World Cup isn’t Olympics, but still has its place
For much of September, we consistently heard World Cup bashers highlight the alleged warts of the tournament — none more so than allegations the event was completely contrived.
There can be no denying the 2016 World Cup was a polarizing display of best-on-best hockey: most of you either liked it, or you did not.
Maybe you had issues with the fact two squads — Team Europe and Team North America — were cobbled together just for this tournament, rather than representing an actual country. Fair enough.
But even if it didn’t mean anything to you, it certainly did for the players. Their emotion was clear for all to see, from start to finish.
In the end, there was nothing fake or fabricated in the way the players wore their feelings on their sleeves. And for that reason alone — with some definite tweaking required, of course — this tournament should be revived.
It can’t replace the Olympics. Nor should it. There is nothing more special in international hockey than going for gold at the Winter Games. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t a place for the World Cup.
Here are some closing thoughts on the tournament:
THE GOOD
Team North America When speaking of this 23-andunder team, Wayne Gretzky raved about how awesome the future of the sport looks. In watching the MacKinnons, Gaudreaus, McDavids and Matthews, we were shown how the new generation has taken speed and skill to a new level. And that’s a good thing. Ralph Krueger’s Team Europe
Remember when they were laughingstocks after being thrashed in back-to-back pretournament outings by the Young Guns? No one is laughing now, not after the heart these guys showed en route to the final. Referee Cam
What a cool unique perspective this gave us on the world’s fastest sport. Give us more. Canadian TV Ratings (at least for games involving Canada)
We had our doubts about the traction of this tournament, especially with the Blue Jays locked in a pennant race. But all things considered, broadcast execs should be relatively pleased. Last Saturday’s semifinal showdown between Canada and Russia, for example, produced the largest hockey audience in more than a year, with viewership averaging 3.1 million viewers on CBC and Sportsnet. Game 2, Final, Canada vs. Europe: The Hollywood Ending
For 56 minutes, little happened. Over the final four minutes, history happened.
THE BAD
Have a Seat ... Please
We were told that ticket sales were good. Yet, even in marquee contests like Canada-Russia, there were chunks of empty seats, mostly in the more expensive sections. There are times where the consumer just doesn’t want to buy into what he/she considers to be a money grab, no matter what the product. Finnish Flash ... In the Pans?
If the Finnish players would have shown the same emotion as the livid Finnish media after the national team went 0-3, maybe they would have fared better. After recent success at the world championship and world junior level, no one saw this disaster looming. Sad Ads
Let’s be real: the promotional ads for the tournament were lame on both sides of the border. The marketing shtick in Canada was “Who owns hockey?” Not bad, but it could have been so much better given the rich resources of the NHL and NHLPA. In the U.S., a ridiculous host attempting to emulate the famous interview scene from Slapshot was cheesy. It looked more like a skit from SCTV. Check that. At least SCTV skits are funny. No Cheese, please
Eleven bucks for nachos at the Air Canada Centre food stands? Are you serious? What’s next: paying for each individual french fry? The Last Word
In order to wrap up the autopsy of World Cup 2016, who better to sum things up than the Great One, Wayne Gretzky.
Said Gretzky: “Canada’s been Canada. We’ve been as good as we’ve ever been ... People sometimes worry we’re going to lose our game. We’re never going to lose our game. It’s Canada’s game.”
It certainly is today.