Vancouver Canucks Roundtable: World Cup of Hockey Edition

Before the Vancouver Canucks hit the ice for the first time this season, six of their players will compete at the World Cup of Hockey.

The World Cup of Hockey experienced a rocky start with the introduction of gimmicky teams, ugly jerseys and jersey ads. But hockey-crazy as we are, we are all willing to look past that and go World Cup-crazy once the tournament kicks off. Especially with six Vancouver Canucks in the mix.

However, since I know a few people who don’t think that way, I asked our staff what they think.

First things first, what do you think about the World Cup of Hockey and how closely will you follow it?

Gerald Morton

Actually the line is “first things first, I’m the realest”, as if you didn’t know, Janik. By the way, how do you follow that super clever opening with “drop this and let the whole world feel it”? You couldn’t even get the first couplet to rhyme? Anyway, that’s a new record for fastest and silliest digression during a roundtable. I’ve never been prouder.

I’m excited about the World Cup of Hockey. Of course it’s arbitrary and there isn’t real tradition behind it. But, all tradition is invented, so who cares? As fans we can piggy-back on the time, energy and effort our respective countries have spent making us care about them. So, finding a rooting interest won’t be hard. Or, you can just enjoy the very best players in the world playing in a fun tournament without all the weight and potential heartache of caring too much.

Jeff Godley

Everyone seems to be hating on the World Cup, and I really don’t understand why. Usually one of two reasons are given for hating the WCH. The first is “it’s a cash grab for the NHL.” Of course it is, but the NHL getting more money is not a bad thing. With more revenue, maybe the salary cap goes up. The second is “the NHL is trying to pull out of the olympics.” So?

As a fan, the World Cup means I get to watch meaningful hockey one month earlier than normal. That’s a win in my books. Summer is tedious; I will be watching the World Cup from day one until the end.

Connor Cullen

As Gerald said, the World Cup is essentially the best versus the best. No matter the sporting event, that’s usually compelling entertainment. I’m happy to see hockey come back a month earlier. Given the questionable status of NHL players in the next Olympics, the World Cup is the next best thing for hockey fans. I’ll definitely follow the tournament closely.

Janik Beichler

As a German, I have a slightly different approach. In Europe, the season is over in April; so we actually care about the IIHF World Championship while North America is still crazy about the NHL playoffs. The IIHF tournament was played in May, and introducing another world cup just four months later seems plain stupid. The fact that Germany — and most other European nations — never had a chance to send their team to the tournament makes matters even worse. Furthermore, European leagues are already back playing during the WCH, so the whole thing is quite silly from my point of view.

Regarding the Olympic argument, I would much prefer the Olympic tournament over this. But all that said, I will definitely follow the tournament — after all, it’s the world’s best players competing in a fun tournament. So who even cares.

Next: Europe and NA