NHL rules out possibility of World Cup in 2021
Hockey fans seeking a true best-on-best international tournament received a disheartening development Tuesday.
NHL commissioner Gary Bettman ruled out the possibility of a World Cup of Hockey in 2021, noting that the league will hold an all-star game instead, according to Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston.
It’s not an altogether surprising development as the league has often been reticent to stop its schedule in order to accommodate international hockey, dating back to the 1998 Olympics, the first time NHL players were allowed to take part.
NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly told reporters in August he was “cautiously optimistic” about a World Cup being staged in February 2021 if the league and the NHLPA could agree upon extending or renewing the collective bargaining agreement before it expires.
The last installation of the World Cup of Hockey was in 2016, with most hockey fans viewing the tournament as a quantifiable success. Canada defeated Europe - a team comprised of players from Austria, Denmark, France, Germany, Norway, Slovakia, Slovenia and Switzerland in a best-of-three final to capture the title.
The tournament also featured Team North America, a compilation of the best under-23 players from Canada and the United States, allowing Auston Matthews, Connor McDavid, Jack Eichel and a host of future superstars to showcase their talent on the big surface.
It doesn’t appear that there’ll be a best-on-best tournament anytime soon. For the time being, one can only dream.
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