World Hockey Championship should become bigger deal in Canada

By Tom Yawney

Wake up, Canada.

Every morning when I wake up, I read online daily newspapers from all over North America. As an avid sports fan that has been living overseas, it has been my best way to keep in touch with what is going on back home. Currently, the big news in European hockey is the upcoming IIHF world championships.

For those who do not know, the top division world championships will be taking place in Halifax and Quebec starting in about three weeks. It will mark the first time the world championships have taken place on Canadian soil. Yet as I peruse the newspapers day after day, I wonder why no one back home seems to be talking about it.

In Germany, the World Championships takes precedent over their top national league. The first round of the DEL playoffs is a best of seven. The second round is a best of five, followed by another best of five finals. As a North American I found this playoff format extremely peculiar. Why would the DEL shorten the most important rounds of playoffs? The answer is because the European countries want their best players available for the World Championships.

Prior to the Olympics and the World Cup, there were hundreds of articles about who should make the Canadian men's team. TSN, Sportsnet, and the Score dedicated hours of coverage to the training camps, the selection process, and the tournament itself. Therefore it begs the question, why is Canada so apathetic towards the World Championships?

There is one immediate thought that comes to mind...NHL playoffs. The World Championships take place in the midst of the most exciting time of the NHL season. Another possible factor is that many of Canada's best players are busy with their NHL squad, and the Canadian World Championship team is considered a "B" team.

However, I would have to ask Canadian hockey fans a question. Why does Canada care so much about the world junior championships? The world juniors take place in the midst of the NHL season and are played by kids with far less "name recognition". Yet it is viewed by millions of households, and an unbelievable amount of media coverage. Young kids who were completely unknown prior to the tournament, can become national celebrities overnight. So why does that interest not translate over to the senior men's team?

The Olympics take place once every four years and World Cups are sporadic at best. If Canadian hockey fans truly want Canada to assert their dominance as a hockey power, the World Championships is the answer.

These Championships are huge to every other country participating. It is time for Canada to wake up and follow suit.

Tom Yawney is a Hockey.com Exclusive Member Blogger based in Europe.