has North Americans prepared to say **** 'em. Let us know when your bush leagues can maintain a stable business model as significant professional leagues. Until then, go **** yourselves and the Olympics. Why should we want our domestic leagues shut down for two or three weeks so that hockey can be played in Sochi while we're asleep?

/Asher

[Asher]

[ColdWizard]

There already is an annual tournament, usually held in Europe, that runs while the NHL playoffs are on. Leaving the US and Canada out and calling it a European Championship is not that radical an idea, since that is essentially what it is now.




This is what basketball does. The leagues are winter leagues and the pros go to the summer Olympics.

The quality of hockey would be better all around. The Olympics would not be short players because they are banged up from the regular seasons, and the regular seasons would not have to be put on pause while the Olympics are on.

It's win-win.




This is the attitude from Europeans that has North Americans prepared to say **** 'em. Let us know when your bush leagues can maintain a stable business model as significant professional leagues. Until then, go **** yourselves and the Olympics. Why should we want our domestic leagues shut down for two or three weeks so that hockey can be played in Sochi while we're asleep?

/Asher

But they're international and there's more european leagues!

And clearly the IIHF is a much more respectable organization than the bootlicking NA-loving puppet that is FIBA

[Serb]

Russia - Germany 2:1.
What a heartbreaking game

Germany was 1:50 min. away from another miracle.
Datsuk

[Asher]

Russia's superteam almost lot to Germany in the championship where the only country that sent a real team was Russia?

LOL.

[Serb]

That just shows how much some European non-hockey nations like Germany, Denmark or Switzerland improved their play during last years. And Germany has a real team.

LOL.

Yeah, lol, Have you seen the game? Germans were super motivated and fought till the last man standing.

[Asher]

Of course I didn't see the game. There's no point to watching.

The real hockey game today is just starting. Philly @ Montreal, Game 4.

[Asher]

http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=322367

BURKE: DROP THE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP IN OLYMPIC YEARS

If it was up to Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Brian Burke, there would be no World Hockey Championship in Olympic years.

"It's too much hockey," said Burke. "It's too much for our players and I don't think it has the lustre that the tournament normally has because everyone was focused on Vancouver. NHL teams don't get anything out of this. The players don't get paid."

Burke was the general manager of the American entry that struggled in Germany and barely avoided relegation. Mark Messier was the general manager of Team Canada, which lost to the powerful Russians in the quarterfinals. However, neither team had rosters close to resembling those that squared off in the gold medal game at the Olympics in February.

To make matters worse for Burke, he was steamed to read a controversial article which was posted on the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) website criticizing star players like Sidney Crosby, who turned down invitations to play.

IIHF communications director Szymon Szemberg posted the article on Wednesday and IIHF president René Fasel has since apologized to Crosby's agent. But Burke is still bothered by the stance taken by someone on the IIHF payroll.

"I was infuriated by the story because the guy who wrote it is on the staff of the IIHF but I didn't think it came off like that," said Burke. "They tried to pass it off as a news story. It would be different if (a reporter) decided to do an editorial that more players should answer the bell and go play in the World Championship. You're entitled to your opinion."

"But when it's someone on the IIHF staff, which has a big financial interest, I think that is really inappropriate."

While Burke admits he's not privy to the decisions that are made within the IIHF, he has his own theory as to why it is still played in Olympic years.

"I think it's based on greed," said Burke. "I think they have a television contract which I've heard is over $20 million and that's why they play it. I say drop it or give us a good reason why (we should play it)."

Burke feels he's not alone in his thoughts on the future of the World Hockey Championship. With players facing the possibility of getting hurt while not playing for their NHL teams, he feels every general manager would side with him on this issue.

"If you ask 30 GMs, they would tell you this is a tournament that should be played every other year. Not only eliminate the Olympic year but play it every other year," said Burke. "The minimum solution for me would be to drop it in Olympic years. I'd like someone from the IIHF to explain to me why we do instead of dinging our players for not going."