“I haven’t seen such a strong American team in a long time,” wondered Slovakian Tomáš Tatar before the friendly with the USA, which he lost to his teammates 2:6. Others have to stare too, not just because of the Americans. The starting hockey world championship in Prague and Ostrava is full of stars. However, such a constellation does not favor the Czech prospects for a medal.
Not everyone likes the fact that the world championship in ice hockey, unlike the one in football or basketball, takes place every year.
However, the annual format pays off economically for hockey and is magical in that it brings a different plot every time. A combination of circumstances, driven primarily by the interest and health of overseas NHL stars, can easily make the main favorite from the Swiss. Or bring the precious metal closer to the Czechs.
The second mentioned case would come in handy now. The Czech Republic is hosting the tournament after nine long years and has not won a home medal in its separate history.
Unfortunately, this year’s plot is different. The clear favorites for gold are Canada, the United States and Sweden.
It is hard to say which of the superpowers is the strongest on paper, but the difference compared to the others is striking.
Speaking of the overseas world: while the trefoil of the super-favorites is clearly of NHL-level quality, the rest, except for a few individuals, fall more on the farm. In the best case, to the AHL, in the worst to the ECHL, which in the Czech Republic has the – perhaps excessively negative – label of “hockey’s grave”.
With some exaggeration, it can even be said that the level of the best league in the world exceeds the level of the American selection. He would not fit under the salary cap this season, he would exceed it by about four million dollars, i.e. less than five percent.
Last year’s US national team, full of unpaid university stars, was many times cheaper.
The change came due to the fact that in less than a year the tournament of four countries, a truncated version of the World Cup, and the Olympics in less than two years will take place. Whoever is on the edge of the imaginary American A should show off. Americans general manager Bill Guerin spoke quite openly about it.
Canada might have disappointed a lot of people. She didn’t bring her B-boy to Prague with a few outright A-class reinforcements like nine years ago. But she still has a much stronger team on paper than last year, when she took the gold.
Sweden impresses above all with the defenders. As if he was not going to the World Cup, but the Olympics. It took three of its most productive guards in the NHL and four of its five most used – Viktor Hedman, Rasmus Dahlin, Erik Karlsson and Jonas Brodin. Huge, unattainable power for most national teams, including the Czech Republic.
Two of the super-favorites, the USA and Sweden, are playing in the Ostrava group and it will be a big surprise if they do not take the first two places alongside Slovakia, Germany or Latvia.
The Czechs are thus at risk of a difficult quarter-final, in which they will not be a clear outsider, perhaps only if they are additionally strengthened by David Pastrňák and Martin Nečas.
The risk for the Czechs will decrease if they make it through Canada, Finland or Switzerland to a high place in the Prague group. Which won’t be easy.
But that’s just a plot on paper. The list of the latest medalists – Canada, Germany, Latvia – proves that the reality is more varied.
It just needs to be remembered that no last year’s team reached the quality of the current trio of favourites.
Tags: Comment havent long time Quarterfinal hell waiting Czech Republic
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