According to a report from ESPN, a proposed World Cup of Hockey for February of 2025 would not include Moritz Seider and the Germans
According to a report from ESPN, a proposed World Cup of Hockey for February of 2025 would not include Moritz Seider and the Germans
Per reporting from ESPN's Greg Wyshynski, the NHL is in the process of reviving the World Cup of Hockey, which it intends to hold for the first time since 2016 in February 2025.
According to Wyshynski, the proposed format for this event would include just four countries: Finland, Sweden, the U.S., and Canada. The two European nations would play two games against one another in Europe, while the two North American ones would do the same in North America.
That "pool play" format would create two semi-finals with the European winner (either outright or via aggregate goals) playing the North American runner-up and vice versa. The winners from those games would meet in a final.
There are obvious limitations (beyond the NHL's control) to international best-on-best hockey at the moment, namely the fact that it would inappropriate to include a Russian team in the proceedings, whether under its normal colors or some "Olympic Athletes from Russia" charade.
Still, this proposed format makes almost no sense.
What is great about the soccer World Cup is its grandeur, the sense that it is an event that garners major emotional investment from all corners of the globe. Of course, hockey can't replicate that completely given its much smaller reach, but a "World Cup" with four teams falls a long way short of the mark.
To me, it is clear that this format would be nothing other than a contrived attempt at manufacturing a USA-Canada final for television ratings, rather than putting on a sporting event of any significance to players or to fans.
From a Red Wings perspective, the glaring flaw in this format is that it would preclude Mortiz Seider and Germany from participating. Between Seider, Tim Stutzle, and Leon Draisaitl, there has never been a generation of German superstars quite like this one ever before, and it would seem obvious that they deserve a chance to prove their mettle on an international, best-on-best stage.
By no means would Germany be favorites against any of the four teams included in the proposed tournament, but that doesn't mean it doesn't belong or couldn't make this a more interesting event. To not include them (or the Czechs or the Slovaks) is antithetical to the fundamental ideal of sports as an open competition on an even playing field.
The NHL's short-sightedness seems poised to make this World Cup an event that feels more like a distraction than an exhibition of the best men's international hockey the sport can offer.
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