The 2016 World Cup of Hockey begins in a little less than a month – and maybe it’s the prolonged swelter of summer, but it doesn’t feel like NHL diehards are quite prepared for it yet.
Maybe that’s on account of the irregularity of this tournament, which hasn’t been held in 12 years. Maybe part of it has to do with the name change from the original Canada Cup that was staged four decades ago. And maybe the format – which, to put it mildly, isn’t to the liking of a number of longtime fans of the sport – tempers the overall emotional buy-in from the public-at-large.
But if you can put aside those feelings, you should be thrilled about what’s coming in short order: a never-before-seen, probably-never-seen-again on-ice experiment likely to create some enduring memories for hockey fans.
Listen, I get the skepticism. The calibre of play and accompanying passions may not be on the level of a Stanley Cup Final or an Olympic Games. And it’s definitely not the norm to have Connor McDavid, Auston Matthews, Jack Eichel and Jonathan Drouin not representing their countries, instead playing for the Team North American 23-years-old-and-under squad. Same goes for the European team comprised of star players from eight different nations. The element of nationality isn’t as pure in this upcoming showdown, and that will lessen its impact in the eyes of some.
However, from an entertainment perspective, the 2016 Word Cup could very quickly deliver beyond people’s expectations. Barring an NHL trade or the all-star game, when are we going to see Eichel and McDavid wearing the same uniform, skating on the same power play unit, fighting it out alongside one another at the end of games when the stakes are high? When will Team Europe’s Leon Draisaitl, Marian Hossa and Anze Kopitar have another chance to work together?
The answer, to both questions: Probably not ever again. Because the NHL and NHL Players’ Association already have announced the World Cup format will shift to qualifying hockey nations for a 2020 tournament, this year’s edition has an originality to it that should be regarded as a positive.
So too should the difference in the way the World Cup champion is decided. In 2004, Canada beat Finland in a one-game Final in Toronto. But this time, following single-game elimination semifinals, the two teams still standing will engage in a best-of-three series Sept. 27-Oct. 1, and the shift in dynamics will be refreshing.
Now, all that positivity won’t amount to a bean hill if a player suffers a debilitating injury in a game or practice. The last time something comparable took place – at the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi, Russia, when Canada’s John Tavares seriously injured his left knee and wound up missing the Olympics as well as the rest of the NHL regular season – there were screams from people who’d prefer players only play NHL games. But fear of injury shouldn’t be the driving force when it comes to thinking outside the box and pushing the game forward in an attempt to expand its influence and appeal.
And that’s what the 2016 World Cup is – a for-profit production that also aims to deepen the footprint hockey has on the sports radar, both in North America and around the world. There has been a push within the NHLPA and, more recently, within the league itself to focus more on getting an NHL-type product to Europe and beyond, and more international play – even in a non-traditional style – is bound to help in that regard. Now, is the World Cup primarily a cash generator for NHL team owners and players? Yes, it absolutely is. But so is the NHL, and we still find it fairly easy to get ourselves worked into lathers over another tournament it stages.
So don’t let the squinty-eyed cynics be a drag on your enjoyment of the 2016 World Cup. It’s going to produce some incredible hockey, contested by the most talented players on the planet. It’s not what we’re used to and may not measure up to legendary battles of the past, but there’s nothing wrong with enjoying something new and experimenting in the hope of growing the game.