This week, the first World Hockey Summit will be held in Toronto. Many hockey personalities like Daniel Alfredsson, Brian Burke, Steve Yzerman and Haley Wickenheiser will be in attendance to discuss the future of the game. One of the interesting topics being discussed is the fact alot of kids are dropping out of hockey. A member of the USA hockey, Bob Mancini thinks that this is because players are not having fun, and are having too much pressure put on them. This kind of hits close to home for myself. Back when I was in Timbits Initiation Hockey, there were some parents bent on turning their kid into the Next One. Thankfully, my dad was never that bad. Hockey at that level should be fun, and parents shouldn't have to get their eight-year-old to do dry-land training in the off-season.
Another interesting issue being discussed is the size of NHL ice, and if it should be enlarged to match the International ice size. International ice size is the main factor in creating "soccer on ice", meaning a slower pace, less physical and really less entertaining game. Some think the International ice size should be reduced, but alot of fans in Europe like "soccer on ice", probably because they like soccer.
But the most important issue being discussed is the future of NHL players in the Olympics. I know what alot of die-hard NHL fans think, but after the wonderful memories that Vancouver 2010 gave to Canada, we want more. Let's look back at those memories:
Those are just legendary, especially the last one.
The best thing for the Winter Olympics is for the NHL to reach an agreement to let the best players in the world to play for their country. And it really is great for the NHL too. What better way to show the world their players and the talent they have, than to have their players play in a tournament for the whole world to see. And since the next winter games are in Sochi, Canada can take down Russia on their own turf, just like in '72.
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