How the NHL and IIHF can make the most of hockey

 I have long been a proponent of a World Cup. Not neccesarily the NHL's World Cup, but the idea of a World Cup. I wish the NHL, the NHLPA and the IIHF could all get together and see the light, but they all just seem unwilling to compromise.

So I will now do their work for them. Consider this whole setup free advice for those incompetent multi million dollar organizations.

Do both. Go the Olympics and stage a World Cup. Do them both in February, and put the World Cup opposite the Olympics, every two years. None of this 2015 garbage.

It isnt just about the gold medal, it is about the matchups. People remember playing the Russians because they are always great games, not simply because there were medals on the line, and not even because it was Olympic competition. People just want to see the heavy hitters go at it.

A world cup could give us all those matchups that the Olympics tournament doesn't always provide. There is too much filler in the Olympic tournament. Nobody wants to watch Canad-Norway; that isn't entertainment. We want to see Canada-Russia, and Russia-USA, and every other meeting of hockey super powers. An 8 team round robin tournament would ensure we get to see the greatest matchups on earth at least once every four years.

Sure its a dumb trophy, but they can replace it

As far as "growing the game" is concerned, a World Cup allows all involved parties (NHL, NHLPA, IIHF) to maximize their return by putting the games where they will work best; as opposed to having the venue for hockey's greatest showcase restricted by the relative proximity to large mountains. Hockey fans are affluent. They will travel to a semi-final and/or final played in London, England, or Cologne, Germany. The World Cup can be meticulously located in cities that will maximize immediate returns (North America) or capitalize on potential markets in Europe.

As far as qualification goes, I think you just say nuts to IIHF rankings and make it straight up invitational (in all likelihood that will just mean taking the top 8 ranked teams anyway), the event can't risk having an important hockey nation fall into spot #9 because their juniors might have shit the bed and their World Championship team is garbage. Also, if the tournament is going to have a final in a nation with a weaker host (like Germany or Switzerland but maybe not Great Britain or Italy), you want to make sure the host takes part.

So here is the basic setup for the World Cup tournament...

-Canada
-USA
-Russia
-Sweden
-Finland
-Czech Republic
-Slovakia
-Latvia/Switzerland/Germany (I am thinking the bottom two or three would be your highest ranked teams, and/or the host nation of the finals)

-Single round robin preliminaries
-After round robin the top 4 teams advance to the semi finals
-Single game elimination, continuous 5-on-5 OT, semi-final and final

-Round robin games are played around the world, with many teams playing true "home" games
-Tournament "finals" are scheduled long in advance, like a Super Bowl or Winter Classic, and rotate between North America and Europe (and also influenced by where the Olympics are).

Just imagine the possibilities! USA-Russia at Madison Square Garden, Russia-Canada in Moscow, Sweden-Findland in Stockholm! The NHL and the IIHF can make these games happen! And when we are watching them, nobody is going to care that it is a "made up tournament".

 Here is a fantasy NHL Olympic/World Cup Cycle. The Olympic hosts are based on speculative bids and the World Cup hosts (cities that would host three games, the semis and the final) are based on what I would think would be ideal places to maximize both profit and exposure. I think traveling fans could become a big part of this tournament. Hockey, particularly NHL fans, are an affluent bunch. I think American and Canadian fans would absolutely travel for a World Cup final in London, or Paris, or Cologne, or Davos, or even Moscow (presumably more accessible than Sochi). So you can strike a balance between "growing the game" in new markets like wherever the IOC decides to put an Olympics, while also being able to cash in on international play by hosting tournaments in lucrative (Toronto, Montreal, New York, LA) or fertile (London, Paris, Germany) markets.

2016 World Cup - New York City, United States

2018 Olympics - Pyongchang, South Korea

2020 World Cup - Montreal, Canada

2022 Olympics - Oslo, Norway

2024 World Cup - England/Germany/France

2026 Olympics - Barcelona, Spain

2028 World Cup - Toronto, Canada

2030 Olympics - Denver, United States

2032 World Cup - Moscow, Russia

2034 Olympics - Quebec City, Canada

2036 World Cup - England/Germany/France

Imagine Germany hosting Canada and the USA in this building.

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