COLUMBUS, Ohio -- It's immensely ironic that Gary Bettman orders a news-free moratorium to all 30 NHL teams over the All-Star Weekend, aimed at keeping all eyes on the event itself, then each year takes to a podium to generate all kinds of independent headlines on his own. But there he was again Saturday at Nationwide Arena, dishing out a plate of new outdoor games, potential expansion to Las Vegas and, for the main course, the rebirth of the World Cup of Hockey.
Yeah, I know: Who realized it was gone?
Well, now it's back, even if few want it, few will watch it outside the host city Toronto -- where hockey already courses through the veins -- and the format will be fantastically nonsensical: The teams will be the United States, Canada, Russia, Sweden, Finland, Czech Republic, as well as two fictional entities, the North American YoungStars and Team Europe. Seriously. The former would combine Americans and Canadians, bitter rivals in this sport, because "some great players get left out of international tournaments," per Bettman. And the European entry would be comprised of castoff countries such as Slovakia, Slovenia, Switzerland, Germany and Latvia.
Because that will go over well. And help grow the game globally.
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