In February 2024, we may see matches of the best players’ tournament in Finland as well.
The last time all of Finland’s best players were seen in the same team was in the 2016 World Cup. ZUMAWIRE / MVPHOTOS
The plans of the NHL and the players’ association NHLPA for the 2024 World Cup are moving forward.
NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly commented at the media conference of the series in Paris that the organization of the tournament is regularly discussed.
According to Daly, the tournament will feature at least eight national teams, and matches will be played in both North America and Europe.
– We would like to play the groups in Europe and North America, and the semi-finals and the final in a city in North America, Daly comment.
Finland is a likely option as a venue if the tournament is organized. In the 1996 and 2004 World Cups, group matches were played in Finland.
Daly said that he discussed the plans for the tournament in Paris with the IIHF president by Luc Tardif with.
The date of the tournament is planned for February. The previous World Cups and the Canada Cups that preceded it were normally played in September before the start of the NHL season.
According to Daly, there are ambiguities in the participation of the Russian national team in the tournament. Russia was banned from IIHF tournaments last spring.
The previous World Cup was played in 2016 only in Toronto. Finland finished last in the tournament. At that time, the North American youth team and the European mixed team were also involved.
The tournament in question is also the previous one, where the world’s best players have been seen at once. The NHL withdrew from the previous two Winter Olympics.