The current, irregular "International Hockey Summit" being held in Toronto shows the difference between international soccer and international hockey.
This unusual gathering, perhaps the first in memory, is supposed to come to grips with thorny problems and launch new ideas and directions for hockey.
It is being attended by the heads of the IIHF, the NHL, the KHL, heads of various other international hockey bodies, including women, players, and whoever else is considered a big-wig in the world of international hockey.
All these "equals" are airing their differences and proposing new concepts to be tried to increase interest in hockey around the world.
So far, the most tangible proposals are a revival of the dormant World (Canada) Cup to be played every four years, in between Winter Olympics; scrapping the World Championships during Olympic years; and a brand new concept called a Victoria Cup which would pit the two Stanley Cup finalists in a mini-tournament against the KHL champion and a European Champion.
There is also the squabbling over NHL participation in the Sochi Olympics of 2014, and money compensation for NHL play ...
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NHL
Article written by Steve Thompson
Hockey Needs a FIFA-like Organization
August 26th, 2010 by Steve Thompson Leave a reply »
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