Some unfortunate new came out in the world of international hockey this week as the NHL and NHLPA announcing that there will be no World Cup of Hockey in 2020. This came as a blow for fans hoping to see their favorite players team up to represent their countries.
When the World Cup was reintroduced in 2016 the belief was that it would occur every four years just like the Olympics which have not featured NHL players since 2014. This tournament was believed to substitute for the Olympics and be better for the NHL players. The games were played in Toronto on NHL ice with NHL teams receiving a portion of the revenue generated. Sadly this wednesday the two parties announced that due to a potential lockout there will be no such tournament to look forward to.
This is just another example of the NHL using their power to prevent fans from a fun experience. Putting the best players in the world on the big stage creates memorable moments and uncommon possibilities for the viewer. In 2016, the overtime between Sweden and Team North America was arguably the best period of 3 on 3 hockey ever played. International play is a chance to see players that don’t normally get to play together even in NHL all star games. Picture Team USA rolling out a top line of Johnny Gaudreu with Auston Matthews and Patrick Kane. a display of star power like the World Cup is an excellent way to attract new fans with names they recognize and countries are more familiar than certain professional teams to the first time viewer.
There still remains hope that we will be able to see NHL players in the 2020 Olympic games but as of right now things are not optimistic. The real loser in this situation is neither the players nor the owners but the fans. My message to the NHL owners and NHLPA is this… Let the boys play.
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