WHY THE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS DON’T MATTER
They do only when someone gets hurt
The Islanders did not medically clear Sean Bergenheim to play for Finland in the 2009 World Championships in Switzerland. The team did not medically clear Frans Nielsen to play for Denmark to play in the Worlds.
And I don’t blame the team one bit. From this corner, there is only one story worth covering in the World Championships – one I hope I never have to write.
The one about an Islanders player suffering a significant injury.
Other than that, there’s nothing there. I get that it’s a big deal in some parts, but for good reason there’s no buzz for it here. Let’s be honest: if the World Championships really mattered, they wouldn’t be held, um, during the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Kyle Okposo wouldn’t be jumping on a plane on Sunday, practicing Monday, playing an exhibition game Tuesday and then beginning Team USA’s tournament play.
The World Championships are valued in the United States about as much as the World Baseball Classic. In contrast, the failure or success of the Bridgeport Sound Tigers is important. They are a team comprised mostly of players signed by the Islanders, playing together as they hope to some day in the NHL. Those playoff games, the performances of Jesse Joensuu and Trevor Smith and Jack Hillen and Justin DiBenedetto and the rest matter.
I worked for the Islanders in too many seasons when the team didn’t make the playoffs and players scattered everywhere for the Worlds. It was no consolation prize.
Great performances at the World Championships rarely lead to anything else. I seem to recall Dave Scatchard telling me that his friend Scott Walker had a real good tournament in May and it gave him the confidence to take his game to the next level the following NHL season. Yup, that’s about all I have for World Championships testimonials.
Players skip the Worlds all the time and still get picked for the Olympic Team over guys who hopped on a plane the morning after losing a 7-game series in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. As much as Teams Canada and USA say giving up your time to play in the WCs is vital, when all is said and done they’re taking the best 23 players to the Olympics in Vancouver whether you went to Switzerland or not.
Scott Gordon working with Ron Wilson at the Worlds is a story. Great experience for Scott, could lead to an Olympics gig, will definitely put him in the mix with USA Hockey.
As for Mark Streit and Kyle Okposo, as wonderfully as they may play over the next few weeks, there is only one story. There is a reason Bergenheim and Nielsen were not cleared. As much as they would love to play for their country, first and foremost they play for the New York Islanders and their fans.
Talk about this story and anything else in hockey tonight in Comments. As (almost) always, three post maximum.
28 Responses to WHY THE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS DON’T MATTER
They do only when someone gets hurt
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Moose says:
Spot on, CB!
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volmeeezy says:
watchin the pens/flyers game .. noticed guerins on a line with crosby… hey cb maybe you can do a peice on the affect a player like crosby has on his linemates/team… im sure billy g can give some great insight on the topic and give us an idea on what a player like tavares can do for this team… just a thought
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Coach B says:
After a long season of games,pratices, travel, and depending on a players conditioning program lifting weights, running, ect… the body needs a physical and mental break. for the most part pro players are so well conditioned they can take a couple of weeks off then resume training.
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jonw says:
Have to disagree.I think the world championships and the IIHF as a whole are an outstanding way to develop players coaches and referees aswell as showcase the sport.
Whether NHl players decide to play or not it is up to them and the team that owns their rights.
The IIHF has been around since 1908 and has given opportunities to a countless number of both men and women in their development in hockey.It also aides in the showcase of the sport to people and places that might have never been able to experience it if it weren’t for the IIHF. -
Leo says:
Players shouldn’t practice either, they could get injured. Should they drive? What if they get in an accident? Maybe they shouldn’t play at all, we can simulate it on xbox360.
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Don’t discount the honor of representing your ocuntry. Especially if you can come home with gold.
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admin says:
Quick, dear supporters of the World Championships as an important event to New York and American hockey fans: without Googling, name the last three champions of the tournament. I believe I tried to make very clear it’s a big deal elsewhere. It’s just not a big deal here…CB
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The PolishPrince says:
Gotta agree with CB here. I heard a similar response from someone in a Canadian v Euro player discussion. Playing for your country in the worlds is a very big thing to a lot of European players apparantly. North American players conversely dream of playing for the Cup. The World’s indeed are a big deal, just not here.
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I’m not saying its important, I just find the fear of injuries too excessive.
For example in Baseball, many people use the same argument against the World baseball classic, yet nobody seems complain about guys playing in winter leagues, which they can also just as easily get injured. So what is the ACTUAL reason for not wanting them to play in the WBC?
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JKP in Halifax says:
Having been to a World Championship (as it was hosted in my city this time last May) I can tell you firsthand it’s a pretty spectacular tournament. And it may mean little to Americans (but you’ll note that hockey in general means little to Americans) but it sure as hell means a lot to European fans.
I saw three games, and other than Canada’s slaughter of Germany they were great hockey. And thousands of European fans came over and put us Canadians to shame in terms of their support for their teams.
The Latvians, in particular, stand out. They had a little section behind their net and were on their feet chanting and screaming, banging drums the whole time. Literally, each period, on their feet, making noise the entire period. Each intermission they’d go fill up on whatever liquor they were drinking. Super friendly fans.
It’s a big deal. Hockey is a global sport and the World’s help build the game. That’s what helps provide the ever growing talent pool for the NHL (Kopitar in particular comes to mind having watched him lead Slovenia in a valiant effort against Canada last year).
The World’s matter. If NHL players skip it or teams withhold players, it hurts in helping build the game outside of North America. So saying it doesn’t matter to New York is like saying that Danish hockey isn’t important and therefore having a guy like Franz isn’t important.
These players need to come from someplace, and market growth in Europe matters.
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Tom D 37 says:
#8CB: off the top of my head, I believe Russia won it last year w/ Kovalchuk providing the heroics. The other 2 years I think it was Canada and the Czech Republic. Off the top of my head I have no clue who won any Calder Cups ever. I think Okposo answered which one is more important. Mind you, I care about both. Heck I care about all things hockey.
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Nova Scotia Isles Fan says:
It will be very obvious about the division between Canadian and American fans on this issue and I want to take you to task on a number of issues here, Chris.
(1) The World Championships DO matter, anywhere Hockey is taken seriously, at least. There seems to be some (mostly American) misconception that, if it isn’t for the championship of the big professional league, then it doesn’t count. Nothing could be further from the truth. Does the World Cup of Soccer not matter because it isn’t the Championship of the North American Major Soccer league (or whatever it’s called this week)? NO. Many players, Canadians especially, see the putting on of the Red and Black Team Canada Jersey as a VERY BIG DEAL. Why are Shane Doane and Ryan Smyth revered north of the border? Not because of the many Stanley Cup rings they have. It’s because of the way they always answer the bell when Hockey Canada calls.
(2) Make no mistake about it: It does matter that you’ve stepped up when the Country calls, when it comes to Olympic selection. Maybe not in the US, where they generally don’t take the best players anyway, but in Canada, where we can usually put together three of the top six teams in the world if we tried, it DOES matter.
(3) There is a big difference between the World Baseball Classic, which is unfortunately scheduled during spring training, and the IIHF World Hockey Championships, simply becasue of timing. Pitchers don’t want to risk injury (remember the rather dumb pitch count restrictions that remind us of Little League?) by prematurely throwing themselves into high level competition when they aren’t prepared. Not the same here.
If a player isn’t fit to play, I can understand a team asking them not to go. The player’s professinal career has to come first. Just don’t justify it on the basis that it does’t matter.
Sorry if I’ve exceeeded the word limit, but this post needed to be responded to.
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O.Bender says:
JKP, awesome post. I agree with you 100%.
National pride factor should be higher when it comes to WC participation and fan interest.For whatever reason, we as North Americans, especially in the US, seem to disregard or diminish the importance of competition that’s important to the rest of the world. At the same time, we tend to exaggerate the importance of the domestic competition, i.e. calling baseball post-season finals – World Series, even though baseball is played in may be 10-12 countries.
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Diamond says:
Nova Scotia….ummm…..they do not matter here in the USA and you might want to realize that most NHL teams are in America. So hockey is taken seriously here.
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Wasn’t disputing the fact you thought it wasn’t a big deal in NY.I disagreed with you that it’s not a big deal.It is and it should be.How could someone so involved in hockey not care about the other aspects of the sport.It’s a big deal other places for the same reasons it should be here.If you or anyone else feels that there star players shouldn’t play then fine.If you don’t want to cover it that’s fine too.But as a hockey fan and a father I am in full support of the IIHF and all that it’s involved in for all the work they do for the men women and youth programs they help.
Quick Non supporters of the World Championships; would you cover,attend or follow the world championship if it was held at NVMC or MSG?
Russia beat Canda on their turf in 08.Canada beat Finland in 07 can’t remember the year before so maybe you are right it isn’t that important. -
Asitiswhenitwas says:
True, the Worlds are about as important here as tape delayed Australian rules football.
However, I do think it is a good product. I wish that it took place two, three months later in the year and was available on American television. Especially when the IIHF has offered the television rights in the states for free.
Unfortunately for me, the German web-casts I used to watch back in ’03 are no longer free. Ah well.
If Versus is considering itself “hockey central” preempting a few hunting shows to show a few team USA games in the late morning/early afternoon should come naturally.
It would be nice to see Team USA play in a international competition regardless of the sport, timing, or effect on professional teams.
Just a thought.
And no, this is not fueled by any vendetta I may or may not have with Latvia.
I hope everyone comes back healthy and K.O. comes back with gold. Mark can have silver.
Go States.
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Ian says:
San Jose loses again and is now on the brink of elimination. How does this affect that other first rounder we have?
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Chizzler says:
Very arrogant to say that the WC doesn’t matter. It doesn’t matter to you and to the Isles, I agree on that. But other than that it matters to much more countries than you would think.
Also it’s great to scout European players.
Mark Streit woulnd’t be playing in the NHL if it weren’t for the World Championships. Just a quick reminder.
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Rengi says:
Also Thomas Pock was medically not cleared, because he had an abdominal injury. Does that mean he’s still in the plans of the Isles ?
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Isles4cups says:
Diamond(15) While most NHL teams are located in the U.S., I don’t think I need to remind you that more than 50% of the players currently playing in the NHL are Canadian born. I agree that hockey matters to U.S. citizens, just not on the same scale that it matters to Canadian fans. In 2005 I witnessed an overwhelming number of Canadians supporting the World Juniors tournament in Grand Forks, North Dakota and at the same time, I watched the U.S. take on Canada in the U-18 Championship this month in which the arena was filled mostly with U.S. fans.
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Diamond (#15) Yeah, the majority of NHL teams are in the US. The TV contract is on Versus. Most of the teams that are failing are in the US. US fan interest ranks Hockey behind, not only basketball, football and baseball (all quite understandable), but behind golf, that 500 mile left hand turn known as NASCAR, and, probably, areana football.
In Canada, and in many northern European countries, Hockey is a passion and almost a religion. Even in the greatest US Hockey markets (Detroit, Chicago, NewYork, Minnesota), you can’t say that.
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tatran says:
cb so far your worst post i thing world championahip is great i wish they would show us all the games on tv so i don’t have to look for it on the net
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EAF says:
you can go to tsn front page and see if it is important or not – Canada beats Belarus.
Imagine that on any US major sport sites. Impossible. Baseball and football (in the off-season) is all over
It is the major hockey event for the whole world exept the US. This is very unfortunate. -
#14 = agree 100%. we call Boston Celtics world champions – hilarious.
baseball finals – World Series – also hilariousIn reality this is very sad
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Nick says:
This was the exact fear that I had when I heard that Kyle Okposo was playing for Bridgeport…thank God everything went smooth…BUT…if KO would have suffered a serious injury playing in a bogus minor league game I would have lost it…it didn’t get a lot of pub, but I think it’s one of the stupiest decisions the franchise has made in recent memory…keep in mind that the these things don’t become stupid after the torn ligament occurs, they were stupid from the start…how many extra people came out to the Coliseum for those games…???…would a torn KO right knee have been worth it? Not to mention the fact that in some quarters that could be considered disrespectful to demote him down to the juniors, after such a wonderful year in the PRO’s!!! BUt then again the Isles have, and may always be, the NHL’s version of a circus act! Hopefully the next case and point doesn’t happen at the end of June.
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Ben says:
Hi,
I was a bit sorry to read this post. Your comments are usually balanced and knowledgeable but I have to strongly disagree with you on this one. Luckily, sport (and hockey in this instance) is not unidimensional and can be played in various arenas, under different banners and this should not be an issue.
The infamous players playing at the World Championship are playing for their country and therefore promoting hockey to the next generations of hockey players. This kind of shows will inspire the next generations of NHL players!
Furthermore, locking a player for 7 months of the year to play in the NHL should never stop them contractually to play for the remaining 5 months wherever they choose to do so.
Lastly, these european players have been developed in europe and I am wondering what should stop the european fans to see their favorite players.
If this is your conception of sport I find that rather disappointing.
Hope I misinterpreted your article.
Regards
Ben -
harry says:
well, being the captain of the swiss team for many years was big part of the career and development of mark streit. he may didn’t make the nhl without that. think about that and remember the big shotoutwin against canada at the olympics.
great post Chris. hopefully both Kyle and Mark leave the WC healthy and use it as a place to get better.