NHL stars prefer the Olympics to the World Cup. Why?

The question about the tournament of the best hockey players on the planet has remained open and unanswered since 2016, the last time the World Cup was held. However, the big NHL stars do not share the opinion of the league’s management in many cases.

In a previous article on the subject, we wrote that the NHL would like to bring back the World Cup in 2025. Just as realistically, they are also considering the idea of bringing the best players on the planet back for the next Olympic Games in 2026, which will be held in the Italian cities of Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo.

However, it is no secret that the NHL clearly prefers the World Cup. If it has to stop its competition for a fortnight during February, it wants to hold it in its own jurisdiction and, above all, on its own continent.

However, the very stars that make up the best hockey league in the world are not too happy with this idea. And if anything, they want as many teams as possible to play in the tournament.

But the NHL has other plans, according to commissioner Gary Bettman. He’s talking about a more modest version, with just a handful of the world’s best teams playing. Similar to what happened in 2016.

What do the NHL stars think the next World Cup should look like?

Back then, six nations – Canada, USA, Czech Republic, Sweden, Finland, Russia – participated in the tournament. The other two teams were made up of European and North American U23 players. Although the NHL said during the NHL Global Series in Stockholm these days that it is still in talks about the World Cup format, the idea is still in play.

The reason is simple. Whether the top six or eight teams would participate in the tournament, many of the world’s best players would be left out in the cold. And a tournament where players like Tim Stützle, Moritz Seider, Leon Draisaitl or Roman Josi would be out of the picture is not exactly attractive to the NHL.

But the players themselves don’t agree with the artificial team modelNo one will really root for such a team in Switzerland. Maybe people watch it, but for fans in the smaller countries it’s obviously not that important,” Nashville defenseman Roman Josi told The Athletic.

“I’d like thenext World Cup to look like the World Cup, even if there aren’t strong teams. Themore countries the better,” said Nathan MacKinnon on the subject. He is from Canada. That means he probably shouldn’t be missing from the Canadian stars at the tournament.

World Cup? Better the Olympics

But the chances of the NHL hosting a World Cup with more than eight teams is virtually nil. That’s also why many players prefer the Olympics, which features twelve teams.

“I would much rather go to the Olympics and I think the NHL should do it before the World Cup. I’m not a fan of the World Cup. I’dmuch rather go to the Olympics,” said Danish forward Nikolaj Ehlers.

He would be among those who would either join an artificial team or stay home watching TV during the World Cup.

Not that it would be unattractive for a player like Ehlers to play alongside other big stars, but every single player much prefers to represent his country.

Can weak teams even have a chance?

The answer to that question is clearly no. But not everyone agrees with this statement. “Look at Germany. Theymay not be that good, but Draisaitl, Stützl or Grubauer, they can win you a game,” MacKinnon believes.

And as far as MacKinnon is concerned, such a player already has a very strong word in the public domain.

“Switzerland would have a competitive team. This also develops the game and makes people from these countries stick to it,” says Josi. “People in Switzerland love the World Cup. And when we beat a bigger team, it’s huge,” he added.

So you could say that outsiders would embrace such a challenge with open arms, but at the World Cup the model will probably be wishful thinking. That’s why stars from dwarf hockey destinations are much more inclined towards a tournament under five rings.

Source: NHL, The Athletic