Chef Boi RD wrote: ↑Sun Mar 30, 2025 10:12 am
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.
