Given the nature of both, I don’t see any effective way to prevent conflict between the two as presently organized. However, I think it could be organized a little bit differently and still be very good. I really enjoyed the World Cup of Hockey in 2004 and I think it was a fairly successful event. That got me to thinking about how the ice hockey events differ from comparable events in the world of football (soccer).

The FIFA organization has always ensured that the World Cup and the Olympics do not compete for status even though both are quadrennial events; the World Cup has always been the marquee event. Over the years the Olympic tournament has taken many different guises (not unlike Olympic ice hockey), but recently they’ve established it as an under 23 tournament. And, that really makes a lot of sense to me. It creates a marquee type event that stands between junior level tournaments but doesn’t really compete with the World Cup (not that anything really can).

I would really love to see the NHL/NHLPA and the IIHF come up with something similar for the Olympics and the World Cup of Hockey. That is, the World Cup of Hockey should be established as a long term quadrennial event (offset from the Olympiad) with a straightforward qualification system. And, the Olympic tournament should be limited to younger players. My knowledge of player ages is not sharp enough to decide on that limit, but it could probably be anywhere from 23-25.

This would allow the World Cup of Hockey to be organized in the off season, and feature all the best professional players each participating nation has to offer. And, it would allow for a great Olympic tournament that wouldn’t necessarily involve shutting down the entire NHL for the duration (maybe a short breaks and some games short a few players per team).

Obviously, none of this is my decision to make (and maybe it isn’t even a good idea), but I do stand by it as something worth thinking about.

The Toronto and Ottawa game was settled with the first official NHL shootout. I enjoyed watching it, but I think its real benefit was displayed in the preceding overtime. The extra period had a lot of energy which I think was influenced by the fact that there will always be a winner (instead of evenly split points for a tie as in the past). Of course, it may have been due it being a Toronto-Ottawa game as well.

And, one comment not relevent to the actual game play: Gretzky’s suit was quite plain looking; I was kind of disappointed. Pat Quinn, however, was looking quite sharp even with the bruise on his face.

I have nothing really to add to the story. All of the folks who actually know what they are talking about vis a vis the NHL have already commented. However, I’m cautiously optimistic something good will come out of this (but admittedly there is still potential for silliness).

Recently, along with nearly everyone else, I’ve been thinking about professional hockey and things that might make it better. I don’t have any solutions, but I’ve been reading commentaries from some folks who do, in particular Colby Cosh. Recently, Cosh made this most excellent observation:

Bettman & Co. want very much to turn the NHL into the NBA, but should it necessarily settle for that when it could be transformed into Formula One or soccer?

I heartily agree with that sentiment. I really like the way a lot of the professional soccer leagues are organized in Europe with the hierarchy of divisions and the ability of teams to move up or down through the divisions. This seems to change the incentives for team owners in a positive fashion, and creates a more balanced field for new teams. Newly established clubs start in the lower level leagues and then move up (or not) according to the level of their success. Ironically, that model is far more market friendly than the centrally controlled model preferred in North America.

For some interesting examples, I recommend this article about a possible alternate team starting in Manchester if US businessman Malcom Glazer succeeds in taking over the publicly traded Manchester United. The part that caught my eye was a team started in Wimbledon when the local team there moved away. The new team remains in a lower ranked league but has progressed up the ranks since it was established. As I’ve been thinking about that I keep wondering about the possibilities for Winnipeg, Quebec City, or any of a number of other cities if hockey used that kind of model. I find those possibilities quite captivating. (Go Jets Go!)

I was wandering between my computer and television, watching the Canadians win against Team Russia in a rather dramatic fashion. Team Canada this year was clearly one of the most skilled and well matched squads ever (a credit to both the players and the bench staff), but I also got the feeling that many of their opponents were not playing at anything close to the same level. And, that thought led me to wonder how many good hockey players were not and never will play for Team Russia because they are conscripts dying in Chechnya, without the politcal or economic means to avoid the draft.

There might not actually be that many, but I suspect no one will ever really know. I must say though that it felt strange to read (courtesy of John “Global Guerrillas” Robb) the day after that several more Russian soldiers just died. I’m not sure why exactly this occured to me during a hockey game, but it did.

I did know that amateur teams from a variety of leagues originally contested for the Cup, but according to the Free Stanley site Lord Stanley established relatively specific rules about the Cup. It would appear that the Stanley Cup was intended to be a challenge prize more like many of the European football championships rather than a league championship trophy. The fact that Cup champions in the past actually defended the Cup against open challenges is remarkable; not to mention incredibly cool.

I’m not a fan of NHL hockey, but I have been known to watch the Stanley Cup playoffs on occasion. There just seems to be something missing from most regular season play in the NHL. A system to award the Stanley Cup not run by the NHL would almost certainly create a more exciting story. Even if they wouldn’t succeed very often, the very possibility of a small club knocking off a big club would create more real drama than the NHL’s “Cup Crazy” campaign could ever hope for. It has the potential to make non-finals hockey interesting.

Unfortunately, I suspect the Stanley Cup may have been too long the league trophy of the NHL. I’m not a lawyer, but I’d imagine there are time limitations on contesting stuff like this. Although, it might be worth it for a non-NHL team to challenge the current champions for the Cup whether or not the league gets itself put back in order. Of course, if the league keeps the players locked out through the end of the season, the Lightning might not have any players to defend the cup with.

I really hope the Free Stanley guys keep their project going as long as possible. No matter what happens, it will be fun to watch. And, isn’t that the whole point of professional sports?

“The Maple Leaf channel will provide an in-depth look at the club’s history and tradition. In addition, the channel will take fans behind the scenes at the Air Canada Centre and bring them up close with all their favourite Leaf personalities….

… One important element it lacks, however, is the ability to broadcast games. Currently, the MLSEL sells those rights to a number of different networks….

… The Leaf channel will provide extensive pre- and post-game coverage. It will also broadcast the team’s annual Blue and White Game and eight preseason games.”

It is certainly an interesting idea, and the Toronto Maple Leafs Hockey Club is arguably the most valuable franchise in the NHL so they have as good a shot at making it work as anyone. (According to the Globe currently the only current franchise operated channel is the Manchester United’s MUTV.)

“This is a birthplace for a new, exciting sports format for many teams in North America,” Mr. Shannon predicted. “If this works here, there’s no reason the New York Yankees, Montreal Canadiens or any team with a firm hold in their market can’t duplicate our success. We’re leading the way.”

Hat tip to GlobeTechnology.com