The biggest news in the world of American sports right now is the start of the NFL season. Six Week 1 matchups were decided by two points or less, which shows that the level of competition this year may be much higher than in recent years.
Several rookies, including Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz and Houston Texans wide receiver Will Fuller, made impressive NFL debuts as their respective teams each started the season 1-0. Additionally, ESPN’s fantasy app crashed and burned — as did both of my fantasy teams.
While this football season is shaping up to be exciting week after week, there is another exciting sporting event starting this Sunday.
The World Cup of Hockey, featuring all the best and brightest NHL players, should be an excellent appetizer for the regular season. The tournament will feature the “Big Six” countries of the previous World Cups of Hockey — the United States, Canada, Sweden, Finland, Russia and the Czech Republic.
Team Canada is the heavy favorite entering the tournament. The Canadian roster, led by Sidney Crosby as captain, is both the strongest and deepest of the eight teams. Forwards include Jonathan Toews, John Tavares and Claude Giroux; defensemen include Shea Weber, Drew Doughty and Alex Pietrangelo; and the team’s three goaltenders are Corey Crawford, Braden Holtby and the presumptive starter, Carey Price. Since they have the reigning Conn Smythe Trophy winner (Crosby), Norris Trophy winner (Doughty) and Vezina Trophy winner (Holtby) all playing for alongside each other, it is hard not to consider Canada the favorite.
Team Sweden, coming off a silver medal performance at the 2014 Winter Olympics, looks to challenge the Canadians. Their roster is a smooth blend of experience and athleticism, with the Sedin twins and Nicklas Backstrom leading the forward corps, Erik Karlsson and Victor Hedman anchoring the blue line and Henrik Lundqvist cleaning up in net. The Swedes will be a force in this tournament, and are considered the favorites to win Group B.
Team USA took a slightly different approach when creating its roster. Rather than simply selecting the most skilled overall players available, the Americans selected a team that would maintain a certain level of grit and toughness.
For example, despite scoring 22 points in 24 postseason games leading up to a Stanley Cup Championship, Pittsburgh Penguins forward Phil Kessel will not be on the U.S. roster. However, Detroit Red Wings forward Justin Abdelkader, who has 174 points in 480 games, (many fewer than Kessel) will be on the team.
This American plan won’t work. Their forward corps is not deep enough to snub a key player like Kessel. Also, the roster would look better featuring Kyle Okposo, a power forward with a scoring touch. While the Americans have a stellar defense and equally stellar goaltending, their offense will not be strong enough to carry them to WCOH glory.
Team Russia boasts possibly the most skilled set of forwards in the tournament. Russia’s first line will most likely look something like Ovechkin-Malkin-Tarasenko. For perspective, those three players combined for 117 goals last year. So, Russia’s forwards may wreak havoc on its opponents.
However, Russia has a much weaker defense than the Swedes, Canadians and Americans. With such a potent offense, the Russians will never be counted completely out of a game. But, if Russia wants to win big, it may rely on some superb goaltending from Semyon Varlamov and Sergei Bobrovsky.
Team North America should excite every NHL fan. The future of the NHL — players we’ll be watching for the next 15 to 20 years — will play side by side for a chance to steal a World Cup win and announce to the league that they’ve got what it takes to win now.
Connor McDavid, who unfortunately missed much of his rookie season with the Edmonton Oilers due to injury, can now showcase his abilities and prove himself to be a bonafide superstar. Meanwhile, former Boston University Terrier Jack Eichel will have the chance to prove he’s every bit as good as McDavid, who has been deemed a notch above Eichel since last year’s draft.
Team North America’s defense, led by Aaron Ekblad of the Florida Panthers, will be poised despite the players’ youth. The defense will have a special offensive flare to it, provided by Toronto Maple Leafs’ Morgan Rielly and Philadelphia Flyers’ Shayne Gostisbehere.
Unfortunately for Finland, the Czech Republic and Europe, they simply do not have the depth to make a real championship push. There’s no way they can beat Sweden, the United States and Canada en route to a title.
In the final, Canada will defeat Sweden and be crowned the 2016 WHOC Champions. Canada is the host nation. They’ve got the deepest roster and the best goaltending. They’ve superior leadership, and they won’t be stopped.
