Why you should watch the World Cup of Hockey

Sara Holland, Staff Reporter|September 23, 2016

This is only the third year of the World Cup tournament, but many things have already changed. Firstly, all games are being held in Toronto at the Air Canada Centre, home to the NHL’s Toronto Maple Leafs.

More notable, two new teams were added to the roster, Team Europe- which is comprised of players who aren’t on Team Sweden, Finland, or the Czech Republic- and Team North America, which consists of a combination of both American and Canadian players 23 and under.

The preliminary games have already taken place, and that’s where we were able to see rival teams USA and Canada compete. Even though Team USA was eliminated from the tournament by Canada, you should still continue to watch the World Cup of Hockey for more exciting hockey action.

Reasons to watch:

  1. More Hockey!

The NHL regular season officially begins on October 12th. With the World Cup of Hockey, US hockey fans now get two extra weeks to see their favorite players compete against one another! This is also where we are able to see which players have been working hard during the offseason, like Team North America standout, Nathan Mackinnon. Based on his performance in the World Cup, we expect great things from this Colorado Avalanche player in the regular season.

As well as Calgary Flames, Johnny Gaudreau who recorded 5 points in only three preliminary round games. This is also a great time to introduce new people to the sport!

 

  1. Ease of viewing

All games this year are being played in the same arena in Toronto, and will be shown around 7pm EST and 4pm PST. It’s also easier to find all the games, since each one is being played on ESPN. With that said, more people can watch the games if they are simply strolling through the channels on TV, and you will even see the games being played regularly at more sports bars considering it’s not taking away from the Sunday night football monopoly.

 

  1. Getting to see the players

Last but not least, the players. The best part about the World Cup is being able to see all of the NHL stars on different teams come together and play for their countries. It’s interesting seeing the line combinations of each team, and how they are able to work together. Just look at Team North America and how well Connor McDavid and Jack Eichel play together. Their speed and talent makes them one of the most entertaining teams to watch.