IIHF World ChampionshipDiscuss International Tournaments like the WJC, Olympics, and World Cup, as they take place, or discuss past tournaments. performances.
One of the things that was mentioned on the broadcast and shouldn't be overlooked here is that Russia is not yet at their Christmas vacation, and therefore these games were in the middle of an average work day. Obviously, the attendance in Canada would have been significantly better, but we still need to compare apples to apples.
Dont forget this tournament is in Ufa, city of KHL club, so many people is simply not interested in tournament (except for Russian games) because they are watching way better hockey in KHL than this one.
let`s call a spade a spade, there`s a reason why this Tournament is held so often in Canada and it`s due to the fact that the fans here will often push a solid attendance for even soft games. The Junior game, although I am sure well respected and regarded elsewhere, just doesn`t have the same mass appeal as it does here in Canada.
I`ve been to two WJHC tournaments in the USA, one in Boston where the attendance was horrific (at a time when their Junior program was nowhere near as strong as it is now) , the other in Grand Forks and Thief River Falls where the support was great with an estimated 4,000 Canadian fans alone such as I mading the short trek accross the border.
Junior hockey just doesn`t resonate accross the pond with anywhere near the support as it seems to here in NA
There`s better hockey, but I am a lifelong supporter of Junior hockey and a massive fan of this Tournament, something special about watching teenagers play this game with passion, the chance of a massive upset at any given moment etc...
It is THE tournament that takes place where virtually anyone who loves/likes this game has an opportunity to see virtually all those prospects predicted to be a big part of the NHL in the future.
March Madness is overrated IMO, but I still love it for the upset factor
let`s call a spade a spade, there`s a reason why this Tournament is held so often in Canada and it`s due to the fact that the fans here will often push a solid attendance for even soft games. The Junior game, although I am sure well respected and regarded elsewhere, just doesn`t have the same mass appeal as it does here in Canada.
I`ve been to two WJHC tournaments in the USA, one in Boston where the attendance was horrific (at a time when their Junior program was nowhere near as strong as it is now) , the other in Grand Forks and Thief River Falls where the support was great with an estimated 4,000 Canadian fans alone such as I mading the short trek accross the border.
Junior hockey just doesn`t resonate accross the pond with anywhere near the support as it seems to here in NA
Forget North America and just go with Canada. This tournament uniquely appeals to Canadians and that is why Canada gets to host it so often.
It is THE tournament that takes place where virtually anyone who loves/likes this game has an opportunity to see virtually all those prospects predicted to be a big part of the NHL in the future.
March Madness is overrated IMO, but I still love it for the upset factor
Well that is just my opinion. Prospects are still just prospects...I like more to watch finished products that plays in NHL/KHL/Olympics
