NHL plans to bring back World Cup of Hockey.

[cusimano_brothers 1,655]

From The Score:

An internal league memo dated September 5th was obtained by the SportsBusiness Journal this week, and details the league's plans to grow revenue. Those plans can accurately be described as extremely aggressive.

From the SportsBusiness Journal's Report (by way of ProHockey Talk):

The memo cites four touchstones as key to developing increased revenue for the NHL:

? Expansion of the league’s core businesses: media, licensing and sponsorship.

? The NHL’s big-event strategy, which in 2014 includes the Winter Classic and Heritage Classic and four additional outdoor games in major markets branded as the Coors Light Stadium Series: two games at Yankee Stadium and one each at Dodger Stadium and Soldier Field.

? An increased presence in Europe, with more regular-season NHL games overseas, the return of the World Cup of Hockey — which, in 1996 and 2004, featured eight top national teams in a tournament in August — and plans for a Champions Cup competition between top European and NHL clubs.

? Securing new Canadian media rights deals, which would begin in 2014-15.

In total the league is aiming for an additional $1 billion in national revenue.

...

Making up for lost lockout revenue in a BIG way, from the looks of it.

Good idea / Bad idea / Don't care if it comes back?

Edited September 10, 2013 by cusimano_brothers

[evilmrt 636]

Well, this has been talked about since last Feb. Did I miss anything new?

Bringing back the World Cup is great. That means we'll only have 1 year in-between meaningful international tournament play. The 4 year gap between Olympic tournaments is far too long, and the annual World Championships is a no-show in the US. Probably because they play it while the F-ing Playoffs are going LOL.

The US team in particular really stands to benefit, imo.

Are they planning on playing this in Aug/Sept?

[Wings_Toledo 233]

I like most of the plans highlighted in that quote except for the Champions Cup. I think that's just an extra couple of games that clubs aren't going to want to play their best players because the tournament doesn't really mean anything. It seems to me that the league is asking more and more from the players (more long-distance travel and more games played) and then telling them they need to make less money.

[ogreslayer 1,069]

In sort of related news if you missed it today, the AHL announced that the 2014 AHL All Star Classic will be a skills competition & game between a team of AHL all-stars vs. Farjestad BK.

http://theahl.com/ahl-farjestad-all-star-p187178

If the NHL wants to spice up the ASG, maybe NHL All-Stars vs. KHL All-Stars in the future? I wouldn't mind seeing that at all.

Edited September 10, 2013 by ogreslayer

[evilmrt 636]

I like most of the plans highlighted in that quote except for the Champions Cup. I think that's just an extra couple of games that clubs aren't going to want to play their best players because the tournament doesn't really mean anything. It seems to me that the league is asking more and more from the players (more long-distance travel and more games played) and then telling them they need to make less money.

The league will probably subsidize the travel costs, as this is basically a marketing tool for the NHL in Europe.

Expect them to try to host it in London annually. This is another "Grow the Game" tactic. The UK is unclaimed territory.

As far as the teams and players signing off on this....I thought these ideas came from the BoG/NHLPA talks?

[dobbles 252]

i think bringing it back would be a bad idea. as much as many of us on here would love extra hockey in the summer, it wont do anything to grow casual interest, and it will just wear out players even more in the era of training and/or playing 12 months of the year.

additionally, as far as the nhls strategy, i think the european idea is a waste. its not feasible to expect players to regularly travel around the world for games. its just a gimmick. all that extra travel and time shifting just leads to greater player fatigue which results in more injuries and a lower quality of hockey.

not to mention they are running the winter classic into the ground by having it 37 times a year now. in a couple more years, the oversaturation point will hit and the league will have managed to kill the best idea its had in half a century.

the league is its own worst enemy. the support hockey has is from fans that realize just how talented and exciting the players at the nhl level are. year after year, the league does a terrible job of showcasing that. we will continue to be a 2nd tier sport until there is a massive leadership change for the league.

[Euro_Twins 4,476]

I like most of the plans highlighted in that quote except for the Champions Cup. I think that's just an extra couple of games that clubs aren't going to want to play their best players because the tournament doesn't really mean anything. It seems to me that the league is asking more and more from the players (more long-distance travel and more games played) and then telling them they need to make less money.

Firstly, I believe the players would have to agree to play, second, the cap goes up almost ever year, meaning players have been making MORE money, and thridly, who gives a crap, these guys are getting millions of dollars per year, excuse me if I don't cry if they don't get paid a hundred thousand more or whatever to play a few extra games.

[frankgrimes 1,836]

Want to really grow revenue eh? Bring back the Nordiques and move some teams to Canada instead of trying to force it.

Personally I do not care about a world cup or world championship, I care about the Olympics, Stanley Cup an my hometown championship. The NHL may have lost more than they thought with this lockout, deservingly so but their way of going to make up for it is equal ridiculous *killing the last appeal the Winter Classic had and recreating something that has not worked* oh well...guess we will have to wait and see going to tak that approach and laugh if it fails.

[evilmrt 636]

i think bringing it back would be a bad idea. as much as many of us on here would love extra hockey in the summer, it wont do anything to grow casual interest, and it will just wear out players even more in the era of training and/or playing 12 months of the year.

additionally, as far as the nhls strategy, i think the european idea is a waste. its not feasible to expect players to regularly travel around the world for games. its just a gimmick. all that extra travel and time shifting just leads to greater player fatigue which results in more injuries and a lower quality of hockey.

not to mention they are running the winter classic into the ground by having it 37 times a year now. in a couple more years, the oversaturation point will hit and the league will have managed to kill the best idea its had in half a century.

the league is its own worst enemy. the support hockey has is from fans that realize just how talented and exciting the players at the nhl level are. year after year, the league does a terrible job of showcasing that. we will continue to be a 2nd tier sport until there is a massive leadership change for the league.

You have some good points about oversaturation, but keep in mind that the World Cup is just replacing the WC in that years is played, which draws tons of NHLers already.

[Nev 1,085]

The league will probably subsidize the travel costs, as this is basically a marketing tool for the NHL in Europe.

Expect them to try to host it in London annually. This is another "Grow the Game" tactic. The UK is unclaimed territory.

If they wanted to grow the game in the UK, they could start by getting it on TV. Following a year with no TV coverage at all, after the lockout it went onto an obscure satellite channel that costs a fortune to get. Compared to back in the late 90s mid-2000s when there were 2 live games a week plus extended highlights on a free-to-air terrestrial channel.

Anyway, not a fan of the World Cup of Hockey, especially as its by their own admission just another way of earning cash. Olympics every 4 years is special, and world championships, whilst not a big deal in America, are a big deal in Europe.

[RyanBarnes! 293]

World cup of hockey? Yes please! A Champions Cup between Euro and NHL teams? No! But the KHL vs NHL all stars is actually not a bad idea. The KHL is the only league that even compares to the NHL in Europe, and I can see some rivalry develop since there is prestige on the line. There is some history also going back to the 70's when Russian and NHL players squared off. Besides, the All star format of today is boring.

[cusimano_brothers 1,655]

From Sportsnet:

In attempting to move beyond the lockout that wiped out almost half of last season, the NHL and NHL Players’ Association agreed to pull back the curtains and open themselves up to a new world of opportunities that should be beneficial for both.

Evidence of that strategy comes this week from Lisbon, Portugal – of all places – where executives from the NHL and NHLPA will participate in a meeting with their counterparts from the International Ice Hockey Federation to address all of the pressing issues in international hockey.

Thursday’s agenda is scheduled to include a discussion about resuming the premiere games, which see NHL teams play each other on European soil, and more talk about reviving the best-on-best World Cup event. The proposed Champions Cup club tournament, which would be modeled after soccer’s Champions League, will also be hashed over.

[Dabura 12,207]

The League will consider any idea that might rake in a huge profit. Mo' money, mo' call girls.

Still, I do like that they're talking about this stuff.