Hockey fans love best on best International Tournaments. With the NHL not participating in the past two Olympics, the apatite to see this type of tournament has only increased. With the last World Cup Of Hockey being held in 2016, the NHL has said for a while that they want to make it a consistent event. Unfortunately, that hasn’t happened yet, but it’s not impossible. In this edition of NHL rumours, we look at the possibility of a World Cup of Hockey being played in 2024.
NHL Rumours: NHL Planning 2024 World Cup Of Hockey
Rumour: The NHL and NHLPA are planning a World Cup of Hockey event for February 2024, with the games being hosted in both Europe and North America.
NHL, NHLPA planning World Cup of Hockey for Feb. 2024 with games in Europe and North America, plus some fan news on the Stadium Series game in Raleigh between the Capitals and Hurricanes: https://t.co/lXb0l23bTp
— Stephen Whyno (@SWhyno) September 16, 2022
The planned World Cup will most likely be very similar structure-wise to the one held in 2016. Still, there will be some changes. One that may upset some fans is the removal of team North America.
According to Whyno, both the NHL and IIHF are trying to work on an agreement to split the games both in Europe and North America. This would be a significant change from the 2016 tournament.
Considering how successful the global series has been for the NHL, this is no surprise at all. The NHL is trying to make a larger European push, in order to grow more influence in other markets outside of North America. The logistics of this plan are complicated. Still, before we get to the schedule, the tournament needs to be announced first.
Everyone Love International Hockey
International hockey is a major draw for the sport. Fans love seeing the best players play in a competitive tournament. Players take the honour of representing their country very seriously. They also crave the competitive nature of a best-on-best tournament.
The World Juniors and Olympic Games always draw good numbers for the sport. Adding another tournament that’s already proven to be successful in the past makes sense. With the NHL’s participation in the Olympics still a question mark, bringing back the World Cup feels like a no-brainer.
World Cup of Hockey update from NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly:
Details on the play-in round, Russian participation and more:https://t.co/BshmbfkVgh pic.twitter.com/LyIplhDxyc
— Matt Larkin (@MLarkinHockey) September 16, 2022
