World Cup of Hockey 2008?

 The NHL going over to Nagano, Japan in 1998 and participating in the Olympics was a big step for showcasing hockey at its highest level for the entire world to see. Before the NHL had the opportunity to go to the Olympics there were international tournaments called Canada Cups. The Canada Cup was played in 1976, '81, '84, '87, and '91. The Canada Cups were the only international tournaments where countries could put their best talent on the ice including NHL players. These tournaments were dominated by the former U.S.S.R and Canada but the world were able to watch the best from Sweden, Finland, the Czech Republic, and United States. Who wouldn't want to watch Wayne Gretzky play with Mario Lemieux on the same line?

            In 1996 the Canada Cup changed its name to the World Cup of Hockey. Held in the summer of 1996 it gave NHL players the chance to participate. The level of hockey played in that tournament was amazing. Hockey in the U.S. received a boost from the Gold Medal winning team U.S.A led by the amazing goaltending of Mike Richter. The U.S. beat team Canada for the Gold Medal 2-1 in a best of three game series. The World Cup of Hockey was in hiatus until 2004. The International Ice Hockey Federation decided to hold the tournament in September of 2004. The tournament was a flop with the black cloud of an imminent NHL lockout coming in three weeks. The tournament seemed to lose its mystique since the NHL had participated in two Olympic Games since the last World Cup of Hockey was held in 1996. Just two years before the same teams were playing in the Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah. The product had become stale, people wanted something fresh.

            Fresh out of a lockout that wiped out the entire 2004-2005 NHL season the NHL decided to once again send their players to the Olympic Games this time in Turin, Italy. The Olympics did not fare well for the NHL players. After playing over fifty games for their respective NHL teams the players had to play five round robin games in eight days. The players were tired and it showed on the ice. After the Olympics many players such as Jaromir Jagr and Martin Straka of the New York Rangers said it would be the last time they suit up for their country in an international competition. There are currently no plans for a World Cup of Hockey in 2008. With the 2010 Vancouver Olympics coming up two years after the NHL players want either the Olympics or World Cup, not both. Defenseman Adam Foote of the Columbus Blue Jackets, for one, is of two minds but leans toward participation. "I think guys talk about that, let's make it one or the other," said Foote, a veteran of the 1996 and 2004 World Cups and the 1998 and 2002 Olympics. "Every two years I think it's hard to get the guys together, especially with the way the NHL schedule is. Although personally, I love the old Canada Cup" (www.cbc.ca). Calgary Flames star Jarome Iginla agrees with Foote. Iginla likes the World Cup but if pressed would prefer the Olympics. "I like both events but what I like of the Olympics is that guys have been playing all year and they're at the top of their game," the star winger, who played in the 2002 Games and '04 World Cup. "It's a little different in September. It makes for quicker and better hockey in the Olympics. I like the World Cup but if it was one or the other I'd rather watch the Olympics and play in it" (www.cbc.ca). There are still star NHL players who want to participate in a World Cup of Hockey. Players like Martin St. Louis of the Tampa Bay Lightning and Wade Redden of the Ottawa Senators both remember watching Canada Cups on television as a child and want to carry on the tradition and would miss not playing.

            Do the NHL and IIHF need to hold a World Cup of Hockey anymore? The purpose of the old Canada Cups was to showcase the World's best on an international stage because they could not participate in the Olympics. Now with the NHL being in the past three Olympic Games the product might be over used. Hockey fans around the world will look forward to the Winter Games in Vancouver in 2010. It comes down to supply and demand. The demand for these "dream teams" was very high before the NHL started going to the Olympics. But the supply has come every two years, and something that's supposed to be special has become ordinary. So far no plans have been made to hold a 2008 World Cup of Hockey. The ideal time to hold them would be sometime in August 2008. The time is running out for the NHL and IIHF to plan for a possible tournament. International hockey will benefit in the long run, as anticipation of the 2010 Olympic Hockey Tournament will be heightened.