EHM The Blue Line

I think that the current league/promotion structure is rubbish, and is preventing new hockey nations from dveloping on a world stage. Therefore this is what I would do to amend the system...
1) World Championships would only be held very four years (alternating with the Olympic years, so you would have the WCs in 2008, 2012 etc). This increases excitement with the tournament and raises its prestige, rather than it being a case of every year as it is currently,which devalues what should be a great event.
2) Scrap the current league system. Instead we have the 45 teams divided into eight qualifying groups of five teams, with the seeds spread out across the draw (ie the top eight seeds all in different groups). Within this group stage, each team plays each other four times, twice both home and away. Think of the excitement created when a small team like Turkey comes up against the likes of Canada in a packed and hostile arena. Instantly the public interest is ratcheted up in the smaller nations with the prospects of big hockey nations coming to town. The game starts to get coverage in the national news and instantly the sport's profile is raised. There may even be a few shock results along the way...
3)The top two in each of these qualifying groups advances to the World Championships proper

Now I know what you are thinking, yes this is all well and good, but the favourites will trounce the minnows and easily progress to the main competition. Yes this is true initially. But think that for the future, with the smaller national teams playing these big teams far more regularly than under the current system, they will eventually begin to develop their hockey and become bigger and stronger. To be the best, you have to play against and learn from the best. The current IHHF system does not allow this often enough..

Any thoughts?...

An intreging idea. Can't see it woking at all in all honesty. There is no way that big nations like Canada would be willing to go to turkey or Australia for an away game.

Not to mention ths costs for Turkey or Australia or turkeys ice hockey teams to travel to Canada and lets face it Canada or any other big nation for that matter would want to give half teh gate money to a small hockey nation like that.

There is a sort of hockey world cup already though only has 8 team. With the long schedules of the already big league sthere is no way they could accomodate 20 something group games all over the world for this international event.

But I do agree that the current pooling system is very hard indeed for small hockey nations to develop.

Ok the top pool woth teh russias and canadas etc they do not want to have anything to do with these small nations unless they get good enough to get into that top pool.

There is I think 3 pools below this elite one. Perhaps this could be fixed. have the Division 1 (teams on pool below world championships given a bye to a later round. get the 2 below pools to merge together and have their own round deciding who qualifies to join the division 1 teams in the division 1 championships. This would all happen in the same year. Get the earlier rounds in say febuary adn some of those teams could join in on the division 1 teams. Also would be good if 3 teams could get promoted each year.

Half of the current division 1 teams could get a bye to the third round and the bottom half teams and the teams through from round one will play a round 2 to decide who gets through. the worst teams in that roudn will have to start at an earlier round.


Then come april have the usual championship 2nd tier with the best outside the elite pool. Except some changes. Have the groups the same number of teams in each but teh winners and runners up go through to semis. They coudl play to decide gold , silver and bronze. teh gold and silver would get automatic promotion and teh broze could play a play off against an elite team to see who plays in elite the next year.


looking at the IIHF they actually have 63 members. In 2005 45 of them played teams and were in teh world rankings.

There are currently 16 elite teams.

that leaves us with 29.

I suggest that

round 3 (Play in April)

top 2 in each group go into semi's. Gold and Silver medalists Promoted. bronze medalist gets play off for promotion.
groups A - 3 teams already qualified 3 from round 2
Group B - same as A


Round 2 - 6 already there, joined by 6 from round 1. 3 groups of 4. top 2 in each group progress to round 3 (play in Feburary)

Round 1 - 17 teams - 5 groups of 3, 1 group of 2 - winner of each group progress to round 2. Groups regionally located as well as possible. ( Play in october)


So sort of making it a continetal cupstyle of competition. Small hockey nations have the possibility of progressing in theory from the very bottom to getting into the elite the next year though would never happen.

In olympic years just make all the current Elite group play in the Olympics. increase the amount of olympic teams to 16 I say the olympic games would just count as the elite group for that year and so it would not be played in april as to have it and the olympics seperate is too demanding on the fixtures of leagues.

Anyway a lot I know to take in but a good way of giving smaller countries a chance but still letting bigger teams start higher up in the pyramid. A better way of measuring how smaller nations are doing.

Keep it going every year as if it is only every 4 years they get less international experience and if you had.

If the top ranked team say canada got paired with armernia it could end up 100-0. Teams needs to get results to play the best its the best way. For tiny hockey nations to be drawn randomly it gives them nothing they wil be thrashed all teh time and completly embarrased perhaps even to the stage of withdrawing to protect national honour.