This (not so) stupid 4 Nations Crap tournament

[Meds]

Is Viktor Hedman a pussy?

Would have sure changed a lot of shit if we shipped our pick plus Burrows and Bieksa for Hedman. Gillis had the right idea in that trade.

Have I ever said that he was?

[Cornuck]

What any of this has to do with the 4 Nations tourn....

Time to move on from this stupid back and forth.

[Blob Mckenzie]

What any of this has to do with the 4 Nations tourn....

Time to move on from this stupid back and forth.

I was just pushing back on Mëds' nonsense about Swedes not being able to win in the NHL. It's a load of fucking garbage .........


Im all good for moving on. This place is so polarized with folks baiting each other left right and center. I''m definitely part of it but other than a handful of full of folks namely rats and corny, reef, Wids, a couple others...... everyone is throwing lit gas rags at the other guy and they are usually dipped in feces.

[Blob Mckenzie]

I'm guessing a no hitter love fest

How has it been, I haven't bothered watching any of it.

You commented and whined about it over and over.

You missed out. Best hockey I've seen since 87. 2002 and 2010 were close. 2014 wasn't fair. Go down and rent a VHS tape of the games in Rock Creek and you might feel different.

[Chef Boi RD]

I'm guessing a no hitter love fest

How has it been, I haven't bothered watching any of it.

You commented and whined about it over and over.

You missed out. Best hockey I've seen since 87. 2002 and 2010 were close. 2014 wasn't fair. Go down and rent a VHS tape of the games in Rock Creek and you might feel different.

The Tournament definitely turned out better than I expected. Question is now, will the Olympics next year rival it?

[Blob Mckenzie]

I hope so. It was fantastic hockey. So much better than the junk the league serves up nightly. Ideally you'd have the Olympics in 2026, a World Cup in 2028 but in September. So you get two best on best tournaments every four years. One day the Americans might win their second best on best.

I understand people being skeptical of the recent 4 Nations tournament beforehand. But all a person had to do was watch it to see that it was awesome hockey. The EEYORES will bitch till the end but that was a quality event.

[Cornuck]

I understand people being skeptical of the recent 4 Nations tournament beforehand.

I was very skeptical of it as it was announced. It just seemed like a glorified "all-star tournament". It took one game to convince it was so much more.

I'm still amazed / shocked that the NHL pulled it off.

[Chef Boi RD]

I’m just not so sure ths Olympics will have the same bite as it was a condensed 4 team tourney which was truly about the Americans feeling it’s their time now combined with the timing of Trump and the 51st state bull. It gave the tourney some extra meaning.

How many teams will be in next year’s Olympics? Doubt we see the same level of emotions we saw coming from the American dressing room as they probably realize now that letting your emotions run high is fools gold. Canada gave them a lesson in that department but that’s what Americans do, they are a nation of chest pumpers and love their truck and beer commercials.

My question is, who is in and who is out of Team Canada’s line up? Same group? Where are the tweaks? Players who are on the cusp of getting in are:

Wyatt Johnston
Noah Dobson
Mark Scheifele
Tom Wilson
Hyman
Weeger
Bouchard
Vilardi
Suzuki
Chychrun
PLD
Tavares
Konecny

Players on the outside looking in

Bedard
Celebrini
Byfield
McTavish
Guenther
McMichael
Kent Johnson
Fantilli
Lafreniere
Kyrou
Thomas
Power
Chabot
Horvat
Barzal
Holloway

[Blob Mckenzie]

Hargraves is a big honk for Fantilli. He has everything you want in a player. Man that was the year to land a top 3 pick.

No love for Sugar Shane Wright. He is Tavares jr.

[Per]

I’m just not so sure ths Olympics will have the same bite as it was a condensed 4 team tourney which was truly about the Americans feeling it’s their time now combined with the timing of Trump and the 51st state bull. It gave the tourney some extra meaning.

How many teams will be in next year’s Olympics? Doubt we see the same level of emotions we saw coming from the American dressing room as they probably realize now that letting your emotions run high is fools gold. Canada gave them a lesson in that department but that’s what Americans do, they are a nation of chest pumpers and love their truck and beer commercials.

There will be twelve teams, divided into three groups, but we still don't know which twelve.

Russia is banned from all international competition in 2025, but there has not been a decision on extending the ban into 2026 yet.
If there is a peace treaty in place before or during this summer, they will likely be allowed to participate, and get in based on IIHF ranking.
If there is still an on-going war in Ukraine, I'm sure all European nations (except Russia and Belarus, of course) will do their utmost to ensure the Russians aren't allowed back in for this tournament. Not sure when the IIHF makes the final decision.

If the war is over and Russia participates the groups will look like this:

Code: Select all

GROUP A 	GROUP B		GROUP C
Canada		Finland		Russia*
Sweden		Germany		United States 
Switzerland 	Czechia		Slovakia
Italy 		Denmark 	Latvia 

If things have not been resolved, France takes Russia's place, and the groups change quite a bit:

Code: Select all

GROUP A 	GROUP B		GROUP C
Canada		Finland		United States 
Switzerland	Sweden		Germany
Czechia		Slovakia	Latvia
France*		Italy		Denmark

The three group winners, plus the highest seed among the runners-up, will get a bye to the quarter final.
The other eight teams play a qualification round, highest seed against lowest and so on.
The four that survive are then seeded against the top four in the quarter final.

The 4 Nations tournament was a bit like jumping right into the semi finals of a major tournament, because you only had top level teams.
The Olympic tournament will have some crap games at the beginning, but this is important to spread and grow the sport long term.
Then when you get to the elimination games, the quality will improve.

Canada, the USA, Sweden, Finland, Russia and Czechia are the traditional top six, but these days the Swiss can challenge the top teams, and on a good day, so can Slovakia and Latvia. Italy, Denmark and France are just filler, but yeah, we want more people to embrace the gospel of hockey, so we need to proselytize to the masses.

[Chef Boi RD]

Hargraves is a big honk for Fantilli. He has everything you want in a player. Man that was the year to land a top 3 pick.

No love for Sugar Shane Wright. He is Tavares jr.

I like Fantilli. Him, Bedard, Celebrini, McTavish, Johnston, Johnson, McMichael, Byfield, Suzuki, Jarvis, McKenna, Schaefer, DuPont etc., are part of the next wave. Canada has some nice Defenceman on the way - Schaefer and Smith (2025) and Verhoeff and Lin (2026), DuPont in 2027. This Verhoeff is a beauty, absolute beast of a talent.

The 2025 and 2026 classes are packed with Canadian talent, not good years for the American’s and in 2028 they are already referring to Maddox Schultz and Liam Pue as the next wave of Canadian superstars in coming after McKenna and DuPont in 2027. DuPont is the story in 2027.

Canada seems to be on the rebound lately regarding producing top end talent. Schulz is expected to go first in the upcoming WHL draft and Pue 2nd. Pue is a local kid playing in Langley. Schulz is expected to play in the WHL next season as a 15 year old (exceptional status) hes that good. A lot of Sydney Crosby comparisons thrown his way, but a bigger version. Absolutely dominated this season playing with players 3 years older than him.

Man if San Jose drafts Schaefer. What a core they’ll have with Celebrini, Smith and Eklund at forward and Dickinson and Schaefer on defence.

[Per]

The IIHF has now announced that Russia will not be playing in IIHF tournaments in 2026 either, which of course includes the Olympics.

That means France takes the last spot and that these are the groups we will get:

Code: Select all

GROUP A 	GROUP B		GROUP C
Canada		Finland		United States 
Switzerland	Sweden		Germany
Czechia		Slovakia	Latvia
France*		Italy		Denmark

The three group winners plus the highest seeded runner up will get a bye to the quarter finals.
The other eight teams square off highest seed against lowest, and the four winners also make it to the quarter final.

Then the real fun begins!

[Blob Mckenzie]

I'm not certain if I like just a top 4 in the single game and out. Per's Swedes could be cooked. And not including the Russians is bullshit.

Put 4 divs of 4 and include Slovenia. Anze Kopitar not competing for a medal is a joke. Mix in the Japs, Belarus., Cuba, as well. Throw a bone to the Koreans. 16-20 teams in 4 or 5 divisions. Top 8 move on. I don't want to hear Per piss and moan after his outfit turtles in the sand:

[Cousin Strawberry]

The Russkies not there makes all these best on best tournaments...less than whole.

Can't someone snipe a melon in Moscow (hell throw in Washington as well) already so we can return to normal???

I'm sick of how fucked up the world is and it's affecting my love for the game.