Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - January 25, 2015, Winnipeg, Manitoba C M Y K PAGE B2 B2 winnipegfreepress. com WINNIPEG FREE PRESS SUNDAY, JANUARY 25, 2015 C OLUMBUS - The wailing began long before NHL commish Gary Bettman stepped to the podium at Nationwide Arena Saturday and rolled out all the details about World Cup 2016. The eight- team tourney - featuring traditional hockey powers Canada, the United States, Russia, Finland, Sweden and the Czech Republic and including Team Europe and Team North American Youngstars - had already been widely slammed as being everything from gimmicky and stupid to a blatant cash grab by the National Hockey League. Well, here's one man's take: It's an inspired concept, not tired. And the event, which goes September- October 2016 in Toronto, could be every bit as good as the Olympics for the level of hockey and drama... and then some. Look, there's nothing like the Olys to get the patriotic juices flowing. And winning Olympic gold will always trump whatever any other event holds up as its prize. As Steven Stamkos said this weekend, the Olympics are the " Holy Grail" of hockey. But there's also this: The men's hockey event in Sochi last winter included patsies such as Austria, Norway, Slovenia and Latvia. Taking the best of those countries, along with Slovakia, Switzerland, Denmark, Belarus et al, gives Team Europe and the event - as Los Angeles Kings centre and native Slovian Anze Kopitar said Saturday - a Ryder Cup feel. It also means they will be more than just a speedbump against the powerhouses. Minus a Team Europe the World Cup doesn't feature Kopitar and that would be a crime. And ask those who might make up Team Europe and they'll trade pulling on their countries' colours for a chance to participate. " I would say if it was 10 years ago it would be upsetting because 10 years ago we had a lot of guys in the NHL," said Jaroslav Halak, the New York Islanders goaltender and a native of Slovakia. " Right now, we got maybe 12. So that would be tough to make a team out of 12 guys. Obviously you need 20. It will be different to see ( a Team Europe) but at the same time I'm open to it. It would be nice to play with some other players from different countries." As for the North American Young Stars concept - a collection of Under- 23 talent from Canada and the U. S. - it says here it is a brilliant brainstorm that makes the tournament that much more compelling. Granted, a long shot scenario like a Young stars vs. Team Europe in the final would make the World Cup conclusion as relevant in the sports' fans collective conscious as the Pro Bowl. But just the chances of it happening does make the whole thing more than a little intriguing, doesn't it? Strangely, it's this Young Stars idea which seems to be drawing the most criticism from outside the NHL. Some fans have wondered what anthem/ song would be played after a Young Stars win. Who cares? And the media peppered players at the all- star game how Canadians and Americans might co- exist on the same squad, given they are bitter rivals on the international stage. All of which seems ridiculous since virtually every NHL, CHL and NCAA roster features Yanks and Canucks that somehow manage to pull on the same jersey without killing each other. In the end, all this whining about the World Cup and its format misses, we think, the big picture: It's an event that - exactly because of its unique set up - will feature the best players on the planet. " I can't say enough about the experiences that I lived in Sochi and also in Vancouver, something I'll never forget," said Patrice Bergeron. " The Olympics is the biggest stage in sport, so definitely players I think want to be there, but at the same time the World Cup of Hockey is something that I'm really happy that's coming back. " I think it's great for fans, it's great for players, it's exciting. It's great for the sport of hockey as well." Bingo. So, if you're international hockey moments are measured against only the ' 72 Summit Series then we're sorry you've been nothing but disappointed at every event for the past 43 years. If Sidney's Crosby's heroics in 2010 are the standard, or Canada rolling through the competition in Russia last winter or the Americans' Miracle on Ice in 1980 is what you want and expect, then there's no way the World Cup will be able to match. But, for all the whining and criticizing, a prediction: So many of those finding so much fault in the World Cup 2016 concept will be tuning in next year the moment the first puck is dropped. ed. tait@ freepress. mb. ca Twitter: @ WFPEdTait ED TAIT C OLUMBUS - The World Cup of Hockey is back with a new format as the NHL seeks to create the best tournament in the world to launch a series of new international events. In the fall of 2016, the World Cup will feature a Young Stars team made up of Canadian and American players aged 23 and under along with Team Europe, a group of all- stars from countries not represented. Those teams will compete with Canada, the United States, Russia, Sweden, Finland and the Czech Republic at the Sept. 17- Oct. 1 tournament in Toronto. " A North American Young Stars team and a team of the best NHL European players from outside the big four European countries enables us to include more of the very best players in the world who might otherwise have been left out of the competition," commissioner Gary Bettman said. " We have concluded that this will provide the most compelling format and the most competitive and entertaining hockey with great story lines." The NHL, NHL Players' Association and International Ice Hockey Federation had to agree on all those details and finally came to a consensus that all- star teams made for better competition than the more traditional choice of eight nations. " What we wanted to do was we wanted to have the best hockey tournament we could possibly have with as many NHL players as possible and make all eight teams really competitive," NHL chief operating officer John Collins said. " This is a way to deliver on the best hockey tournament in the world." The NHL's long- range plan includes a Ryder Cup- style North America vs. Europe series in 2018 and a more expansive 2020 World Cup that could feature North American players with German, English, Irish, Italian or French heritage playing for those countries to grow the game in those nations. No discussions have taken place yet on the possibility of NHL players going to the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea. Players want to go, as Steven Stamkos of the Tampa Bay Lightning called it " the Holy Grail" and John Tavares of the New York Islanders said it was important to be there. " You talk about the Olympic Games and really what that means to sport across the world and how it connects any game to many different parts of the world and what it means to the people," Tavares said. " It's obviously developed a tremendous reputation and certainly it's produced some of the best hockey we've ever seen and it's done great things for our game." It's the NHL's hope that the World Cup takes on that grand value. " I think the World Cup may be influential in terms of how we ultimately decide, because if it's as successful as we hope it'll be and we think it'll be, the Olympics becomes far less important, to the players, even," deputy commissioner Bill Daly said. " If the World Cup's a big deal, best- on- best tournament, why do we need to go to the Olympics?" While the Olympic men's hockey tournament features 12 teams, the World Cup will have eight. Figuring out the seventh and eighth teams beyond the so- called big six was the biggest hurdle to overcome in planning this event. One idea was to keep it as six teams, but Daly and NHLPA executive director Don Fehr did not believe a tournament that small could constitute a true world championship. Daly said 12 teams, like in Sochi, were too much because of the talent discrepancy. " Some of those preliminary games, most of those preliminary games, weren't competitive," Daly said. " They weren't good hockey. I think with these eight teams, every game is going to be competitive and it's going to be good hockey ( with) the best players in the world." Without sufficient time to plan and conduct a qualifying tournament, another idea was to go with the seventh and eighth- ranked teams in the world, which at this point would be Slovakia and Switzerland. But those teams would have only been half full of NHL players. Having Team Europe means an all- NHL group made up of players from countries such as Slovakia, Switzerland, Slovenia, Latvia, Germany, Austria, Belarus, France, Denmark and Norway. The goal was to make sure stars such as Slovak Zdeno Chara of the Boston Bruins and Slovene Anze Kopitar of the Los Angeles Kings got to play. The NHLPA asked star players from those countries their thoughts because the trade- off was not playing for their individual countries. " I think the guys are trying to make it competitive and the best possible tournament it can be. If that's the case, that's the way it is," Kopitar said. " Just the thought of being part of a World Cup would be a very fun experience." Swiss defenceman Mark Streit of the Philadelphia Flyers offered a dissenting opinion. " It doesn't make a whole lot of sense," Streit said last week in Buffalo. " I'm not a big fan of it, not at all. I think it's a nations tournament and you want to play for your country and you take pride in it every Olympics and every World Cup." - The Canadian Press GENE J. PUSKAR / THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Chicago Blackhawks' Patrick Kane, Los Angeles Kings' Anze Kopitar and Boston Bruins' Patrice Bergeron ( from left) soak it in as NHL commissioner Gary Bettman announces the return of the World Cup. World Cup format a winner Why all the wailing, crybabies? Concept is inspired, not tired Young Stars, Team Europe ensures all the planet's best will compete By Stephen Whyno When the World Cup of Hockey returns in 2016 the new format will include a European all- star team and North American Young stars ( players 23 and under). Here's a projection of what those teams may look like: TEAM EUROPE Goaltenders: Jaroslav Halak ( Slovakia), Jonas Hiller ( Switzerland), Frederik Andersen ( Denmark) Defencemen: Zdeno Chara ( Slovakia), Dennis Seidenberg ( Germany), Roman Josi ( Switzerland), Christian Ehrhoff ( Germany), Mark Streit ( Switzerland), Andrej Sekera ( Slovakia), Mirco Mueller ( Switzerland), Xavier Oullet ( France) Forwards: Anze Kopitar ( Slovenia), Tomas Tatar ( Slovakia), Marian Gaborik ( Slovakia), Thomas Vanek ( Austria), Zemgus Girgensons ( Latvia), Marian Hossa ( Slovakia), Mats Zuccarello ( Norway), Michael Grabner ( Austria), Lars Eller ( Denmark), Mikhail Grabovski ( Belarus), Leon Draisaitl ( Germany), Antoine Roussel ( France), Nino Niederreiter ( Switzerland) Analysis: Goaltending is deep, and there's some top- end talent at forward between Kopitar, Gaborik, Vanek and Zuccarello. Developing chemistry among players who speak many different languages and come from different places is the major test. YOUNG STARS ( Age on Sept. 1, 2016 in parentheses) Goaltenders: John Gibson ( 23), Malcolm Subban ( 22), Zach Fucale ( 21) Defencemen: Dougie Hamilton ( 23), Aaron Ekblad ( 20), Seth Jones ( 21), Morgan Rielly ( 22), Jacob Trouba ( 22), Cody Ceci ( 23), Mathew Dumba ( 22), Darnell Nurse ( 21) Forwards: Connor McDavid ( 19), Jack Eichel ( 19), Nathan MacKinnon ( 21), Brandon Saad ( 23), J. T. Miller ( 23), Ryan Nugent- Hopkins ( 23), Jonathan Huberdeau ( 23), Mark Scheifele ( 23), Johnny Gaudreau ( 23), Alex Galchenyuk ( 22), Sean Monahan ( 21), Curtis Lazar ( 21), Max Domi ( 21) Analysis: The only real weakness is goaltending, as hockey is in a cycle where there aren't a whole lot of netminders making an impact at the NHL level before age 23. The blue- line is stacked with young talent and different kinds of players. There's enough skill up front to win some games or maybe even the tournament. B_ 02_ Jan- 25- 15_ FP_ 01. indd B2 1/ 24/ 15 8: 28: 12 PM ;