There is big news regarding international hockey flying under the radar this week, and I'd like to shed some light on it.
But before that, I’d like to quickly comment about the format of the IIHF World Championship. It’s stupid. Fans practically need a degree in advanced astrophysics to make sense of the standings chart. Although, I am glad they’ve made a move to eliminate tie games, they need to find a way to keep it simple and fan-friendly. The only people that check the standings every day are eight-year-olds that can't get enough hockey.
Now, the good news involving the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF).
We don’t hear a lot about the IIHF in North America, since most leagues here follow the National Hockey League’s lead, but the IIHF is the central governing body of all the European leagues and international tournaments like the World Championships, men’s and women’s Olympic ice hockey, the women’s Worlds, World Under-20, Under-18, and the myriad divisions within them.
With the IIHF’s centennial approaching, they have taken strides to offer a new and ultimately exciting tournament.
The idea is similar to soccer’s Champions League tournament, and may even use the same name. It’s a tournament which would pit the champions of the European leagues against one another to determine a European champion. And I love it.
First and foremost, it’s good for fans. For a hockey fan, there is nothing worse than the wait between the end of your team’s season, and the start of the next one. It’s even worse when your team doesn’t make the playoffs. By August, I get downright squirrelly waiting for hockey season to start again. So it gives fans more opportunity to cheer for their team, and that’s never a bad thing.
Secondly, it’s good for the leagues. European leagues make a lot of money from their transfer agreement with the NHL, and this tournament gives NHL scouts one more opportunity to see potential draft choices playing at a high level. Just as an undrafted player can improve his lot at the NHL draft with a strong showing at the Under-20 tournament (see Fleury, Marc-Andre), a player could do the same with an impressive champions league showing. A European veteran could use the tournament to turn some NHL heads and become the next Marek Zidlicky or Mark Streit. The European leagues get more exposure, their players get more exposure, and it can lead to more money for everyone.
Lastly, it’s long overdue. The three major junior leagues in Canada operate under one governing body (Canadian Hockey League), have individual league champions, then a tournament (Memorial Cup) to determine a national champion. In the United States, NCAA governs the six collegiate hockey leagues, and each league has a champion, leading to the Frozen Four tournament. Likewise, European leagues are governed by one body (IIHF), have individual champions, supply draft-eligible talent to the NHL, and should have a champion among champions.
The final wrinkle in the IIHF’s plan might be my favourite part. They are proposing an annual exhibition between the European champion, and the Stanley Cup champion. Apparently the NHL (probably mostly the players union) is reluctant to commit the Cup winner to said exhibition, but to do so would create a great spectacle every year, and a great way to kick off the NHL season. It would even give fans the impression the league is giving back to them, unlike the World Cup, which is over-hyped, over-priced, and ultimately passé.
So, NHL, NHL Players Association, and IIHF, I beg you all. Make this happen. It can’t disappoint.
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