The International Ice Hockey Federation is not a for-profit agency. It's much like a game. This is a farce. The facade of shepherding the game and promoting its growth crashed to the sidewalk long ago. They are barely trying to hide it.
The men's World Junior Championship started in Canada on Sunday. The U-20 teams from around the globe are competing in the tournament, which is what hockey at the Olympics used to be. Only Canada cares, while pretending to not care when Canada doesn't win. Hockey fans aren't doing much else as it starts the week between Christmas and New Year's, and they treat it as their own NCAA tournament. The NHL can't get off the ground in most places at the moment. It is the best place to scout your team's current or future prospects crammed into two weeks, which is the appeal for most fans. Those who aren't using it to define their country's well-being.
The women's U-18 tournament was canceled by the IIHF due to the latest wave of the Pandemic. The women's Olympics or World Championships have been wiped off the calendar. All IIHF events are in January. The WJC ends in January, and yet still seems to be going ahead. It was quite the loophole, starting five days before January.
The women's U-18 tournament has been canceled for the second year in a row. The men's World Championships were held in the spring, while the women's were held in August. The men's U-18 will be held in April after taking place last spring. The 2020 version was canceled at the beginning of the epidemic. There is no women's equivalent to the WJC.
You don't have to call in the guy. The WJC has a large television deal with TSN in Canada and other countries. The IIHF wouldn't want to lose out on that cash.
Is that really the point? If you can also provide TV cash and tickets, you can provide equal opportunity. Everyone has a chance to represent their country at the biggest stage at every age level. The rest should be. It is the theory, even if it is miles away.
It is going to be difficult for the women's teams to drum up interest when they don't get to play. Women's sports have spent the last couple years proving that people will watch them if they are on TV. Like this event. Or this one. Here is another.
Women's soccer and basketball have a higher platform to launch from than women's hockey, but with the same popularity and ratings as men's soccer and hockey, that may not be true. The professional game for women has been far messier than their counterparts which doesn't help, but that doesn't mean it's beyond barely Catering to, as the IIHF seems to think.
The TV aspect of the argument doesn't apply. Either it is safe to have these tournaments now or it is not. The start of the ruckus in Alberts suggests that it is a sport in the world. The cancellation of the Women's U-18 says it's not safe. Both of these things are not true. It says that it is safe if it makes a lot of money.
I think the overarching lesson from all of this is why we are stuck in this epidemic. Is shortening isolation periods now?
