As the O'Jays once sang...

Money, Money, Money, MOney...MOOOOney.
- 77rams

I'm pretty sure the NHL would make the same money if some of the games were played in Montreal, Ottawa, New York, Boston or Philly

Yep. This is an NHL tournament. Funded by the NHL, designed by the NHL, and the NHL will make damned sure that there is no way the NHL gets embarrassed in any way.
- MBFlyerfan

Any word on compensation for the players?

Yep. This is an NHL tournament. Funded by the NHL, designed by the NHL, and the NHL will make damned sure that there is no way the NHL gets embarrassed in any way.
- MBFlyerfan

The NHL already does a good job of embarrassing themselves.
See:
Cooke, Matt
Rinaldo, Zac
and lets not forget the all star uniforms and the shootout!!

I think the whole "this is such an awful system" thing is vastly overblown. I've read several times that the "Best of the rest in Europe" and the NA Young stars team is a one and done thing, regardless.

If the NHL plans on having the World Cup of Hockey take place of the Olympics, than it is a mistake and hopefully those changes will be made.

But as of now, it hasn't. Until that time, Olympics is the national tournament that should instill that national pride of playing for your country. Nobody has taken Streit's right to play for his home country, that's what the Olympics are for.

If the NHL looks to replace the Olympics with the World Cup, most certainly due to any discrepancies that the IIHF and NHL may have with scheduling and advertising rights, then I believe that they will make those changes to make it more of an Olympic style tournament.

I just don't understand this huge "up in arms" travesty which seems to be running rampant.
- GirouxForTheShow

Pretty much agree with this. It should in fact make the Olympics a little more special since every country gets a chance to compete. I just think the young stars and the Czechs will have a hard time, and if I'm Slovakia which just took bronze in the under 20 I believe, I'm definitely pissed the Czechs get their own team

http://prohockeytalk.nbcs...%20NBC%20Sports&utm_tags=

The NHL already does a good job of embarrassing themselves.
See:
Cooke, Matt
Rinaldo, Zac
and lets not forget the all star uniforms and the shootout!!
- BiggE

Well, I actually meant getting beaten by a KHL affiliated team. But yeah....

Well, I actually meant getting beaten by a KHL affiliated team. But yeah....

- MBFlyerfan

The NHL already does a good job of embarrassing themselves.
See:
Cooke, Matt
Rinaldo, Zac
and lets not forget the all star uniforms and the shootout!!
- BiggE

I would say those players embarrassed themselves and are responsible for their own actions. Two players out over 600 players that play in the NHL.

Apparently Gus is playing in the KHL all-star game and took part in the hardest-shot competition at 87mph (the puck, not Gus). I do wonder if he'll try to get to the NHL again someday...

http://l.facebook.com/l.p...RqE-rb-Fhoo3YaGdN73Sw&s=1

I agree with Streit; not doing the Top 8 countries is silly.

That said, the "Rest of Europe" team is now my favorite team and I would immediately like to try to figure out what National Anthem will get played before the game the "Rest of Europe" (RoE for short) takes the ice.

Apparently Gus is playing in the KHL all-star game and took part in the hardest-shot competition at 87mph (the puck, not Gus). I do wonder if he'll try to get to the NHL again someday...
- PhillySteen

I was wondering about him. Wonder if Bill has heard anything about his intentions for next year. I am of the opinion we could certainly use him.

I think hes a better player than MDZ, personally.

I think the whole "this is such an awful system" thing is vastly overblown. I've read several times that the "Best of the rest in Europe" and the NA Young stars team is a one and done thing, regardless.
- GirouxForTheShow

I'm sure that will be very comforting to someone like 37-year-old Mark Streit, who will never get the opportunity to play for his own country in the World Cup format.

I was wondering about him. Wonder if Bill has heard anything about his intentions for next year. I am of the opinion we could certainly use him.

I think hes a better player than MDZ, personally.
- mochoson

What are you basing Gustafsson being a better player the Del Zotto on?

I was wondering about him. Wonder if Bill has heard anything about his intentions for next year. I am of the opinion we could certainly use him.

I think hes a better player than MDZ, personally.
- mochoson

I'm not sure what his plans are for next season but there is more KHL interest in him than from any NHL team.

Personally, I don't think Gustafsson at his best is close to being as good of a player as MDZ at his best, and it's not that I dislike Gus.

Gus and players such as Philip Larsen fall into a tough category as AHL-NHL tweeners. The KHL is probably the best league for that type of player.

I'm sure that will be very comforting to someone like 37-year-old Mark Streit, who will never get the opportunity to play for his own country in the World Cup format.
- bmeltzer

Has he not had a chance at the Olympics? The World Cup isn't replacing the Olympics, the NHL wants to bring back a tournament of the highest level players from the NHL. That's very hard to do when you start bringing in countries that don't have 20 NHL caliber players.

You could say the same thing about Vanek, who wouldn't get to play being on team Austria, or Kopitar, on a lower-end Slovenia team. They would never get the chance because their country can't compete.

I can understand the disappointment by Streit, I just don't see it as such a huge deal. The Olympics are there for that exact reason, playing for your country. And in my opinion, the Olympics has much more prestige as a international tournament.

I think the 'rest of Europe' team was the only way they'd get Kopitar there

I think the 'rest of Europe' team was the only way they'd get Kopitar there
- eayost

I've already decided on what the National Anthem for the "Rest of Europe" should be:

"The Final Countdown"

By Europe.

I think the 'rest of Europe' team was the only way they'd get Kopitar there
- eayost

Nah, they just want Zuke and all the Norwegian oil/gas-money on-board.

I'm not sure what his plans are for next season but there is more KHL interest in him than from any NHL team.

Personally, I don't think Gustafsson at his best is close to being as good of a player as MDZ at his best, and it's not that I dislike Gus.

Gus and players such as Philip Larsen fall into a tough category as AHL-NHL tweeners. The KHL is probably the best league for that type of player.
- bmeltzer

Gus, in my opinion, is a better defensive player and doesn't get pushed around as much. He seems to have a lower center of gravity and can handle some tougher defensive assignments. They both are smaller puck movers, but MDZ is just plain frail. He try's to play physical and just bounces off of bigger forwards. The disparity between the two is minuscule IMO. If I'm picking one, I probably take Gus though.

I've seen you and others compare Gus to Phillip Larsen several times, and I don't see it. It's a lazy comparison IMO. But, to each his own. I could see Gus coming back next year and thriving in the NHL. He most likely isn't going to step back into the NHL and be an instant top 4 defensemen, but I certainly think he could find a permanent roster spot somewhere.

Biggest thing with him was he needed playing time. He didn't get enough of it in Philly. I remember Mark Giordano being a similar kind of fringe/tweener before he went to the KHL. He came back a new man, mainly because he got all the ice time he could handle over there.

Not saying that sets a precedent for every dman that takes a year off of NHL hockey to play in the K. Anything is possible though.

I'm not sure what his plans are for next season but there is more KHL interest in him than from any NHL team.

Personally, I don't think Gustafsson at his best is close to being as good of a player as MDZ at his best, and it's not that I dislike Gus.

Gus and players such as Philip Larsen fall into a tough category as AHL-NHL tweeners. The KHL is probably the best league for that type of player.
- bmeltzer

I agree Bill, Del Zotto has definitely had some inconsistency issues, but when he is at his best, and playing at the top of his game, Del Zotto is a bona fide NHL defenseman who can play at a high level at times. Gustafsson has never reached that level, and may never be a regular NHL player.

Gus, in my opinion, is a better defensive player and doesn't get pushed around as much. He seems to have a lower center of gravity and can handle some tougher defensive assignments. They both are smaller puck movers, but MDZ is just plain frail. He try's to play physical and just bounces off of bigger forwards. The disparity between the two is minuscule IMO. If I'm picking one, I probably take Gus though.

I've seen you and others compare Gus to Phillip Larsen several times, and I don't see it. It's a lazy comparison IMO. But, to each his own. I could see Gus coming back next year and thriving in the NHL. He most likely isn't going to step back into the NHL and be an instant top 4 defensemen, but I certainly think he could find a permanent roster spot somewhere.

Biggest thing with him was he needed playing time. He didn't get enough of it in Philly. I remember Mark Giordano being a similar kind of fringe/tweener before he went to the KHL. He came back a new man, mainly because he got all the ice time he could handle over there.

Not saying that sets a precedent for every dman that takes a year off of NHL hockey to play in the K. Anything is possible though.
- mochoson

I don't see the same player that you see in Del Zotto. For a defenseman that is pretty small, Del Zotto is more then competitive defensively, and for a smaller player, is surprisingly physical. I think that Del Zotto is better defensively, but even if we call it even, other aspects of Del Zotto's game give him a huge edge over Gustafsson as an NHL player.

I don't see the same player that you see in Del Zotto. For a defenseman that is pretty small, Del Zotto is more then competitive defensively, and for a smaller player, is surprisingly physical. I think that Del Zotto is better defensively, but even if we call it even, other aspects of Del Zotto's game give him a huge edge over Gustafsson as an NHL player.
- MJL

I never questioned his competitiveness or his willingness to be physical. The fact that DelZotto has a very frail build and is ineffective in attempting to contain bigger, stronger forwards isn't really up for debate. He get's bullied by stronger players, but there's only so much he can do about it. It's how he's built.

Agree to disagree. All I was essentially getting at is that, in the limited NHL games Gus has played, he didn't seem to have as much trouble in his attempts to contain bigger, stronger forwards despite also being a smaller defensemen.

Personally, I don't think Gus has enough NHL tape for us to really know what kind of player he could be at the NHL level (so I could be entirely wrong all together, honestly). I'm merely basing my comparison off of intangibles. The honest reality is they are both smaller, puck moving dmen who will have difficulty with stronger forwards at times at the NHL level.

I've seen you and others compare Gus to Phillip Larsen several times, and I don't see it. It's a lazy comparison IMO. But, to each his own. I could see Gus coming back next year and thriving in the NHL. He most likely isn't going to step back into the NHL and be an instant top 4 defensemen, but I certainly think he could find a permanent roster spot somewhere.
- mochoson

1) Gus would be an underdog to crack any NHL top six. The pro scouts I've talked to, although none this season, were all lukewarm on him. For example, this was the assessment last spring from a longtime NHL pro scout who was also a long-tenured NHL defenseman: " I think Gus is a #7 dman on most NHL teams. I like his try and he has some offense, but lack of size and average skills will limit his upside. As long as his salary remains on the low side, he is an asset. He is replaceable if he wants too much money for me."

2) I've seen both Larsen and Gustafsson play many times. This is why it's a fair comparison:

-- Both are a bit on the small side for NHL defensemen.

-- Neither one does any one thing quite well enough to be an NHL specialist nor are they more than average across-the-board where there are bigger-framed players who can do the same things. Both have a little bit of offensive game and make a good first pass. Gus is a bit better defensively, Larsen has a little more speed. Neither one is going to overpower anyone with his shot. Gus has a little more physicality but that's a relative term because Larsen pretty much has none.

-- Both have had AHL success and international success but have had trouble becoming NHL regulars, and both are now in the KHL. Both got looks in the NHL but couldn't hold starting jobs for extended time.

-- They are of similar age (Gus is 26, Larsen is 25).

I'm talking more about not letting countries in like Swiss or Latvia, for example, instead of a made up composite on under 23 year old NA stars.

What game would generate more interest in Toronto? Slovakia vs. Germany, or a team made up of McDavid, Reichel, Ekblad, Drouin, etc, against whomever?

A European all star team? There certainly will be a lot of players skating hard for national pride on that squad. It'll only a NHL based European team with players who we'll be familiar with, again, only generating interest/income.

This used to be a terrific tournament. Now, if you can't fill the house, "sorry Norway, you can't get in without a ticket".
- 77rams

Exactly, hands down the young stars team.